Lagerwerf, Tessel, Hélène (2020) The effects of sediment origin, microbiome and mesograzer presence on Zostera marina seedling settlement. Master's Research Project 1, Marine Biology.
|
Text
Report_Tessel_Lagerwerf!.pdf Download (5MB) | Preview |
|
![[img]](https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text
toestemming.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (155kB) |
Abstract
Seagrasses form the foundation of valuable coastal ecosystems. They provide numerous ecosystem services to people living in coastal areas but are currently rapidly declining on a global scale. To preserve and re-establish seagrass populations, many attempts are being undertaken to restore valuable seagrass meadows, with limited successes. To improve the success rates of restoration practices, more knowledge on the ecology of seagrasses is needed. I thus looked into factors affecting successful seedling establishment for seed-based restoration. Specifically, I aimed to unravel the effects of 1) sediment origin (donor vs. restoration site), 2) sediment microbiome presence (sterilized vs. non-sterilized sediment) and 3) mesograzer presence (control, mudsnails, periwinkles) on eelgrass (Zostera marina) seedling establishment and development. I tested this in a mesocosm experiment comparing growing seedlings from seeds within the aforementioned treatments and looking at plant biomass, morphology and the sediment microbiome. Sediment origin (donor vs restoration site) did not affect seedling count at harvest, biomass and morphology, despite differences in sediment characteristics (OM/grain size/nutrients) and microbiome. However, seedling settlement over time was twice as high in the donor site. Sediment sterilization (sterilized vs. non-sterilized) positively affected seedlings settlement, and seedling biomass/sizes. This might be due to higher nutrient availability in the ....
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Research Project 1) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Govers, L.L. |
| Degree programme: | Marine Biology |
| Thesis type: | Master's Research Project 1 |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Oct 2020 09:34 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Oct 2020 09:34 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/23516 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |