Light Requirements for Growth and Survival of Eelgrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera marina</Emphasis> L.) in Pacific Northwest (USA) Estuaries |
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| Authors: | Ronald M Thom Susan L Southard Amy B Borde Peter Stoltz |
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| Institution: | (1) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Marine Sciences Laboratory, 1529 W. Sequim Bay Road, Sequim, WA 98382, USA;(2) Glacier Northwest, 5975 East Marginal Way South, Seattle, WA 98134, USA |
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| Abstract: | We developed light requirements for eelgrass in the Pacific Northwest, USA, to evaluate the effects of short- and long-term
reductions in irradiance reaching eelgrass, especially related to turbidity and overwater structures. Photosynthesis-irradiance
experiments and depth distribution field studies indicated that eelgrass productivity was maximum at a photosynthetic photon
flux density (PPFD) of about 350–550 μmol quanta m−2 s−1. Winter plants had approximately threefold greater net apparent primary productivity rate at the same irradiance as summer
plants. Growth studies using artificial shading as well as field monitoring of light and eelgrass growth indicated that long-term
survival required at least 3 mol quanta m−2 day−1 on average during spring and summer (i.e., May-September), and that growth was saturated above about 7 mol quanta m−2 day−1. We conclude that non-light-limited growth of eelgrass in the Pacific Northwest requires an average of at least 7 mol quanta
m−2 day−1 during spring and summer and that long-term survival requires a minimum average of 3 mol quanta m−2 day−1. |
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