Zostera marina transplants in Willapa Bay 2019-2021

Hypothesis: Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is phenotypically plastic in morphological and demographic traits when transplanted across sand and muddy-sand (>10% mud) sediments within Willapa Bay, Washington, USA. Seedlings from a single site were back-transplanted and transplanted in sand and muddy-sand in May 2019, collected May 2020. Vegetative shoots from four sites were reciprocally transplanted among two sand and two muddy-sand sites in Jan 2020, collected Jul 2021. Summer shoot length was shorter at sandier sites. Rhizome internode lengths were relatively long at sandier sites, and also showed fixed differences being relatively short from one muddy-sand site in the reciprocal transplant. Survival differed more than branching or flowering across transplant sites. Data support the following publication: Ruesink JL, Boardman FC, Briones Ortiz BA, Jendry CR, Naish KA. 2025. Demographic and morphological responses of intertidal eelgrass (Zostera marina) transplanted across sediment conditions. Aquatic Botany, 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103904研究假说：大叶藻（Zostera marina）在美国华盛顿州威拉帕湾的沙质与泥质沙（泥沙含量>10%）沉积物生境间移栽时，其形态与种群统计性状存在表型可塑性。2019年5月，将来自单一采样点的大叶藻幼苗进行回栽，并分别移栽至沙质与泥质沙生境，于2020年5月完成样品采集。2020年1月，将来自4个采样点的营养枝在2个沙质样点与2个泥质沙样点间开展互易移栽实验，并于2021年7月完成样品采集。沙质生境的夏季枝长更短。沙质生境的根状茎节间长度相对更长；此外在互易移栽实验中，某一泥质沙样点来源的个体其根状茎节间长度显著偏短，呈现固定差异。不同移栽样点间的存活差异相较于分枝与开花性状更为显著。本数据集相关数据支持以下已发表研究：Ruesink JL、Boardman FC、Briones Ortiz BA、Jendry CR、Naish KA，2025年。《潮间带大叶藻（Zostera marina）在不同沉积物生境下的种群统计与形态响应》，《水生植物学》，DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103904。