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Sprouting new directions for restoration: unraveling the influence of seed characteristics to optimize Ruppia maritima germination success
Gersten, Cassidy A
Gersten, Cassidy A
Abstract
Submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds form some of the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth, responsible for sequestering carbon, acting as nursery grounds for marine organisms, and stabilizing sediment. The Chesapeake Bay is a historic habitat for SAV, where these aquatic plants play an important role in ecosystem functioning and economic prosperity. A shift in the dominant SAV species from Zostera marina, a subpolar species, to Ruppia maritima, a global generalist, over the past thirty years in the region due to rising water temperatures and increased severity of marine heatwaves has sparked interest in the study of this second, more opportunistic species. While seed characteristics and restoration potential are well known and utilized for Z. marina, metrics of R. maritima seed quality have only been briefly investigated in the past. To identify seed properties that can predict successful germination, we investigated fall velocity and seed shape, and found that both faster fall velocities and āSā shaped seeds help predict successful germination. Additionally, we investigated the role of monthly cold storage on germination and found that cold storage increased germination by 20% - 40% over the course of a year. To assess seed survival and time until germination for seeds stored over multiple years, we then quantified germination patterns of two cohorts of seeds from subsequent separate collection years after being removed from cold storage and planted in sediment. We found that fall velocity and seed shape once again helped predict the probability of germination, as well as cohort. Additionally, a higher proportion of seeds germinated and at a faster rate from the younger cohort compared to the older cohort. We interpret our results to indicate that R. maritima seeds have demonstrable development and germination patterns that can be used in advising future restoration efforts. By expanding our knowledge of Ruppia maritima seed characteristics we hope to enhance restoration and buffer against future detrimental effects of climate change on SAV in the Chesapeake Bay and beyond.
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2024-04-01
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Embargoed through May 9, 2026
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Biology