The movement ecology of seagrasses
Files
(Published version)
Date
2014
Authors
McMahon, K.
van Dijk, K.
Ruiz-Montoya, L.
Kendrick, G.
Krauss, S.
Waycott, M.
Verduin, J.
Lowe, R.
Statton, J.
Brown, E.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2014; 281(1795):20140878-1-20140878-9
Statement of Responsibility
Kathryn McMahon, Kor-jent van Dijk, Leonardo Ruiz-Montoya, Gary A. Kendrick, Siegfried L. Krauss, Michelle Waycott, Jennifer Verduin, Ryan Lowe, John Statton, Eloise Brown and Carlos Duarte
Conference Name
Abstract
A movement ecology framework is applied to enhance our understanding of the causes, mechanisms and consequences of movement in seagrasses: marine, clonal, flowering plants. Four life-history stages of seagrasses can move: pollen, sexual propagules, vegetative fragments and the spread of individuals through clonal growth. Movement occurs on the water surface, in the water column, on or in the sediment, via animal vectors and through spreading clones. A capacity for long-distance dispersal and demographic connectivity over multiple timeframes is the novel feature of the movement ecology of seagrasses with significant evolutionary and ecological consequences. The space-time movement footprint of different life-history stages varies. For example, the distance moved by reproductive propagules and vegetative expansion via clonal growth is similar, but the timescales range exponentially, from hours to months or centuries to millennia, respectively. Consequently, environmental factors and key traits that interact to influence movement also operate on vastly different spatial and temporal scales. Six key future research areas have been identified.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Access Status
Rights
© 2014 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.