Vast declines in Zostera marina seagrass beds demand effective methods of rehabilitation. In this study, we developed a practical method by reducing salinity to induce seed germination followed with recovering salinit...Vast declines in Zostera marina seagrass beds demand effective methods of rehabilitation. In this study, we developed a practical method by reducing salinity to induce seed germination followed with recovering salinity to facilitate seedling production of Z. marina. The results showed that Z. marina seeds collected from natural seawater（salinity 30） were induced to germinate at reduced salinities. Percent germination（GR） was higher and mean-time-to-germinate（MTG） was shorter at lower salinities. The highest GR and shortest MTG occurred at salinity 0（deionized freshwater）. After germination in freshwater, seeds could develop into seedlings at salinities5–30 and continue the growth. Viability or development of germinated seeds was not significantly different during the 40 d of post-germination incubation at salinities 5–15 after 1–20 d of germination in freshwater. However,during the process of translating germinated seeds from salinity 0 and 5 to salinity 30, reducing the gradients of post-germination acclimation facilitated more seeds forming seedlings in less time. On average, after 60 d of static incubation, including 20 d in freshwater for germination followed with immediate shift to salinity 5 and increasing to salinity 30 at increment of 5 every two days until cultivation at constant salinity 30, 33% of Z. marina seeds produced healthy seedlings. The results indicate that the salinity-manipulation based method of artificial germination and seedling production is practical and effective in supporting rehabilitation of Z. marina bed.展开更多
Seagrass restoration as part of ocean ecosystem protection has been launched for many years all over the world, but intensive research on this subject in China has just begun in recent years. Seed broadcasting has bee...Seagrass restoration as part of ocean ecosystem protection has been launched for many years all over the world, but intensive research on this subject in China has just begun in recent years. Seed broadcasting has been widely accepted as the most potentially useful method for seagrass restoration over large areas. We examined the influence of key environmental factors on seed germination to help promote eelgrass bed restoration. Under anoxic conditions, the influence of temperature and salinity on the germination rate of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) seeds was examined at different combinations of four temperatures (4, 9, 14, and 24℃) and nine salinities (5 to 45, increment of 5). The effect of significant interaction of temperature and salinity on germination rate was observed (ANOVA) (P<0.001). The highest germination rate (83.3 ± 3.5)% was reached in 8 weeks at 14℃ and salinity 5. Higher temperature significantly increased the germination rate at salinity 5 (P<0.001) during the whole observation period except for 24℃, while lower salinity significantly increased the germination rate at 14℃ (P<0.001). Although significant interaction was found between temperature and salinity (P<0.001), the influence of salinity was stronger than that of temperature for the germination of eelgrass seeds. These results provide useful information for the propagation of artificial seedlings for seagrass restoration in China.展开更多
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China-Shandong Joint Fund for Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences under contract No.U1406403
文摘Vast declines in Zostera marina seagrass beds demand effective methods of rehabilitation. In this study, we developed a practical method by reducing salinity to induce seed germination followed with recovering salinity to facilitate seedling production of Z. marina. The results showed that Z. marina seeds collected from natural seawater（salinity 30） were induced to germinate at reduced salinities. Percent germination（GR） was higher and mean-time-to-germinate（MTG） was shorter at lower salinities. The highest GR and shortest MTG occurred at salinity 0（deionized freshwater）. After germination in freshwater, seeds could develop into seedlings at salinities5–30 and continue the growth. Viability or development of germinated seeds was not significantly different during the 40 d of post-germination incubation at salinities 5–15 after 1–20 d of germination in freshwater. However,during the process of translating germinated seeds from salinity 0 and 5 to salinity 30, reducing the gradients of post-germination acclimation facilitated more seeds forming seedlings in less time. On average, after 60 d of static incubation, including 20 d in freshwater for germination followed with immediate shift to salinity 5 and increasing to salinity 30 at increment of 5 every two days until cultivation at constant salinity 30, 33% of Z. marina seeds produced healthy seedlings. The results indicate that the salinity-manipulation based method of artificial germination and seedling production is practical and effective in supporting rehabilitation of Z. marina bed.
基金supported by a Municipal Research and Developmental Program of Science and Technology of Yantai, Shandong Province, China (Grant No. 2009211)an Open Foundation of the State Oce-anic Administration of China (Grant No. 200905020-12)
文摘Seagrass restoration as part of ocean ecosystem protection has been launched for many years all over the world, but intensive research on this subject in China has just begun in recent years. Seed broadcasting has been widely accepted as the most potentially useful method for seagrass restoration over large areas. We examined the influence of key environmental factors on seed germination to help promote eelgrass bed restoration. Under anoxic conditions, the influence of temperature and salinity on the germination rate of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) seeds was examined at different combinations of four temperatures (4, 9, 14, and 24℃) and nine salinities (5 to 45, increment of 5). The effect of significant interaction of temperature and salinity on germination rate was observed (ANOVA) (P<0.001). The highest germination rate (83.3 ± 3.5)% was reached in 8 weeks at 14℃ and salinity 5. Higher temperature significantly increased the germination rate at salinity 5 (P<0.001) during the whole observation period except for 24℃, while lower salinity significantly increased the germination rate at 14℃ (P<0.001). Although significant interaction was found between temperature and salinity (P<0.001), the influence of salinity was stronger than that of temperature for the germination of eelgrass seeds. These results provide useful information for the propagation of artificial seedlings for seagrass restoration in China.
