Conservation of eelgrass (Zostera marina) genetic diversity in a mesocosm-based restoration experiment.

ABSTRACT: Eelgrass (Zostera marina) forms the foundation of an important shallow coastal community in protected estuaries and bays. Widespread population declines have stimulated restoration efforts, but these have often overlooked the importance of maintaining the evolutionary potential of restored populations by minimizing the reduction in genetic diversity that typically accompanies restoration. In an experiment simulating a small-scale restoration, we tested the effectiveness of a buoy-deployed seeding technique to maintain genetic diversity comparable to the seed source populations. Seeds from three extant source populations in San Francisco Bay were introduced into eighteen flow-through baywater mesocosms. Following seedling establishment, we used seven polymorphic microsatellite loci to compa

SUBMITTER: Ort BS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3931754 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature