Assessment of the ecological structure of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile on the northern coast of Lazio, Italy (central Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean)
Open Access
- 9 January 2020
- journal article
- Published by Pensoft Publishers in Italian Botanist
- Vol. 9, 1-19
- https://doi.org/10.3897/italianbotanist.9.46426
Abstract
The ecological structure of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows was evaluated on the northern coast of Lazio, Italy (central Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean sea). This is an infra-littoral zone with a wide range of anthropogenic activities and high geo-morphological variability, which reflects heterogeneity in shoot density, leaf morphology and biomass in fragmented patches. Genetic variability in populations corresponds to the formation of 3 sub-clusters, in the diverse impacted zones (north, centre and south), being correlated to the geographical distance between sites. AMOVA estimated a high genetic variation showing 43.05% individual differences within populations with a marked differentiation among the populations (56.9%) indicated by Fst value (0.57). These results revealed the role of the genetic structure of seagrasses for determining selectivity of fragmented habitat, in response to natural drivers. They showed that site-specific self-recruitment is related to biodiversity capacity and to the geo-morphological characteristic of the coast.Keywords
This publication has 44 references indexed in Scilit:
- Biomonitoring of Posidonia oceanica beds by a multiscale approachAquatic Botany, 2019
- Seagrass collapse due to synergistic stressors is not anticipated by phenological changesOecologia, 2018
- The Civitavecchia Coastal Environment Monitoring System (C-CEMS): a new tool to analyze the conflicts between coastal pressures and sensitivity areasOcean Science, 2016
- Mathematical models supporting the monitoring of Civitavecchia harbour (Rome)Published by WITPRESS LTD. ,2015
- Ocean Acidification and the Loss of Phenolic Substances in Marine PlantsPLOS ONE, 2012
- Ecological status of seagrass ecosystems: An uncertainty analysis of the meadow classification based on the Posidonia oceanica multivariate index (POMI)Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2011
- Regression of Mediterranean seagrasses caused by natural processes and anthropogenic disturbances and stress: a critical reviewBotanica Marina, 2009
- Variability in patterns of growth and morphology of Posidonia oceanica exposed to urban and industrial wastes: contrasts with two reference locationsJournal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2004
- The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capitalNature, 1997
- A plant DNA minipreparation: Version IIPlant Molecular Biology Reporter, 1983