Seagrass viviparous propagules as a potential long-distance dispersal mechanism Thomson, Alexandra C. G., York, Paul H., Smith, Timothy M., Sherman, Craig D. H., Booth, David J., Keough, Michael J., Ross, D. Jeff and Macreadie, Peter I. 2015, Seagrass viviparous propagules as a potential long-distance dispersal mechanism, Estuaries and coasts, vol. 38, pp. 927-940, doi: 10.1007/s12237-014-9850-1. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Seagrass viviparous propagules as a potential long-distance dispersal mechanism Author(s) Thomson, Alexandra C. G. York, Paul H. Smith, Timothy M. Sherman, Craig D. H. orcid.org/0000-0003-2099-0462 Booth, David J. Keough, Michael J. Ross, D. Jeff Macreadie, Peter I. orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-0882 Journal name Estuaries and coasts Volume number 38 Start page 927 End page 940 Total pages 14 Publisher Springer Place of publication New York, N.Y. Publication date 2015 ISSN 1559-2723 1559-2731 Keyword(s) Dispersal Propagules Recruitment Resilience Seagrass Zostera Summary Resilience of seagrass meadows relies on the ability of seagrass to successfully recolonise denuded areas or disperse to new areas. While seed germination and rhizome extension have been explored as modes of recovery and expansion, the contribution of seagrass viviparous propagules to meadow population dynamics has received little attention. Here, we investigated the potential of seagrass viviparous propagules to act as dispersal vectors. We performed a series of density surveys, and in situ and mesocosm-based experiments in Port Phillip Bay, VIC, Australia, using Zostera nigricaulis, a species known to produce viviparous propagules. Production of viviparous propagules was higher at sites with high wind and current exposure, compared to more sheltered environments. A number of propagules remained buoyant and healthy for more than 85 days, suggesting the capacity for relatively long-distance dispersal. Transplanted propagules were found to have improved survivorship within seagrass habitats compared to bare sediment over the short term (4 weeks); however, all propagules suffered longer-term (<100 days) mortality in field experiments. Conditions outside of meadows, including sediment scouring, reduced the likelihood of successful colonisation in bare sediment. Furthermore, sediment characteristics within meadows, such as a smaller grain size and high organic content, positively influenced propagule establishment. This research provides preliminary evidence that propagules have the potential to act as an important long-distance dispersal vector, a process that has previously gone unrecognised. Even though successful establishment of propagules may be rare, viviparous propagules show great potential for seagrass populations given they are facing global decline. © 2014 Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation. Language eng DOI 10.1007/s12237-014-9850-1 Field of Research 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl Marine Ichthyology) Socio Economic Objective 960903 Coastal and Estuarine Water Management HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal ERA Research output type C Journal article Copyright notice ©2015, Springer Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30072030 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment School of Life and Environmental Sciences Centre for Integrative Ecology Related Links Link Description Connect to published version Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Thu, 02 Apr 2015, 14:05:03 EST Mon, 04 May 2015, 15:51:13 EST Tue, 05 May 2015, 05:00:18 EST Tue, 05 May 2015, 06:07:35 EST Fri, 08 May 2015, 15:44:33 EST Fri, 08 May 2015, 15:51:04 EST Wed, 14 Oct 2015, 14:20:50 EST Thu, 28 Apr 2016, 11:03:12 EST Fri, 21 Apr 2017, 07:07:12 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 17 times in TR Web of Science Cited 20 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 364 Abstract Views, 3 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Mon, 04 May 2015, 15:51:13 EST

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