Distribution, structure and function of Nordic eelgrass (Zostera marina) ecosystems: implications for coastal management and conservation.

ABSTRACT: This paper focuses on the marine foundation eelgrass species, Zostera marina, along a gradient from the northern Baltic Sea to the north-east Atlantic. This vast region supports a minimum of 1480 km² eelgrass (maximum >2100 km²), which corresponds to more than four times the previously quantified area of eelgrass in Western Europe.Eelgrass meadows in the low salinity Baltic Sea support the highest diversity (4-6 spp.) of angiosperms overall, but eelgrass productivity is low (<2 g dw m^-2 d^-1) and meadows are isolated and genetically impoverished. Higher salinity areas support monospecific meadows, with higher productivity (3-10 g dw m^-2 d^-1) and greater genetic connectivity. The salinity gradient further imposes functi

SUBMITTER: Bostrom C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4497458 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature