The role of sexual reproduction in the maintenance of established Zostera marina meadows

Abstract 1.For clonal plants the role of sexual reproduction in the maintenance of populations can vary widely. Some species are dependent on repeated seedling recruitment. For other species, interactions between adults and seedlings within existing populations can affect seedling survival and limit sexual reproduction in existing populations. Genetic studies of seagrass populations increasingly suggest sexual reproduction is important for the resilience and stability of their populations, but as of yet little observational data supports these findings. Because seagrass populations provide important ecosystem services and are threatened with increasing anthropogenic impacts, understanding their reliance on sexual reproduction is evolutionarily and ecologically important. 2.The goals of this study were to determine: 1. if seedlings of a marine angiosperm, Zostera marina, establish and recruit within existing Z. marina meadows; 2. if interactions between seedlings and surrounding adult sh...摘要 1. 对于克隆植物而言，有性繁殖在种群维持中的作用差异悬殊。部分物种依赖持续的实生苗补充；另有一些物种，现存种群内成株与实生苗之间的相互作用会影响实生苗存活，并限制现存种群的有性繁殖能力。针对海草种群的遗传学研究愈发表明，有性繁殖对其种群的恢复力与稳定性至关重要，但目前鲜有观测数据能够佐证这些结论。鉴于海草种群能够提供重要的生态系统服务，且正面临日益加剧的人为活动威胁，阐明其对有性繁殖的依赖程度在进化与生态学领域均具有重要意义。 2. 本研究的目标旨在明确两个问题：1. 海洋被子植物鳗草（Zostera marina）的实生苗是否能够在现存鳗草（Z. marina）草床中定植并完成补充；2. 实生苗与周边成株之间的相互作用是否会……