The Detritic Compartment in a Posidonia oceanica Meadow: Litter Features, Decomposition Rates, and Mineral Stocks |
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| Authors: | Javier Romero Gérard Pergent Christine Pergent-Martini Miguel-Angel Mateo Cécile Regnier |
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| Institution: | Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain;Laboratoire de Biologie Marine et d'Ecologie du Benthos, Facultédes Sciences de Luminy, UniversitéAix-Marseille II, F-13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France |
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| Abstract: | Abstract. The ecosystem associated to the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica shows a clear distinction in two subcompartments regarding turnover time: aboveground and belowground. Aboveground parts (leaves) are highly dynamic, and most of the leaf material is decomposed or exported in less than one year, representing a net loss of nutrients. In contrast, belowground biomass (roots and rhizomes) has a turnover time of the order of centuries, with a consequent accumulation of organic matter in the sediment. The accumulation rates for the single elements rank in the order C > N > P. This ecosystem may be considered as a sink for biogenic elements. |
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| Keywords: | Seagrass Posidonia oceanica detritus decomposition mineral stocks nutrient cycling |
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