Investigating fine-scale population dynamics in the threatened Cape Dwarf eelgrass, Zostera capensis, using RADseq

Seagrasses are the foundational species of one of the world's most productive and valuable coastal ecosystems, however, they are also among the most highly threatened. Zostera capensis is the dominant seagrass in South African estuaries where it enhances local biodiversity and performs essential ecosystem services. It is currently listed as "Endangered" on the South African Red List and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because of the numerous anthropogenic pressures that threaten estuarine systems in the region. Utilising genomic tools can potentially help underpin conservation decision making, through identifying population structure and quantifying diversity- essential components of resistance and resilience to on-going disturbances. The goal of this project was to assess genomic diversity and population structure of Z. capensis, with the intention of informing management plans for the effective conservation and potential restoration of this important ecosystem engineer. To do this, DNA was extracted, and a double digest RAD sequencing approach was used to generate Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs)sequenced from 96 individuals collected from eight populations of Z. capensis from the three largest marine biogeographic provinces along the South African coastline.