Dynamics of a landscape mosaic:size and age distributions, growth and demography of seagrass Cymodocea nodosa patches

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 158:131-138 (1997) - doi:10.3354/meps158131 Dynamics of a landscape mosaic: size and age distributions, growth and demography of seagrass Cymodocea nodosa patches B. Vidondo1,*, C. M. Duarte2, A. L. Middelboe3, K. Stefansen3, T. Lützen3, S. L. Nielsen3 1Limnologisches Institut, Universität Konstanz, Mainaustrasse 212, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany 2Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes - CSIC, Camí de Santa Bárbara s/n, E-17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain 3Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Roskilde University, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark *E-mail: beatriz.vidondo@uni-konstanz.de The patch dynamics (recruitment, growth and mortality) of seagrass Cymodocea nodosa were examined at the landscape scale (i.e. the scale at which disturbances occur) by means of 3-dimensional (X, Y dimensions and depth) mapping of shoot internal density and age structure within the basic units (patches) forming the landscape. Highly skewed patch size and age distributions indicated a high exponential patch mortality rate (m = 0.82 ± 0.07 yr-1) and a slightly higher exponential patch recruitment rate (1.04 yr-1) that ensures the maintenance and fast turnover of this population of patches. Patch growth (i.e. increase in number of shoots per patch) proceeded at an exponential growth rate of 2.28 ± 0.14 yr-1, indicating a doubling time of 111 d for the shoot population within each patch. Moreover, average patch growth rate accelerates with increasing patch size and age. This self-acceleration of patch growth means that this seagrass species has a remarkable potential for rapid space occupation due to its intense clonal growth. The results obtained emphasize the power of a landscape approach for describing the intense dynamics of colonising seagrass populations. Seagrass patch dynamics · Landscape scale · Three-dimensional mapping · Size and age distributions · Pareto distribution Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 158. Publication date: November 17, 1997 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1997 Inter-Research.