Spatial patterns of Posidonia oceanica structural and functional features in the Eastern Mediterranean (Aegean and E. Ionian Seas) in relation to large-scale environmental factors
| Autor: | Vasillis Papathanasiou, Vasilis Gerakaris, Maria Salomidi, P. Panayotidis, Yiannis Issaris |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Oceans and Seas Context (language use) Environment Aquatic Science Oceanography Spatial distribution 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Mediterranean sea Mediterranean Sea Humans Ecosystem Biomass (ecology) Alismatales Greece biology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Baseline (sea) General Medicine biology.organism_classification Pollution Geography Posidonia oceanica Spatial ecology Spatial variability |
| Zdroj: | Marine Environmental Research. 165:105222 |
| ISSN: | 0141-1136 |
| Popis: | In the context of general ecosystem monitoring of the Greek coastal marine environment, a total of 22 descriptors of Posidonia oceanica meadows were studied in 69 study sites. Spatial variation of P. oceanica meadows' features in relation to specific environmental factors (i.e., light, physical exposure, temperature, and nutrients) controlling their dynamics was assessed in three sub-ecoregions of the Hellenic seas (Eastern Ionian, North Aegean, and South Aegean). The studied meadows differentiated by exhibiting varying growth patterns at both the local and sub-ecoregional scale. Significant differences in morphological and demographic descriptors were observed for meadows of the N. Aegean Sea as compared to those of the S. Aegean and the Eastern Ionian Seas. Light limitation was determined as the main driver differentiating the P. oceanica meadows' distribution (i.e., lower limit depth), demography (i.e., shoot density, meadow cover) and shoots' biometry (i.e., shoot length, shoot leaf surface and leaf biomass) along the mainland coastal zone of the N. Aegean Sea. Considering the projected decline of P. oceanica in the face of increasing natural and human impacts, this study offers a crucial ecological baseline that can enhance our understanding of P. oceanica meadows’ trends, against which the efficiency of conservation plans and management actions may be monitored. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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