Dataset Information

Reproductive Cycle of the Seagrass Zostera noltei in the Ria de Aveiro Lagoon.

ABSTRACT: Sexual reproduction in seagrasses is essential to increase their resilience towards environmental stressors, but its phenology is still unknown in some regions, limiting our knowledge about the recovery capacity of these ecosystems. In this study, the flowering effort, reproductive phenology, seed production and ability of germination of Zostera noltei was studied for the first time in the Ria de Aveiro lagoon, Portugal. Flowering of Z. noltei in the Ria de Aveiro lasts from June to November, reaching a peak between July and August. All the meadows showed similar flowering effort and phenology over time. Comparing with other European populations, the flowering effort of Z. noltei in Ria de Aveiro lasted for a longer period, which could be related with the milder temperatures in summer and autumn and the great anthropogenic stress to which the meadows are subjected in the lagoon. The number of seeds produced and their ability of germination were similar among meadows and sampling periods, reaching levels similar to those of other European regions. Nevertheless, future studies are needed to determine the fate of the produced seeds in the field to have a better understanding about the natural recovery capacity of the species.

SUBMITTER: Ankel M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8621667 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Methanogens are the major contributors of greenhouse gas methane and play significant roles in the degradation and transformation of organic matter. These organisms are particularly abundant in Swan Lake, which is a shallow lagoon located in Rongcheng Bay, Yellow Sea, northern China, where eutrophication from overfertilization commonly results in anoxic environments. High organic phosphorus content is a key component of the total phosphorus in Swan Lake and is possibly a key factor affecting the eutrophication and carbon and nitrogen cycling in Swan Lake. The effects of organic phosphorus on eutrophication have been well-studied with respect to bacteria, such as cyanobacteria, unlike the effects of organic phosphorus on methanogenesis. In this study, different sediment layer samples of seagrass-vegetated and unvegetated areas in Swan Lake were investigated to understand the effects of organic phosphorus on methylotrophic methanogenesis. The results showed that phytate phosphorus significantly promoted methane production in the deepest sediment layer of vegetated regions but suppressed it in unvegetated regions. Amplicon sequencing revealed that methylotrophic Methanococcoides actively dominated in all enrichment samples from both regions with additions of trimethylamine or phytate phosphorus, whereas methylotrophic Methanolobus and Methanosarcina predominated in the enrichments obtained from vegetated and unvegetated sediments, respectively. These results prompted further study of the effects of phytate phosphorus on two methanogen isolates, Methanolobus psychrophilus, a type strain, Methanosarcina mazei, an isolate from Swan Lake sediments. Cultivation experiments showed that phytate phosphorus could inhibit methane production by M. psychrophilus but promote methane production by M. mazei. These culture-based studies revealed the effects of organic phosphorus on methylotrophic methanogenesis in coastal lagoon sediments and improves our understanding of the mechanisms of organic carbon cycling leading to methanogenesis mediated by organic phosphorus dynamics in coastal wetlands.

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Project description:From June 2004 to December 2007, samples were weekly collected at a fixed station located at the mouth of Ria de Aveiro (West Iberian Margin). We examined the seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations in composition and community structure of the phytoplankton in relation to the main environmental drivers and assessed the influence of the oceanographic regime, namely changes in frequency and intensity of upwelling events, over the dynamics of the phytoplankton assemblage. The samples were consistently handled and a final subset of 136 OTUs (taxa with relative abundance > 0.01%) was subsequently submitted to various multivariate analyses. The phytoplankton assemblage showed significant changes at all temporal scales but with an overriding importance of seasonality over longer- (inter-annual) or shorter-term fluctuations (upwelling-related). Sea-surface temperature, salinity and maximum upwelling index were retrieved as the main driver of seasonal change. Seasonal signal was most evident in the fluctuations of chlorophyll a concentration and in the high turnover from the winter to spring phytoplankton assemblage. The seasonal cycle of production and succession was disturbed by upwelling events known to disrupt thermal stratification and induce changes in the phytoplankton assemblage. Our results indicate that both the frequency and intensity of physical forcing were important drivers of such variability, but the outcome in terms of species composition was highly dependent on the available local pool of species and the timing of those events in relation to the seasonal cycle. We conclude that duration, frequency and intensity of upwelling events, which vary seasonally and inter-annually, are paramount for maintaining long-term phytoplankton diversity likely by allowing unstable coexistence and incorporating species turnover at different scales. Our results contribute to the understanding of the complex mechanisms of coastal phytoplankton dynamics in relation to changing physical forcing which is fundamental to improve predictability of future prospects under climate change.

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Reproductive Cycle of the Seagrass Zostera noltei in the Ria de Aveiro Lagoon.

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