National Committee on Marine Sciences (NCMS)
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- Changes in community structure and biomass of seagrass communities along gradients of siltation in SE AsiaTerrados, J.; Duarte, C. M.; Fortes, M. D.; Borum, J.; Agawin, N.; Bach, S.; Thampanya, U.; Kamp-Nielsen, L.; Kenworthy, W. J.; Geertz-Hansen, O.; Vermaat, J. (Elsevier BV, 1998-05)The patterns of change in species richness and biomass of Southeast Asian seagrass communities along siltation gradients were compared at different sites in The Philippines and Thailand. Seagrass species richness and community leaf biomass declined sharply when the silt and clay content of the sediment exceeded 15%. Syringodium isoetifolium and Cymodocea rotundata were present only in multispecific meadows, while Enhalus acoroides was the only species remaining in heavily silted sediments. The following ranking of species sensitivity to siltation is proposed (from the least to most sensitive): S. isoetifolium→C. rotundata→Thalassia hemprichii→Cymodocea serrulata→Halodule uninervis→Halophila ovalis→Enhalus acoroides. Positive correlations were found between species richness and both community leaf biomass and the leaf biomass of individual seagrass species. The increase in community biomass with increasing species richness was associated with a more even distribution of the leaf biomass among seagrass species. The relationships between percent silt and clay in the sediment and seagrass community leaf biomass and species richness provide useful dose–response relationships which can be used to set allowable or threshold siltation loads in SE Asian coastal waters, and indicate that species loss from seagrass meadows is an early warning of detrimental siltation loads.
- Strong genetic structure and limited gene flow among populations of the tropical seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in the PhilippinesNakajima, Yuichi; Matsuki, Yu; Fortes, Miguel D.; Uy, Wilfredo H.; Campos, Wilfredo L.; Nadaoka, Kazuo; Lian, Chunlan (MDPI AG, 2023-02-05)Seagrasses are marine angiosperms, and seagrass beds maintain the species diversity of tropical and subtropical coastal ecosystems. For proper understanding, management and conservation of coastal ecosystems, it is essential to understand seagrass population dynamics. Population genetic studies can cover large geographic scales and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of reproductive dynamics and potential dispersal among locations. The clonal and genetic diversity and genetic connectivity of Thalassia hemprichii in the Philippines were estimated by a population genetics approach. The geographic scale of this study has a direct distance of approximately 1600 km. Although high clonal diversity was found in some sites (R = 0.07–1.00), both sexual and asexual reproduction generally maintains separate populations. Genetic diversity is not definitely correlated with latitude, and genetic differentiation is significant in all pairs of sites (FST = 0.026–0.744). Complex genetic structure was found in some regions, even at a fine geographic scale. The migration of fruits and seedlings was elucidated as an infrequent and stochastic event. These results suggest the necessity for the conservation of this species due to a deficiency in migrants from external regions.We thank members of CECAM project.