BIOL 319 Part II Flashcards
differences in predator interactions in sandy shore relative to rocky
- have to dig/work to get prey
- less restricted by tides
- more partial predation
- seasonal predator intensity
why are predators less restricted by tides in sandy/muddy shore
more terrestrial predators (marine predators restricted by submersion)
seasonal predator intensity, soft sediment shore
migratory birds
sandy shore infauna predator defense
- differential burrowing depth
- differential shell thickness
- anti-predator chemicals
bottom-up and top-down predation in sandy shore
top-down typically terrestrial like birds
bottom-up typically marine predators - fish, crabs etc
burrowing benefit
hidden
well-defended
sandy shore defense trade-off
thin shell bivalves burrow deeper
sandy shore anti-predator chemicals
polychaetes
bromide-containing aromatic compounds
infaunal organisms and predators
- infauna typically well protected
- infauna can suffer high mortality due to seasonal predator intensity
- more abundant species suffer highest depletion rates
- predators are specialized to infauna
disturbances in soft shore environment
- physical
- biological
biological disturbance in soft shore environment
- predators
- bioturbation
physical disturbance, soft shore environment
waves
- sediment
- exposure
- shelter
waves and sediment
impact sediment size, sorting, distribution, permeability, porosity, penetrability
waves and exposure
high energy, small sediment size, sandy shore
waves and shelter
low energy, more impacted by tides than waves, small size sediment, clay/mudflat
sediment diameter vs water velocity
increasing to asymptote (log x)
wave impact on beach sediment
longshore transport
tides
wave exposed, sandy beach infauna
dominated by long-lived suspension feeders; bivalves, clams
sheltered, muddy beach
dominated by short-lived deposit feeders; worms/polychaetes
why are bivalves more common in sandy beach
suspension feeders - access to currents in sand, and can get clogged by fine particles in mud
why worms more abundant in muddy beaches
fragile; like calm, sheltered environment
deposit feeders - more OM in mud
bioturbation increases
- habitat complexity
- sediment oxygen
- sediment sorting
- sediment stickiness
impact of bioturbation on other organisms
commensalism
amensalim
commensalism
other species benefit from the activities of bioturbater
example of commensalism
mussels sheltering the beach for cockles
supply side ecology soft sediment principles
- infauna have larvae
- larvae are delivered by currents (depend on wave exposure)
- variable settlement strategies
- adults are mobile (unlike rocky shore)
water table
- natural level of water content
- approximately at the tide line
above water table
very little water in sediments
changes in water table
water line moves up/down during day due to tide/currents
suspension feeders favour
high energy, coarser sediments
amensalism
other species suffers from the activities of bioturbators
amensalism example
lugworms exclude other burrowing organisms
why do deposit-feeders decrease growth of suspension feeders
sediment reworking re-suspends particles and clogs the filtering organs
Importance of larval settlement in sandy shore relative to rocky
not as important in sandy because they can move
sandy shore zonation hypotheses
- no zonation
- two zones only (Brown’s)
- three zones (Dahl’s)
- four zones (Salvant’s)
sandy shore zonation
- abiotic factors only
- wetness–dryness gradient
- disturbance
retention zone
where water goes in to sediment but doesn’t stay - waves crash, water enters, water percolates down to water table
supralittoral zone
- highest part of beach
- dry vast majority of time
- air breathing organisms, insects
littoral zone
- ‘true intertidal’ zone
- sometimes dry some wet
- mixed species
deposit feeders favour
low energy, finer sediments
sublittoral zone
lowest intertidal zone
- mostly wet
- lots of infauna
Brown’s zonation hypothesis
2 zones: air breathers vs water breathers
Dahl’s zonation hypothesis
3 zones: sub-terrestrial fringe, midlittoral, sublittoral fringe
salivates zonation hypothesis
drying, retention, resurgence, saturation
beach types that impact zonation
- dissipative beach
- intermediate beach
- reflective beach
dissipative beach
- gentle slope (flat)
- wave break before hitting beach, sheltered
- generally wetter, finer sed
- less pronounced wetness gradient
- shallower RPD
reflective beach
- steep slope
- waves break on beach - exposed
- intertidal dryer, sediment bigger
- wetness gradient more pronounced
zonation in soft sediments
- 2-4 zone depending on beach
- always dry and wet zones, middle ones change
- slope is important
true kelp
- (Order Laminaria) brown algae
- large, brown subtidal seaweed
- very strong holdfast
- form dense NA forests
kelp zones with depth
top of water column = canopy
middle = understory
benthos = algal turf
kelp zones with distance from shore
inshore
kelp canopy
offshore
what is “brown algae”
mixed photosynthetic pigments (chl a and chl c)
Seaweed morphology pars
holdfast + stipe = thallus
float
blades/fronds
characteristics of reflective beach
- large particles
- large physical gradient, flow, moisture
- low chemical gradient
- large importance of waves
- low importance of tides
pneumatocyst
seaweed float
seaweed difference from terrestrial/vascular plants
seaweed lack ‘true’ leaves, stems, roots, not plants
seaweed blade structures
flat, high SA:V, concentrated w/ chl, maximize nutrient absorption
characteristics of dissipative beach
- small particle size
- low physical gradient
- large chemical gradient (O2, Eh)
- low importance of waves
- high importance of tides
kelp as photosynthesizers
- very highly productive
- entire body photosynthesizes
- grow fast and large
pneumatocyst structure and function
- air/gas filled balls
- grape-volleyball size
- keep blades close to surface
why do pneumatocysts want to keep the blades close to the surface
they have the highest concentration of chl - keep close to sunlight for max production
pneumatocyst gases
O2, CO2, CO
stipe
- strong, flexible, “stem”
- absorbs shock
- photosynthesizes
holdfast
“roots”
- anchor
- don’t absorb nutrients
- may secrete glue-like substance
thallus
whole body
convergence in kelp
species evolved to have kelp-like morphology can behave in same way and provide similar fn’s to kelp
divergence in kelp
species that specialize in different regions may have different morpholgy
divergence examples
canopy kelp - long, tall, rise up to 45m
stipulate kelp - only rise ca 2m
prostrate kelp - drape seafloor
canopy kelps
-fronds on surface
-giant kelps
-
understory kelp
- fronds erect or close to bottom
- middle zone
- stipe dominant
- highest diversity
algal turf zone
- short clump, filaments, encrusting
- non-kelp algae
- abundant red algae
inshore kelp zone
feather-boa, laminaria
canopy conditions
- most light
- most wave action
- not stable environment
understory conditions
- less light
- less wave action
- highest diversity
why is understory so high in diversity
- stipes = area for attachment
- area between fish to swim
- calm environment
algal turf conditions
- least light
- little-no wave influence
- holdfasts = attachment areas, niche space
why red algae in algal turf?
low light chl
flat to maximize absorption
organisms associated with understory
stipes: tube-forming polychaetes, byrzoans, sessile organisms
- crustacean feeders
- plankton feeders
- concentrate larvae
kelp crustacean feeders
surf perches
kelp plankton feeders
topsmelt
blue rockfish
organisms associated with algal turf
holdfast: small inverts, brittle stars, polychaetes, urchins, crabs
- herbivores
- carnivores
algal turf herbivores
- adult rockfish
- kelp bass
algal turf carnivores
california sheephead - eat crabs, urchins
distribution of kelp forests
- restricted
- concentrated in mid-high lats., upwelling zones
kelp forest restrictions
- hard substrate for attachment
- coastal zone for sunlight
- cool Ts, heat sensitive
- high DIN for high productivity
why aren’t kelp forests in tropics
- too hot
- too nutrient poor
why aren’t kelp forests in polar regions
- growing season too short
- light limitations
- ice scouring
- too harsh of conditions
kelp distribution is closer to tropics than might be expected, why?
predominant current direction (S in N, N in S) upwells cool nutrient rich waters and stretches distribution
Kelp importance
- high PP, carbon sequestration
- provide food, shelter for many species
- buffer, protect coasts against waves, storms
causes of kelp deforestation
- physical condition anomalies
- sea urchins
- storms
El Niño deforestation
- more storms, warmer, less nutrient, removal of predators, release herbivores
- upwelling reduced, reversed -warm nutrient poor water - not good for kelp
- kelp often recover from these events
urchin deforestation
- urchins normally passively feed on drift kelp
- when drift limited, urchins experience food limitation - feeding behaviour changes - become destructive
drift kelp
free-floating kelp detritus
urchin feeding behaviour change
- actively feed on holdfast
- aggregate in big groups
- move through forest as one super kelp eater
- urchin feeding “front”
kelp forest with low urchin density
mix of kelp + other turf algae
kelp forest with high urchin density
-kelp deforested
crustose
-coralline algae replaces all other species = “urchin barren”
urchin barrens and kelp recovery
less likely to recover from this type of deforestation b/c crustose coralline algae prevent kelp from re-rooting
Controls on kelp urchins in W NAtl
- single tier (prostrate)
- simple food web
- strong interactions
- cod extirpation – phase shift to urchin barren – return to kelp forest
Controls on kelp urchins in Aleutians, Alska
- simple food web but multi-tiered
- intermediate diversity
- european settlement– phase shift– switched back and forth after that
Controls on kelp urchins in Southern California
- multi-tier kelp (3 zones)
- complex food web
- high diversity
- urchin barrens/kelp forests flicker back and forth, short duration
What happened to kelp forests in Alaska
otters nearly extirpated– urchins grow out of control (trophic cascade)– otter pop’s recover, urchins under control– kelp recovers – then phase shift again!
what caused the second phase shift in Alaska
-increased number of orca kills – reduced otter pop. – trophic cascade again by apex predator this time– 4 level trophic cascade
why did orcas start eating more otters
- possibly because their food source is declining (seals)
- possibly b/c geographical distribution is changing
What happened to kelp forest in N Atl
decline in cod allowed urchins to take over– phase shift – urchin fisheries opened – kelp forests re-established
-cod functionally equivalent to sea otters – trigger same trophic cascade
impacts of cod collapse in Nova Scotia (relative to Maine)
following initial phase change from cod collapse – multiple cycles of urchin disease – several phase shifts
lessons from phase shift studies
- humans are good at triggering phase shifts
- anything that can control urchin populations can trigger the phase shift
- phase shifts can lead to new species interactions
- even in similar regions can have unique triggers/interactions (Maine vs Canada)
new interaction following kelp phase shift, N Atl
kelp recover - encourage crabs to migrate into kelp bed– crabs feed on urchin larvae and diseased adults – prevent urchin recruitment
Details of kelp forest phase shift in Southern California
- more predators, species
- delayed phase shifts (otters removed 150-200ya)
- other predators fed on urchins – human settlement –functionally equiv. species all under pressure now
- other predators buffered the system from change, provided insurance
phase shift
switch between steady states
threshold
energy required to switch between steady states
when do phase shifts reverse
- when they reach their threshold
- urchin density is a threshold for urchin barren phase
threshold to shift to kelp forest
variable - reducing urchin density not always enough
continuous phase shift
“linear”
-path same backwards and forwards
to switch from one system occurs at the same threshold as switching back (e.g. the same urchin density)
the points at which a threshold is reached and phase change occurs
tipping point
kelp forest hysteresis cause by
feedback mechanisms stabilize the phases
kelp state feedbacks
lots of kelp = lots of detritus = lower urchin migration and grazing = lots of kelp
+kelp - +whiplash – -urchin grazing – +kelp
+kelp – +predator abundance – +urchin mortality – +kelp
+kelp – + spore production – +kelp
barren state feedbacks
barren – +urchin fertilization – +recruitment – barren
barren – +settlement facilitation – +recruitment – barren
barren – -detritus – -destructive grazing – kelp recruitment – barren
barren – -detritus – -urchin migration – barren
barren – -predator abundance – -barren state
discontinuous phase shift
“non-linear”
switching from one state requires a different threshold than switching back (e.g. lower urchin density to switch back to kelp than to switch to barren)
-harder to predict, reverse
another name for discontinuous shift
hysteresis = delay
biggest threats to kelp forest ecosystems
- loss of biodiversity
- climate change
- any interference that reduces kelp forest health
- any interference that increases urchin health / destructive behaviour
- nutrient loading and water quality
kelp conservation strategies
- maintain biodiv.
- water quality
- restoration
- maintain healthy kelp
how to maintain biodiversity
predator recovery
MPAs
responsibly fishery practices
how to maintain water quality
sewage and waste management
runoff management
marine foundation species that have evolved from terrestrial ancestors
seagrass (meadows) mangrove (forests) salt marshes convergence, similar adaptations -I will call these SMS ecosystems
SMS ecosystems have lots in common with
mudflats
the plants root in soft sediment ecosystems
first plant life
precambrian
evolution of land plants
Silurian
evolution of plants from phytoplankton to seagrass
phytoplankton- red algae -brown algae- green algae- land plants- mangroves- sea grasses
adaptations for dealing with life in seawater
- make photosynthesis more efficient
- stability in soft sediment
- deal with anoxic waterlogged sediment
- remove/exclude excess salt
why do marine terrestrial plants need to make photosynthesis more efficient
- gas exchange difficult in seawater
- light attenuation with depth
- more energy required for life in seawater
why does life require more energy in seawater
need to oxygenate roots -need to photosynthesize more to maintain same growth levels
SMS species commonalities
- have above-ground (leaves) and below-ground (roots) components (very different than kelp)
- provide surfaces for epifauna
- interact with infauna
SMS sediments share characteristics w/ soft shore ecosystems
- waterlogged sediment (b/c its mud)
- anoxia with depth (RPD)
- similar “chemical layering” as shore sediment
- processed (bioturbated) by a variety of organisms
seagrass
- vascular, flowering plant
- monocots
- angiosperms
- not true grasses
- form large meadows (single or multiple species)
- subtidal
evolution of marine angiosperms
Cretaceous
subtidal
- below mean low tide
- normally covered by water at all tide levels
seagrass distribution
- widely distributed in temperature, tropical coastal systems
- narrow depth restrictions
what determines distribution of seagrass
- substrate
- light
- UV
- desiccation
substrate and seagrass
- majority require soft substrate
- too much sediment buries them
- not found in rocky substrates
light and seagrass
- very high light requirement (photosynthesis inefficient in seawater)
- lower distribution limits set by light availability
- upper limit may be set by UV
- restricted by turbidity (upwelling zones too turbid)
seagrass diversity
- ca. 60 species worldwide
- difficult to classify, lots of plasticity
- higher diversity in tropics than temperature latitudes
common seagrass genera in North America
- Thalassia: turtle grass, warmer regions, manatees, Florida-Texas
- Zostera: eelgrass, widely distributed along both coasts
- Phyllospadix: on both sides of NP, only genus that attaches to rocks
- Halodule: fresher (lower S) sandy areas, upper eastuaries
seagrass morphology
laminate leaf blades, leaf sheath, rhizome, node, simple root
seagrass leaf blade
- strap-like
- grow from sheath
- number, height of leaves varies between species
- up to 1m
seagrass rhizome
rooting structure that each plant attaches to, connects plant clones together
seagrass above-ground:below-ground biomass
ca. 50:50
seagrass leaf length
0.5 cm - 5m
variability in seagrass leaves
-many shapes and sizes
-single species can have large variability - plasticity
oblong, longitudinal, serrated, folded, cross veined, etc
variability in seagrass roots
simple, branched, hairy
importance of seagrass characteristics/ morphologies
- some forms can’t grow as densely as others
- SA/shape import for organism attachment, feeding
- bushy roots stabilize sediment more
- some forms take more energy to grow resulting in trade-offs
seagrass marine adaptations
rhizome - mechanical support, vegetative growth
leaf shape - thin, flexible in high E env.
leaf sheath - provides protection in high E env.
lacunar system - transport O2 below ground to oxygenate roots (depresses RPD)
seagrass reproduction
- sexual rare and inefficient
- vegetative growth (cloning) common but still slow
seagrass sexual reproduction
- mostly dioecious
- hydophilous pollination
- flower seasonally w/ high spring tide
- 10% of meadow flowers at a time
- dispersal limited, most seeds drop within m’s of parent
- less than 0.00001 probability seedings become new adult
- still important for genetic diversity
seagrass asexual reproduction
- rhizomes extend and release new shoots
- recolonization not fast or efficient
- old clone persist
importance of seagrass reproduction
- inefficient = long time to recover from disturbance
- low sexual reproduction = low resilience
genotypic diversity =
- lower vulnerability to disturbance, disease
- more productive, abundant
- increased abundance, diversity of epifauna
seagrass foodweb
PP- seagrass, algae Epiphytes and fouling animals Grazers: meso, macro Suspension feeders: bivalves Shredders, deposit feeders: shrimp, crabs Predators: meso, macro
fouling animals
live on seagrass
e.g. sponges, bivalves
seagrass mesograzers
small inverts
- limpets, amphipods, etc.
- consume algal epiphytes not seagrass unless left unchecked
seagrass macropredators
sharks (primarily prey on fish)
seagrass mesopredators
medium carnivorous fish
primarily feed on mesograzers
why so many diverse relationships in seagrass
shelter- predators, waves
habitat - attachment sites
food - seagrass, algae, larvae, detritus
epiphytic community in seagrass
- important and diverse
- rhodophyta (red algae)
- chlorophyta (green algae)
- phaeophyta (brown algae)
- bacillariophyceae (diatoms)
- older seagrass = more diverse
- 26 species of algae found on 1 species of seagrass
seagrass macrograzers
sea cows
turtes
epiphytic algae impact on seagrass community
- inhibit light, nutrient uptake for seagrass
- nutritious food source for other organisms: higher N:C, easier to digest, no cellulose or lignin, more fatty acids
eating seagrass
tough, high in cellulose
- mostly consumed as detritus (microbial breakdown)
- some organisms specialized to consume (sea cow)
urchin impacts on seagrass
- live in coral reef (keep them clean)
- leave reef at night to graze on surrounding grasses = reef halo
Green turtle macrograzer
- endangered
- young are omnivores
- older turtles increasingly herbivorous, seagrass specialists
- long guts w/ specialized enzymes to digest
- selective feeders
green turtle selective feeding
‘gardeners’
- feed on young plants
- physiological selection: more nutritious, easier to digest
- biological selection: stimulates growth of new plants
why green turtles are endangered
- human exploitation
- sensitive to land use change, pollution (because of nesting)
- loss of habitat
- accidental kills (bycatch, impacts)
sea cow macrograzers
- Order Sirenia (4 species)
- most species feed on marine and fresh plants
- Dugong seagrass specialist
- only herbivorous marine mammal
Dugong dugon
- Indo-Pacific
- feed in large herds, leave feeding trail
- massive guts >30m
- selective feeding
- vulnerable
Dugong selective feeding
‘cultivation feeders’
- prefer Halophila (high N, low fibre)
- pioneer species, grazing it stimulates growth or preferred food
surprising species in seagrass meadows
bivalves! (not often found in soft sediments)
-in the sediment and on seagrass blades
seagrass bivalve
Pinna nobilis - endemic to mediterranean seagrass
- gigantic, up to 4ft
- fast growth, fragile shell
- possibly mutualistic w/ seagrass
Pinna nobilis mutualism
- seagrass provide food, protection
- bivalves filter water (make it clear)
seagrass burrowers and shredders
- shrimp, crab, feed on seagrass
- some target detritus, others fresh leaves
- some transport detritus into burrows
- rework sediment
- cause bare patches in meadow - open space
ecological processes in seagrass communities
- bottom-up forces control diversity, abundance, distribution
- top-down forces control community structure
bottom-up seagrass forces
-light
-nutrients
-substrate
seagrasses only distributed and abundant where they factors are
top-down forces in seagrass meadow
- mesograzers (if unchecked)
- urchins can cause bare patches
- macrograzers alter composition/abundance
what happens to seagrass community if a mesograzer predator is excluded
- mesograzers increase
- reduce algae
- could be positive - more sunlight, nutrients for seagrass
- could eventually run out of algae and feed on seagrass
- could be positive or negative
what happens to seagrass community if predator of small fouling animals is removed
- increased fouling animals
- decrease in seagrass
- negative impact
mesograzer vs fouling animals
-mesograzers feed on photosynthesizes
attached to seagrass
-fouling animals are attached to seagrass and aren’t photsyn.
effect to seagrass community if urchin predators are removed
- increase in urchins
- decrease in seagrass
- negative impact
mutualistic grazer model, seagrass community
- small inverts. feed on algae (mesograzersm algae)
- algae outcompete seagrass is left unchecked
- small inverts. keep seagrass healthy if controlled by predators
top-down linear seagrass trophic cascade
+large predators – (-)small predators — +algae grazers — algae — seagrasses
real trophic cascade in seagrass
- much more complex
- depend on which organisms are targeted
- not always intuitive
ecology of fear
non-consumptive trophic cascade
example of non-consumptive trophic cascade
-wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone
importance of seagrass ecosystem
- increase habitat complexity
- highly productive, CO2 sink, high levels of biodiversity
- provide food
- structural stability, protect shoreline from erosion, waves
- filter pathogens, environmental cleaners
- provide ecosystem services
seagrass habitat complexity
- above and below ground
- new niches
- protection
seagrasses provide food for
endangered marine animals
- seahorses
- sharks
seagrass losses
- 15% lost from 93-2003; 2-5% per year
- 74 species of concern, mostly fish
- foundation species in decline
- organisms that live in seagrass in decline
- water quality in decline
threats to seagrass meadow
- human alterations - eutrophication, fishing, land use change
- human recreation - habitat fragmentation
- invasive species (algae)
eutrophication and seagrasses
- increased nutrient supply (N, P)
- increased algal growth and take over
- seagrass sensitive to nutrient loading
why is eutrophication better for algae
- at high nutrient level seagrass saturates, can’t grow any faster
- algae continue to increase and restrict light
- outcompete seagrass
Valentine and Duffy hypothesized state shifts in seagrass
seagrass dominated – algae dominated
low efficiency small predator -overfishing- high efficiency
high abundance mesograzer -pollution- low abundance
low algal biomass -eutrophication- high algal biomass
seagrass overfishing example
- 90% decline of cod in sweden (overfishing) – mesopredators increased – mesograzes decreased – algae increased – seagrass decreased
- 4 level trophic cascade
- overfishing caused seagrass smothering, exacerbated by nutrient pollution
boat propeller scars in seagrass
-anchors, moorings, propellers uproot seagrass fragmentation increased patchiness long time to recover (inefficient reproduction)
studying seagrass processes
ASU - artificial seagrass units
major factors affecting seagrass structure
abiotic conditions
herbivory
clonal reproduction
hydrodynamics physical disturbance
community impacts from seagrass
water flow particle deposition associated species abundance and diversity resource availability predation success
seagrass fragmentation
- reduces overall area
- isolates organisms from main population
- edge effects
examples of edge effects
- predators more successful on edge (prey can’t hide)
- changes to sediment profile, water physics
reported invasive species increasing due to
- ability to detect
- higher transportation of invasives
Caulerpa taxifolia
- invasive algae
- decorative aquarium algae
- one of worlds 100 worst invasive species
- very hardy, likes polluted water, high UV, fast growing, toxic chemicals - grazing resistance
- outcompetes seagrasses, invades damaged beds
invasive algae in Mediterranean
introduced in 1980s (possible from ocean institute), almost completely replaced seagrass
climate change and seagrass
- T ∆ has negative effect b/c many species live at their limits (foundation species sensitive to T)
- +T = declines in health, changes in species composition
- changes top-down control, rate of consumption
- herbivores may increase activity (metabolic increase w/ T)
effect of temperature on interaction strength, seagrass
- depends on species
- strength and direction variable
- hard to predict
strategies to protect seagrass
MPAs, remove/restrict boating prevent invasives- promote harvest, regulate ballast water, aquaria trade fishing regulations education, promotion, communication climate change, pollution
name for a mangrove forest
mangal (entire forest)
mangrove (single tree)
mangrove importance
- biodiversity
- trap sediment, increase water quality outside mangal
- provide shoreline stabilization and protection
what are mangals
- tropical, saline, intertidal/estuarine forest
- trees w/ exposed rooting structures in soft sed
- turbid, organic-rich water
mangrove distribution
strictly tropical
30ºS - 30ºN
temperatures greater than 20ºC
types of mangal habitats
- riverine
- tide-dominated
- basin mangroves
Riverine (estuary) mangals
-often river deltas
-large salinity variation
-common in Asia
-seasonal variability high from rainy season
stress = S variability
Tide-dominated (open ocean) mangal
-coastal front habitat
-stable salinities, strong tidal cycle
-unstable morphology due to coastal erosion
stress = tide variability
basin mangroves (sheltered system)
-inland/fringing mangroves
-little change in tide, no wave action
-often higher S than others (evaporation)
stress = high S
mangal plants
- true mangroves
- mangrove associates
mangrove associates
- widely distributed trees/plants
- not restricted to mangal
- peripheral species
true mangroves
- adaptations to life in ocean
- 50+ species, 20 genera, 16 families
- up to 16 independent convergent evolution events
- evolved in Cretaceous
- all flowering trees
- viviparous
- prop roots
majority of mangrove belong to which families
Avicennicaceae (white mangroves)
Rhizophoracea (red mangroves)
most diverse mangals
Indo-Pacific
Pacific mangroves much more diverse than All
viviparous trees
seeds germinate on parent plant, drop into rooting structures as fully fledged embryos
mangrove challenges
- water-logged sed, frequent inundation of saline water
- salinity either variable or high
- highly anoxic sed
- nutrient poor water
whats the problem with water-logged sediment
problems for gas exchange
nutrient absorption
stability
prop roots
support, nutrient uptake, breathing
-massive surface area
mangrove root parts
pneumatophore
lenticels
aerenchyma
-all to help roots ‘breathe’
pneumatophore, mangrove root
vertical root structure for air exchange
lentils, mangrove root
tiny pores for air exchange
mangrove salt tolerance
- filter at uptake (roots)
- storage
- secrete
- dilute
salt storage, mangrove
- specialized vacuoles in specific tissues
eg. bark, stem root
salt secretion, mangrove
specialized salt gland
leaves or roots
occasionally shed leaves to remove accumulated salt
aerenchyma, mangrove root
tissue for air exchange
salt dilution, mangrove
with succulent leaves
succulent
thickened and fleshy, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions
why is it challenging for a plant to live in saline water
- osmosis – fighting water loss
- inhibits transpiration
transpiration
water transport from roots to leaves to cool them down`
regulating water loss, mangroves
- close stomata
- regulate leaf orientation (angle to maximize light, minimize water loss)
- some species increase root biomass w/ increased S
why are mangrove roots so shallow
- estuarine surface water typically less saline than deeper
- mangrove roots shallow and horizontal to maximize freshwater absorption
mangrove reproduction
- vivapary: seed germinates on parent
- trees pollinated by insects or animals
- seeds germinate into propagules and drop in ocean
young mangrove propagule
hypocotyl
what is a propagule
A structure able to give rise to a new plant
ex. seed, spore, part of vegetative body capable of independent growth
animals that pollinate mangroves
bats
propagule dispersal depends on
- tides
- seed shape
tidal impact on mangrove propagule
- dispersal
- saline water, high tide = propagule afloat, dispersal away from parent
- fresh water, low tide = propagule sinks and immediately roots
- note that dropping times may vary and be coordinated w/ tides
seed shape impact on mangrove
dart-shaped drops down into mud
mangrove propagule success dependent on
- environmental conditions (especially light)
- predation
mangrove propagule predation
- predators like grapsid crabs feed on seeds
- faster the mangrove roots the more likely it escapes predation
most common mangrove species
- Red Mangrove (eg. Rhizophora)
- Black mangrove (e.g.. Avicennia)
- White mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa)
- named for bark colour
flowering in the common mangroves
red - all year, max in spring/summer
black- spring/ summer
white - spring/summer
propagule shape in common mangroves
red - cigar, green bean
black - oblong/elliptical, lima bean
white - flattened, pea green, sunflower seed
propagule length in common mangroves
red - 15cm
black - 2-3cm
white - less than 0.5 cm
types of mangrove roots
prop-root
peg-root
knee-root