Patterns of seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) flowering in the Western Mediterranean

The intensive reconstructive sampling (1957–2004, 39 localities), a systematic direct observation (1992–2004, 1 locality) and particular direct observations (66 localities) of Posidonia oceanica meadows were analysed together with temporal series of flowering available in the literature (19 localities). This allowed the examination of temporal and spatial variability in annual flowering prevalence (FP, the fraction of meadows flowering in a given year) and of annual meadow flowering intensity (FI, number of inflorescences per shoot) for the period 1979–2004 across the Western Mediterranean, as well as spatial variability of flowering frequency (FF, the fraction of years that a given meadow has flowered) and shoot flowering probability (Pf, fraction of flowering stalks appeared per annual segment). Each year, on an average 17% of the investigated meadows flowered, ranging from 3 to 86% of meadows among the years. The highest annual FP and FI values were obtained in 2003 (FP=0.86 and mean FI=0.23±0.03 inflorescences shoot⁻¹). A secondary peak of FP and mean FI occurred 9 years earlier, in 1994 (FP=0.44 and mean FI=0.08±0.02). Both peaks of flowering occurred after hot summers. Flowering synchrony in particular years across the Western Mediterranean and clines of increased meadow flowering frequency towards the North and East, suggests the existence of large-scale environmental mechanisms controlling the floral induction. On the other hand, meadow FF and Pf were highly heterogeneous among and within the meadows, indicating that local factors also may play a significant role in flowering induction. When flowering, the Western Mediterranean meadows showed an average 0.11±0.02 inflorescences shoot⁻¹, but FI greatly varied among and along the series (from 0.002 to 0.54 inflorescences shoot⁻¹) and decreased significantly with depth but was independent of meadow shoot density and meadow latitude or longitude. The shoot flowering probability was quite low (0.007±0.002 inflorescences shoot⁻¹ year⁻¹) and exponentially increased with shoot age.     

Detritus-Bacteria-Meiofauna interactions in a seagrass bed (Posidonia oceanica) of the NW Mediterranean

The biochemical composition of the sediment organic matter, and bacterial and meiofaunal dynamics, were monitored over an annual cycle in aPosidonia oceanica bed of the NW Mediterranean to test the response of the meiofauna assemblage to fluctuations in food availability. Primary production cycles of the seagrass and its epiphytes were responsible for relatively high (compared to other Mediterranean systems) standing stocks of organic carbon in sediments (from 1.98 to 6.16 mg Cg^–1 sediment dry weight). The biopolymeric fraction of the organic matter (measured as lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins) accounted for only a small fraction (18%) of the total sedimentary organic carbon. About 25% of the biopolymeric fraction was of microphytobenthic origin. Sedimentary organic carbon was mostly refractory (56 to 84%) and probably largely not utilizable for benthic consumers. The biopolymeric fraction of the organic matter was characterized by high carbohydrate concentrations (from 0.27 to 5.31 mg g^–1 sediment dry weight in the top 2 cm) and a very low protein content (from 0.07 to 0.80 mg g^–1 sediment dry weight), which may be a limiting factor for heterotrophic metabolism in seagrass sediments. RNA and DNA concentrations of the Sediments varied significantly during the year. High RNA and DNA values occurred during the microphytobenthic bloom and in correspondence with peaks of bacterial abundance. Bacteria accounted for a small fraction of the total organic carbon (0.65%) and of the biopolymeric organic carbon (4.64%), whilst microphytobenthos accounted for 3.79% of total organic carbon and for 25.08% of the biopolymeric carbon. Bacterial abundance (from 0.8 to 5.8 × 10⁸ g^–1 sediment dry weight) responded significantly to seasonal changes of organic matter content and composition and was significantly correlated with carbohydrate concentrations. Bacteria might be, in the seagrass system, an important N storage for higher trophic levels as il accounted for 25% of the easily soluble protein. pool and contributed significantly to the total DNA pool (on average 12%). Total meiofaunal density ranged from 236 to 1858 ind. 10 cm^–2 and was significantly related, with a time lag, to changes in bacterial standing stocks indicating that microbes might represent an important resource. Bacterial abundance and biomass were also significantly related to nematode abundance. These results indicate that bacteria may play a key role in the benthic trophic     

Oxygen and carbon stable isotopic profiles of the fan mussel, Pinna nobilis, and reconstruction of sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean

Stable oxygen and carbon isotope profiles ('¹⁸O_skeletal and '¹³C_skeletal), taken along the direction of growth from the umbo to the shell margin in shells of the pinnid Pinna nobilis, were used to reconstruct sea surface temperatures (SST) in the south-east Mediterranean and ontogenetic records of metabolic CO₂ incorporation. Comparison of the seasonal cycle of SST, predicted from the '¹⁸O_skeletal record of a small (young) rapidly growing pinnid and temperature measured with a continuous in situ recorder showed that P. nobilis calcifies under isotopic equilibrium with surrounding seawater, thus indicating that P. nobilis shells can be used as a reliable predictor of SST. A 10-year SST record for the south-east Mediterranean was reconstructed from the shell profiles of four pinnid shells of different sizes and ages collected in 1995 and 1996. Reliable resolution of the seasonal SST could only be achieved during the first 4 years of shell growth. As the pinnids grew older, the temperature record was poorly resolved because the shell growth had diminished with age, resulting in time-averaging of the record. The amplitude of the generated seasonal temperature cycle compared favourably (DŽ°C) with a long-term temperature record from northern Mediterranean waters. Clear seasonal cycles in '¹³C_skeletal were observed with an amplitude of ~1.0‰, similar to the calculated seasonal changes in '¹³C of seawater (0.6‰) overlying seagrass meadows. An ontogenetic trend towards less positive '¹³C_skeletal values was too large to be attributed to any decrease in '¹³C in seawater resulting from the invasion of anthropogenic CO₂. It is suggested that the temporal changes of '¹³C_skeletal are due to incorporation of respiratory CO₂ into the extrapallial fluid and reflect changes in the metabolic activity of the pinnid rather than changes in the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon within the surrounding seawater.     

Flowering of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica in a north-western Mediterranean coastal area: temporal and spatial variations

Sexual reproduction in Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile is likely to be highly variable both in space and time. However, there has been little effort to identify at what spatial scale variability exists in the distribution and abundance of reproductive shoots or the magnitude of these variations. Such information is important for elucidating several aspects of the reproductive strategy of this species. Here, by using a reconstructing technique, I estimated the rate at which flowering events occurred over the last decades in three P. oceanica meadows along the coastline of the north-western Mediterranean (Italy). Then, variation in inflorescence frequency (i.e. the percentage of shoots that flowered in a particular year of the total number of shoots present in the sample in that year) was examined on a hierarchy of spatial scales, ranging from a few metres to meadows separated by tens of kilometres over a 3-year period. Separate analyses were also conducted to examine the patterns of spatial variability of several plant characteristics (i.e. shoot age and density of vegetative shoots) that may influence the timing of flowering. In total, ten reconstructed flowering events were recorded during the period 1983–1999. Despite the similar climatic conditions experienced in the three meadows surveyed, no inflorescence scars were found in one meadow. In the other two meadows, the flowering rate fluctuated considerably from year to year (0–26%), and simultaneous flowerings were detected only in 3 years (1993, 1994 and 1995). The pattern of spatial variability in the inflorescence frequency varied among years. An investigation of the flowering events recorded along the north-western Mediterranean coast reveals that in the studied period flowering also occurred across a broad range of meadows. Therefore, flowering could be a far more widespread phenomenon in this sector of the Mediterranean basin than previously thought. Analysis of variance showed significant variation in 1993 at the mean inflorescence frequency on very small scales (metres to tens of metres), whereas variation was not found at any of the scales investigated in 1994 and 1995. Overall, variation in the inflorescence frequency within individual meadows (65–93%) was at least an order of magnitude greater than that among separate meadows (0.5–19%). Patterns of spatial variation in the plant characteristics examined did not reflect those of flowering. It may be hypothesised that internal rhythms of populations, in conjunction with changes in environmental conditions, which are consistent over relatively large spatial (kilometres), are involved in the control of flowering induction. Environmental heterogeneity (in terms of nutrient availability) on a very local scale (metres to tens of metres) and intrinsic factors might affect the distribution of reproductive shoots within P. oceanica meadows.Communicated by R. Cattaneo-Vietti, Genova     

Primary production of Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean Basin

Primary production of the marine phanerogam Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile was measured by lepidochronological analyses at 22 sites in the Mediterranean Sea (Corsica, France, Italy, Sardinia and Turkey), between 1983 and 1992, to determine spatial and temporal variations. Leaf production (blade and sheath) ranged from 310 to 1 540 mg dry wt shoot^–1 yr^–1, depending on site and depth. Rhizome production ranged from 24 to 120 mg dry wt shoot^–1 yr^–1 (6% of average leaf production). At some sites the results obtained by lepidochronological analysis were consistent with earlier results obtained by classic methods (e.g. leaf-marking). While primary production per shoot (mg dry wt shoot^–1 yr^–1) displayed no significant differences between sites, primary production of the P. oceanica meadow (g dry wt m^–2 yr^–1) decreased with increasing depth at all sites studied. This decrease correlated with reduced density of the meadow (number of shoots per m²) with increasing depth. Past primary production was also extrapolated at three sites at the island of Ischia (Italy) for a period of 5 yr in order to determine interannual variations over a period of several years. While major variations were recorded for the surface stations (5 and 10 m depth), production remained stable at the deepest station (20 m depth). Given the large geographical scale of the study (location, depth range), it would appear that while P. oceanica production remains considerable, the values recorded in the literature on the basis of classical analyses (surface stations) represent maxima, and cannot be generalised for meadows as a whole.     

Diets of fan shells (Pinna nobilis) of different sizes: fatty acid profiling of digestive gland and adductor muscle

Pinna nobilis is a large bivalve, endemic to the Mediterranean Sea that was shown in a previous study to ingest significantly different proportions of different food items according to its shell height. Fatty acid profiling of total lipids was used to examine these differences in diet in relation to shell size. Small (shell height 23.0 ± 3.3 cm), medium (SH 41.5 ± 5.5 cm) and large (SH 62.7 ± 4.8 cm) P. nobilis were collected from Mali Ston Bay, Adriatic Sea, in March 2010, and fatty acid analysis was performed on digestive gland and adductor muscle tissues. Based on the analysis of the digestive gland, small P. nobilis were associated with a detrital food chain, characterized by saturated and branched-chain fatty acids, while the diets of medium and large individuals had a greater proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This likely reflects the fact that smaller individuals feed within the benthic boundary layer where the detritus concentrations are high. Fatty acid incorporation into the adductor muscle, likely representative of food taken up over a longer time period, was reversed, that is, larger individuals had lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This most probably reflects energy expenditure, which typically increases with increasing organism size.     

Influence of nutrients in the feeding ecology of seagrass (Posidonia oceanica L.) consumers: a stable isotopes approach

Nitrogen inputs to coastal environments can considerably alter the abundance of primary producers. However, how herbivores modify their trophic signatures and adjust to changes in food resource conditions remains controversial. Here, we assess the effect of nutrient availability on the diet shifts of the two main Mediterranean herbivores, the Sparid fish Sarpa salpa L. and the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk.) that feed mostly on the seagrass Posidonia oceanica L. (Delile), epiphytes and benthic macroalgae. To do this, we (1) investigate the patterns of isotopic composition (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N signatures) of the two herbivores and their potential food sources in three areas of contrasting nutrient conditions and, (2) we assess the diet shift along this nutrient gradient by estimating the isotopic nutrient enrichment (i.e., the contribution of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N signatures in consumers’ tissues relative to potential food sources). Food web signatures of δ¹³C were similar among the three study sites, and no patterns of δ¹³C shift were observed in their diets. In contrast, there was a consistent increase in N contents and δ¹⁵N along the nutrient gradient for all primary producers and their consumers. The rate of δ¹⁵N enrichment was also clearly distinctive between the two herbivores: in P. lividus it increased by 61% along the nutrient gradient, while in S. salpa it remained constant. Our results suggest that sea urchins behave as facultative omnivores and feed on vegetable or mixed diets depending on the trophic status of the system. It is unclear, however, if this modification is behavioral or the consequence of mere changes in the availability of food items, as animal epiphytes (e.g., hydrozoans, bryozoans and ascidians) can also became more abundant on seagrass leaves under increased nutrient conditions. In contrast, adult fish appear to feed on vegetal material independent of nutrient availability in the ecosystem.     

Trophic diversity of idoteids (Crustacea, Isopoda) inhabiting the Posidonia oceanica litter

The coexistence of three idoteid species in Posidonia oceanica litter raises the question of trophic diversity and their role in the litter degradation process. Hence, diet composition of Idotea balthica, Idotea hectica and Cleantis prismatica was studied using a combination of gut contents and stable isotopes analysis. Gut content observations indicate that P. oceanica dead leaves are an important part of the ingested food for the three species, although their tissues are constituted of only a small to medium fraction of P. oceanica carbon. Our results also underlined the potential role of these species in the degradation of P. oceanica litter by mechanically fragmenting the litter and by assimilating a small to medium fraction of carbon. Moreover, we showed that there were considerable inter- and intra-specific differences in diet composition. Diet differed between juveniles and adults for I. balthica. Crustaceans are an important food source for adults of I. balthica, while I. hectica indicated a major contribution of algal material. C. prismatica showed an intermediate diet. This trophic diversity is probably one of the factors allowing these species to coexist in the same biotope.     

Stimulation of root formation in Posidonia oceanica cuttings by application of auxins (NAA and IBA)

At the present, the long period (from 3 up to 12 months) to form roots from rhizome cuttings of Posidonia oceanica is the major cause of transplant failure. To promote earlier rooting, the effects of different concentrations (5 and 10 mg/l) of two auxins, namely indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and α-naphtalen aetic acid (NAA), and the time of collection on rooting of plagiotropic and orthotropic cuttings of P. oceanica were tested. Rooting, survival and growth of cuttings were assessed 1 month after planting in a mesocosm. Results demonstrated that the use of auxin was essential to achieve root initiation within the observation period. Irrespective of plant source and collection time, IBA and NAA (5 mg/l) treatments increased the rooting capacity in cuttings. The highest rooting success (i.e. percentage of the survived cuttings that rooted) obtained was 33%. Results also revealed that the survival rate and percentages of cuttings with leaf growth and emergence of new leaves on their terminal shoot were influenced by the collection time × plant source interaction, but were unaffected by the auxin treatment. Orthotropic cuttings taken in November and February showed the highest survival rate (100%). No differences in survival among months were detected for plagiotropic cuttings. In May and July, more plagiotropic cuttings survived (80±7 and 75±6%) compared to orthotropic cuttings (58±7 and 51±4%). Overall, more plagiotropic cuttings showed leaf elongation compared to orthotropic ones, but the inverse was observed in November. A higher percentage of cuttings with emergence of new leaves was observed in the plagiotropic type as compared to the orthotropic one, and in general February and November were the best months for leaf production (28±4 and 38±7%). Finally, the percentage of cuttings that had changed leaf growth orientation (from orthotropic to plagiotropic) was significantly higher in November (63±13%) compared to the other months and tended to be higher in cuttings treated with the auxins compared to controls. These preliminary findings indicate that exposure to IBA or NAA (5 mg/l) was effective in stimulating rooting in P. oceanica without inhibiting plant growth. Therefore, this simple pre-planting practice should be beneficial in restoration attempts. Based on the trend observed, rhizomes should be prepared preferably in late autumn–winter and then planted into restoration stands to achieve a prompt rooting response and the best survival rate. Clearly, future work is needed to maximize the rooting success of cuttings.     

Comparative species richness,composition, and abundance of invertebrates in Caribbean seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) meadows (Panamá)

The results of a year-long study in which epibenthic invertebrates were collected monthly from seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) meadows along the Caribbean coast of Panamá and the Panamá Canal Zone are described in this paper. Differences in species composition and abundance among sites were primarily due to the proximity of surrounding habitats, especially coral reefs, which contain a number of species that utilize the seagrass meadows. In contrast to many previous characterizations of tropical marine habitats, important seasonal fluctuations in both species number and abundance took place at each of the sites. Data on breeding activity among several species of decapod crustaceans indicate year-round reproduction, although considerable seasonal differences occur in the percentage of ovigerous females. These interspecific differences in observed reproductive output may be explained by differences in life-cycle length, a factor not often considered in discussions of seasonal breeding patterns in tropical marine invertebrates. Overall species composition was qualitatively similar to that reported in comparable studies of tropical and subtropical seagrass meadows elsewhere, although caridean shrimp and xanthid orab species were reduced in number and total abundance were much lower than in previous studies.     

Influence of hydrodynamic conditions on the production and fate of Posidonia oceanica in a semi-enclosed shallow basin (Stagnone di Marsala, Western Sicily)

An integrated approach using hydrodynamic and transport numerical models, lepidochronology and stable isotope analysis was used to investigate how local hydrodynamic conditions influence the primary production and fate of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica in a Mediterranean semi-enclosed marine system (Stagnone di Marsala). The water mass exchange aptitude of different sectors of the basin was analysed, and data collected were used to select two sectors (colonized by Posidonia oceanica showing the lowest and highest water exchange values) for biological analyses. According to the mean dispersal coefficient differences simulated by the hydrodynamic model, growth rate and primary production of P. oceanica differed between sectors, with average values lower in the central sector where water exchange is lower than in the southern sector. Although P. oceanica coverage and primary production were higher in the southern sector, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis suggests that the transfer of seagrass organic matter to higher trophic levels of the food web was higher in the central sector. The possibility of a link between hydrodynamism, production and fate of organic matter is proposed to explain the observed patterns.     

Validation of daily increment deposition in otoliths. Age and growth determination of Aphia minuta (Pisces: Gobiidae) from the northwest Mediterranean

The transparent goby Aphia minuta (Risso, 1810) is one of the main target species of the small-scale fishery off the Island of Majorca. Otolith microstructure and length-frequency analysis were used to study the age and growth of this species during the 1982/1983 and 1992/1993 fishing seasons. Daily periodicity of increment formation was determined by experiments with marked otoliths in individuals maintained in captivity. The length range of the catches during the 11 yr period was between 12 and 49 mm, with a main distribution (89%) between 24 and 40 mm. Otolith age-readings indicate that the population exploited in the commercial fishery consists of seven age-groups (2 to 8 mo old), with a very high proportion of individuals (95%) between 3 and 6 mo old. Population growth-curves revealed no differences between males and females. The growth parameters for the whole population are: asymptotic length, L _∞ = 53.69 mm; growth coefficient, K = 2.23 yr⁻¹; theoretical age at length zero, t ₀ = −0.005 yr. Those individuals of A. minuta caught in Majorca during the winter period reached a maximum age of 7 or 8 mo. Received: 30 December 1996 / Accepted: 16 April 1997     

Neutron-activation analysis of the elementary composition of the marine phanerogamPosidonia oceanica from a reference area in Port Cros National Park (French Mediterranean)

The marine phanerogamPosidonia oceanica (L.) Delile was collected from a presumably unpolluted reference area in Port Cros National Park, Mediterranean Sea, in November 1985, and its elemental composition was studied by gamma spectrometry after neutron activation and by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry. Neutron-activation analysis revealed 23 elements and atomic-absorption spectrophotometry 4 others. Including all known records by other investigators, this brings the total of elementary components identified inP. oceanica up to 42: antimony, arsenic, barium, bromine, cadmium, cesium, calcium, carbon, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, europium, gold, hafnium, hydrogen, iodine, iron, lanthanum, lead, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, rubidium, samarium, scandium, selenium, silver, sodium, strontium, tantalum, terbium, thorium, uranium, ytterbium, zinc, zirconium. These elements display significant differences in their distribution in the various parts of the plant (roots, rhizomes, and growing and freshly budded leaves).     

Variation in assemblages of fish associated with deep and shallow margins of the seagrass Posidonia australis

Little is known about the fish fauna of deep Posidonia australis seagrass beds in Australia. We investigated associated with the deep and shallow margins of P. australis during two surveys in Jervis Bay, New South Wales. Fish associated with deep and shallow seagrass at each of two areas within a large bed of P. australis were compared over a period of 3 mo (November 1986 to January 1987). This was followed by a larger scale survey in which we compared fish found at the two depths within three large beds of P. australis in Jervis Bay over 2 yr (September 1988 to June 1990). In the smaller scale survey there were marked dissimilarities in relative abhundance and composition of species between samples from deep and shallow P. australis. There were also significant differences in abundance between deep and shallow seagrass on most occasions for the majority of the dominant fish species. As a result of the small-scale survey, we concluded that differences in species composition of fish associated with deep and shallow P. australis may have been due to the presence of species from nearby bare substrate among the sparser leaves of the deep seagrass. The results of the smaller scale survey were not confirmed by the larger survey. The relative abundances of species in samples from deep and shallow P. australis were not dissimilar for all beds. In addition, it was rare for any of the dominant species to have significantly different abundances in deep and shallow seagrass. There was little evidence that the species composition of fish associated with deep P. australis was strongly influenced by the fauna of deep bare substrate. Rather, samples from deep P. australis were far more similar to those from shallow P. australis than to a comparable set of samples collected from deep bare substrata. This study demonstrates how the results and conclusions of small-scale survey work, a feature of many environmental impact asseesments, can be misleading when applied to larger spatial and temporal scales, even within the same bay.     

Age and growth of the lanternfish Lampanyctodes hectoris (Myctophidae) from eastern Tasmania,Australia

The age, growth and mortality of the lanternfish Lampanyctodes hectoris (Gunther) were investigated by examining the otoliths, length-frequency data, and seasonal abundance of fish collected from continental slope waters of eastern Tasmania between April 1984 and June 1985. Although L. hectoris can live to 3 yr old, it has a high annual mortality (79%) and few live past their first year. Growth, described here by a variation of the Von Bertalanffy model, takes place mainly in the first six months of life and only during late spring and summer. The hypothesis of daily deposition of primary growth increments in myctophids was supported by comparing the back-calculated birth dates of daily-aged individuals of L. hectoris with the spawning season of this species.     

Growth and mortality rates of the fan mussel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinna nobilis</Emphasis> in Lake Vouliagmeni (Korinthiakos Gulf,Greece): a generalized additive modelling approach

The temporal patterns and the effect of shell size and depth on growth and mortality rates of the endangered fan mussel Pinna nobilis were investigated in the marine Lake Vouliagmeni (Korinthiakos Gulf, Greece). A total of 160 individuals were tagged and monitored monthly for a period of 17 months. At each visit, the size of the tagged individuals (shell width, w) was measured in situ and recorded. Any mortality event was also recorded and attributed to natural causes or (illegal) fishing. Growth and mortality rates were modeled with generalized additive models, which are non-parametric flexible models that free the researcher from the limiting concept of a strict parametric shape. The use of GAMs allowed the exploration of shapes of growth and mortality response curves in relation to predictor variables and allowed the fitting of statistical models that better agree with ecological theory. Growth rates had a seasonal pattern, with an extended period of very slow growth between late autumn and early spring, i.e., during the cold season, another short period of slow growth during August (when water temperatures reached their maximum values exceeding 29°C), and a peak in growth rates during late spring–early summer, probably related to an optimum combination of temperature and food availability. Growth rates varied with shell size, with a peak at w ∼4.5 cm, followed by a sharp decline to an approximately constant level, with sizes ranging from 9 to 15 cm, and a further decline with larger sizes down to almost zero for w > 20 cm. Growth rates did not vary substantially with depth. Although P. nobilis is a protected species in the EU and its fishing is strictly prohibited, fishing mortality was very high in Lake Vouliagmeni (much greater than natural mortality), especially during the hot season when the lake was crowded by summer visitors. The fan mussels were poached exclusively by free-diving and due to the high turbidity of the lake’s water, fishing mortality was higher in shallow areas (and mostly for large individuals) and was practically zero at depths >9 m. Due to fishing mortality, a size segregation of P. nobilis was observed in the lake: large individuals were restricted to deeper areas, while young and small individuals were more abundant in shallow areas where there was preferential recruitment. Natural mortality was strikingly size dependent and P. nobilis suffered high natural mortality during the first year of life; the probability of death by natural causes quickly diminished as the fan mussels grew in size. No depth-related differences in natural mortality were found.     

Light availability and diurnal growth of a green macroalga (Caulerpa cupressoides) and a seagrass (Halophila decipiens)

The effects of daily light period on diurnal growth patterns of a green macroalga [Caulerpa cupressoides v.lycopodium f.elegans (J. Agardh) Weber-van Bosse] and a seagrass (Halophila decipiens Ostenfeld) were investigated in Salt River submarine canyon in the US Virgin Islands in summer 1984. The daily light period, in which quantum irradiance exceeded the light saturation point for photosynthesis of the macroalga and seagrass, was manipulated in situ using lamps and shades. Plant growth was measured every 6 h for 7 d under natural and experimental daily light periods.C. cupressoides grew at the same rate day and night.H. decipiens grew more during the day than at night, a pattern that persisted under continuous light and dark treatments, indicating endogenous control of diurnal growth. Growth vs daily light period curves indicate thatC. cupressoides grew faster thanH. decipiens in short daily light periods, consistent with the observation that the macroalga penetrates to deeper water than the seagrass in Salt River canyon. Overall growth (day + night) ofH. decipiens was unaffected in lengthened light periods and reduced in shortened light periods. Chlorophyll content ofC. cupressoides was not correlated with light availability, while that ofH. decipiens was positively correlated. The alga and seagrass had different diurnal growth patterns but similar overall growth responses to daily light periods. This study shows that diurnal growth patterns are probably under endogenous control, while overall growth is a response to in situ light conditions.Contribution^#193 from West Indies Laboratory and the National Undersea Research Program