中国温带海域新发现较大面积(大于50 ha)海草床:Ⅳ烟台沿海海草分布现状及生态特征

New discovery of larger seagrass beds with area>50 ha in the temperate waters of China:Ⅳ Distribution status and eco-logical characteristics of seagrass in the coastal waters of Yantai

海草床是珍贵的“海底草原”,具有十分重要的生态服务功能。20世纪90年代,烟台曾分布有4种海草,尚不明确海草的分布现状。本研究结合了现场调查、声呐探测等手段,查清了烟台市莱州市至莱山区沿海海草的分布现状,发现了一处位于烟台市套子湾的面积为51.90 ha的鳗草-日本鳗草混合草床,并对鳗草、日本鳗草的生态特征进行了调查。调查发现烟台现存海草仅有2种,部分草床严重退化,亟需对现存海草进行保护与监测,以遏制海草的退化速度。

Seagrass beds are regarded as precious submarine grasslands with important ecological service functions.In the 1990s,four species of seagrass were discovered in the coastal waters of Yantai.However,the current distri-bution of seagrass is unclear.In this study,we investigated the distribution of seagrass along the coastal waters from Laizhou to Laishan in Yantai through field surveys and sonar detection.A mixed seagrass bed(i.e.,Zostera marina and Zostera japonica),with a seagrass area of 51.90 ha,was discovered in Taozi Bay,and the ecological character-istics of seagrass were investigated.Results showed that seagrass beds were seriously degraded,and only two spe-cies of seagrass were distributed in the current coastal waters of Yantai.Thus,the existing seagrass needs to be protected and monitored to curb its degradation rate.