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A comprehensive analysis of mechanical and morphological traits in temperate and tropical seagrass species

dc.contributor.authorde los Santos, Carmen B.
dc.contributor.authorOnoda, Yusuke
dc.contributor.authorVergara, J.J.
dc.contributor.authorPérez-Lloréns, J. Lucas
dc.contributor.authorBouma, Tjeerd J.
dc.contributor.authorLa Nafie, Yayu A.
dc.contributor.authorCambridge, Marion L.
dc.contributor.authorBrun, Fernando G.
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-03T14:34:23Z
dc.date.available2022-03-03T14:34:23Z
dc.date.issued2016-06-09
dc.date.updated2022-03-03T12:11:58Z
dc.description.abstractKnowledge of plant mechanical traits is important in understanding how plants resist abiotic and biotic forces and in explaining ecological strategies such as leaf lifespan. To date, these traits have not been systematically evaluated in seagrasses. We analysed mechanical (breaking force and tensile strength) and associated traits (thickness, width, length, fibre content, mass area, and lifespan) of leaves in 22 seagrass species (around one-third of all known seagrass species) to examine (1) the inter-specific variation of these traits in relation to growth form and bioregions, (2) the contribution of morphology to leaf breaking force, (3) how breaking force scales to leaf dimensions, and (4) how mechanical and structural traits correlate to leaf longevity. We also compared our seagrass dataset with terrestrial plant databases to examine similarities between them. Large variation in leaf breaking force was found among seagrass species but, on average, temperate species resisted higher forces than tropical species. Variation in leaf breaking force was largely explained by differences in leaf width rather than thickness, likely due to the benefits in leaf reconfiguration and light interception. Species of large dimensions (long leaves) typically had high leaf breaking force, plausibly to tolerate the drag forces they may experience, which are proportional to the leaf area. Leaves of long-lived species typically had high mass per leaf area and fibre content and they supported high breaking forces. Compared to terrestrial plants, seagrasses are short-lived species with moderately strong fibre-reinforced leaves, which probably evolved to withstand the hydrodynamic forces occurring in the sea, and in response to other environmental factors. Overall, our analysis provides new insights into the physical performance of seagrasses in the marine environment.pt_PT
dc.description.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionpt_PT
dc.identifier.doi10.3354/meps11717pt_PT
dc.identifier.issn0171-8630
dc.identifier.issn1616-1599
dc.identifier.slugcv-prod-938608
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/17625
dc.language.isoengpt_PT
dc.peerreviewedyespt_PT
dc.publisherInter-Researchpt_PT
dc.titleA comprehensive analysis of mechanical and morphological traits in temperate and tropical seagrass speciespt_PT
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.endPage94pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPage81pt_PT
oaire.citation.titleMarine Ecology Progress Seriespt_PT
oaire.citation.volume551pt_PT
person.familyNameBarrena de los Santos
person.givenNameCarmen
person.identifier.ciencia-idC317-02C0-516E
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-7013-494X
person.identifier.ridL-3723-2014
person.identifier.scopus-author-id26427612000
rcaap.cv.cienciaidC317-02C0-516E | Carmen B de los Santos
rcaap.rightsrestrictedAccesspt_PT
rcaap.typearticlept_PT
relation.isAuthorOfPublication9df095b9-2b1c-4f05-a3f9-afb40706adff
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery9df095b9-2b1c-4f05-a3f9-afb40706adff

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