Northeast Gulf Science Volume 4 Article 10 Number 2 Number 2

4-1981 Transplanting and Survival of the wrightii Under Controlled Conditions Carl F. Zimmermann Harbor Branch Foundation, Inc.

Thomas D. French Institute of Technology

John R. Montgomery Harbor Branch Foundation, Inc.

DOI: 10.18785/negs.0402.10 Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/goms

Recommended Citation Zimmermann, C. F., T. D. French and J. R. Montgomery. 1981. Transplanting and Survival of the Seagrass Under Controlled Conditions. Northeast Gulf Science 4 (2). Retrieved from https://aquila.usm.edu/goms/vol4/iss2/10

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Science by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Zimmermann et al.: Transplanting and Survival of the Seagrass Halodule wrightii Unde Northeast Gulf Science Vol. 4 No.2 April 1981 131 TRANSPLANTING AND with some success and Halodule wrightii SURVIVAL OF THE SEAGRASS with minor success under artificial con­ Halodule wrightii UNDER ditions. Their sprigs were planted in CONTROLLED CONDITIONS1 aquaria and tanks containing washed builders sand over a layer of fine gravel. The importance of as pri­ Thorhaug (1974) had moderate success mary producers, as a habitat for a variety growing T. testudinum from seedlings of marine organisms and for controlling under artificial conditions using sand and erosion and the deposition of sediments gravel as the substrate, but was quite in estuarine systems is well documented successful in an area which had previous­ (Burkholder, eta/., 1959; Pomeroy, 1960; ly supported extensive T. testudinum Odum, 1963, and others). Also, the impor­ beds, thus stressing the need for com­ tance of attempting to reestablish sea­ patible sediment types. Van Breedveld grasses in dredged or otherwise disturbed (1975) and Kenworthy and Fonseca coastal areas has been recognized (1977) also stressed the need for sedi­ (Phillips, 1960; Strawn, 1961; Sykes, 1967). ment compatability when transplanting Studies attempting to transplant dif­ T. testudinum and Zostera marina, re­ ferent seagrasses either in the field or in spectively. McRoy and McMillan (1977) the laboratory have met with varying de­ and Patriquin (1972) have also empha­ grees of success (Fuss and Kelly, 1969; sized the role of sediments in acting as Kelly et a/., 1971; Thorhaug, 1974; van sources of nutrients to the via their Breedveld, 1975; Phillips, 1976). root-rhizome system. An area of controversy in transplanting seagrasses is the use of root stimulants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Usually some concentration of naphtha­ lene acetic acid (NAPH) is applied to the For this study we used low concentra­ 's root-rhizome system before trans­ tions of NAPH as a root-rhizome stimu­ planting. Kelly eta/. (1971) in their work lant and sediment collected from H. with Tha/assia testudinum found that wrightii beds from the Indian River as the soaking short shoots for one hour in a transplant substrate. This sediment is 10% solution of NAPH resulted in 100% comprised of 95-98% sand through the survival when construction rods were upper 15 em. A thorough description of used as anchors. They felt that the use these sediments is found elsewhere of NAPH was one of the main factors con­ (Zimmermann, 1980). tributing to transplant success. However, The Indian River is a narrow estuarine­ van Breedveld (1975) found that the use lagoon system which extends approxi­ of 5% NAPH solution with T. testudinum mately 200 km along the east coast of resulted in 90-100% mortality. He also Florida. A more complete description of found 100% mortality of T. testuc;linum the Indian River system is reported by apices dipped in 10% NAPH in laboratory Gilmore (1977). Of the seagrasses re­ studies and consequently did not recom­ ported from this area, Ha/odu/e wrightii mend the use of NAPH at 5-10% concen­ Ascherson and Syringodium filiforme trations. Kutzing comprise more than 90% of the The type of substrate used in trans­ distribution. Tha/assia testudinum Banks planting seagrasses is also an important ex Konig and Sims and maritima factor to be considered. Fuss and Kelly L. each comprise 3%. The presence of (1969) were able to grow T. testudinum Halophila enge/manni Ascherson and 1 Harbor Branch Contribution #207 the recently described species Halophila

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132 Short papers and notes

johnsonii Eiseman (Eiseman and Multiple shoots refers to axes with two McMillan, 1980), in the Indian River, al­ to five erect shoots. though not found in abundance, has been · Twenty transplants from each treat­ documented and comprises the remainder ment were then carefully planted into of the seagrass population (Thompson, separate 24-liter aquaria containing 5 em 1978). of sediment. Rhizomal axes with 10single Halodule wrightii was collected on 28 erect leaf-bearing shoots constituted one November 1978 using a post hole digger row, while 10 multiple erect leaf-bearing which took a 15 x 15 em plug of grass and shoots constituted the second row. Repli­ sediment. The sediment was then re­ cate tanks were used for each treatment moved by immediately sieving through including the control fora total of 10tanks a 1 mm plastic mesh. Roots and rhizomes each containing 20 transplants. were gently washed free of sediment us­ For better thermal stability, the aquaria ing sea water. Most of the grass collected were then partially submerged in a 0.5 x consisted of a single plant complex with 2.3 x 0.8 m concrete tank supplied with extensive root-rhizome systems. These running seawater. Each aquarium was plants were placed in a cooler containing supplied with a surface stream of water seawater until they were returned to the at a rate of 1.51/minute (Figure 1). Tanks laboratory a few hours later. Extra sedi­ and grasses were cleaned weekly by hand ment was collected from an area which in an effort to keep epiphytic growth un­ had previously supported a H. wrightii der control. No chemicals were used. community. Salinity and temperature data were re­ The concentrations of NAPH selected corded throughout the study using a re­ for this study were based on the results fractometer and bucket thermometer. of van Breedveld (1975). He found that Mean monthly salinities (morning read­ the use of Root Dip®, a commercial brand ings) ranged from 24.0%0 in January to root hormone which contains only 0.05% 33.0%0 in April while the mean monthly NAPH, produced higher survival rates temperature (morning readings) ranged among transplanted T. testudinum than from 17.4° C in January to 30.5° C in July. the 5 and 10% solutions recommended In January, 1980, the transplants by Kelly eta/. (1971 ). We simply extended (leaves, roots, and rhizomes) were care­ the concentrations, using 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 fully removed from the tanks. Leaf num­ and 1.0% NAPH (J.T. Baker) prepared ber, length and width as well as dry weight the day before the collection of seagrass measurements of leaf and root-rhizome samples. These NAPH solutions were systems were recorded. prepared in artificial seawater (30.0 g NaC/, 10.0 g MgS0 4 •7H~O, and 0.04 g RESULTS NaHC03 /Iiter deionized water). The H. wrightii transplants were divid­ The first few months after transplanting ed into five approximately equal groups. only cursory monitoring was performed. The roots and rhizomes from each trans­ This period was set aside as a time for the plant of each group were soaked for two transplants to stabilize. During this time hours in the various NAPH solutions. The (December 1978 - March 1979), plants control group was soaked in seawater. in the control aquaria (untreated) gen­ A transplant consisted of plant com­ erally showed more leaf growth than the plexes with both single and multiple erect treated plants. leaf bearing shoots and a rhizomal axes The 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5% NAPH treated with at least one root bearing internode. H. wrightii transplants showed noticeable https://aquila.usm.edu/goms/vol4/iss2/10 2 DOI: 10.18785/negs.0402.10 Zimmermann et al.: Transplanting and Survival of the Seagrass Halodule wrightii Unde Northeast Gulf Science Vol. 4 No.2 April 1981 133 leaf growth during April1979. In late May those treated with lower concentrations or and early June, the transplanted H. the untreated group (P < 0.05). wrightii treated with the higher concen­ Epiphytic growth on the plants was trations of NAPH (0.5 and 1.0%) demon­ somewhat of a problem during the length strated increased leaf growth and new of the study. Examination of leaf scrap­ leaf-bearing shoots. Also during this time ings indicated five dominant diatoms. (May-June) the control transplants de­ They were Melosira moniliformis, Gram­ clined. matophora marina, Nitzschia paradosa, Survival rates were highest in trans­ Navicula sp. and Cymbella sp. The mac­ plants treated with 0.5 and 1.0% NAPH. roepiphyte Microcoleus lyngbyaceus After seven months 87% of the plants had (blue-green) was also prevalent through­ survived compared with 38-39% survival out the study. It occurred in large num­ of the lower NAPH concentrations and bers on the grass and the aquaria. Obser­ control groups. One month later (July vations on H. wrightii in the natural en­ 1979), the survival rate of the 0.5 and vironment did not indicate the large con­ 1.0% NAPH treated plants had dropped centrations of Microcoleus found in the to 74%, but was still much higher than closed system. This difference may be the other groups. The test for equality due to the release of nutrients caused by of percentages (Sokal and Rohlf, 1969) increased water circulation in the aquaria indicated (see Table 1) that the plants and/or lack of macroepiphytic grazers treated with 0.5 and 1.0% NAPH exhibited in the aquaria. significantly greater survival rates than Field observations on the condition of

settliM tank

b • containing splants. M~ana t and tran sedtrnen of consta0t ''%;'uaria. water mto

Figure 1. Diagrammatic illustration of aquaria containing NAPH treated Halodu/e wrightii and control transplants.

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134 Short papers and notes

TABLE 1. Percent survival of Halodule wrightii treated with varying concentrations of NAPH and the control group containing no NAPH. NAPH Control 0.05% 0.1% 0.5% 1.0% Aquarium# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Number of Ha/odule short 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 shoots with attached rhizomes 30 Nov. 1978 Individuals surviving 12 3 3 9 9 10 20 20+ 20+ 10 after seven months June 1979 %Survival 38 30 48 100 .. 75"

Individuals surviving after eight months 10 2 1 10 8 10 9 20 20 10 July 1979 %Survival 30 28 45 73" 75 ..

.. I-ndicates significantly greater survival (P < 0.05).

H. wrightii plants in the Indian River co­ statistic, P < 0.05). However, significant incided closely with observations of the differences in leaf length were evident transplants. In late fall growth decreases. between the control plants (x = 8.2 em) There is usually a reduction in October and the other treatments (0.1% NAPH, followed by a slight recovery before de­ 11.9 em; 0.5% NAPH, 12.9 em; 1.0% NAPH, clining to a minimum in January-February. 11.0 em). During March and April there is notice­ Leaf width measurements indicated the able leaf growth and from May to Septem­ leaf widths of NAPH treated plants were ber the greatest biomass occurs (Eis­ between 1.5 and 2.0 mm while the majority man, unpublished data). of the control plants were 1.0 mm or less. After the study was terminated, Ha/o­ Examination of the surviving control dule wrightii was found to be surviving plant's rhizome system indicated poor in all the NAPH treated tanks, but in only development. No branching was evident one of the two control tanks. and while several rhizomes were present, the average length was 2.5 em. The NAPH Biomass data is found in Table 2. In most treated plants were better developed. The cases rhizome biomass was approximately majority of the 0.05% NAPH treated twice that of leaf biomass. Increased leaf rhizomes were from 4-12 em long, with biomass was observed in the one tank con­ others as long as 29 em, while the 0.1% taining the surviving untreated H. wrightii NAPH treated rhizome lengths ranged be­ transplants, in some cases better than tween 7 and 10 em, with two longer those treated with NAPH. This was not ex­ rhizomes (12.8 and 16 em) which con­ pected, but leaf length and width as well as tained many branches. rhizome comparisons of the control plants Rhizome development in the 0.5% versus NAPH treated plants yielded results indicating longer and wider leaf lengths NAPH treated plants was also pro­ nounced. The mean length of these and more developed rhizomes of the NAPH rhizomes was 9.5 em, some with extensive treated plants. branching. The 1.0% NAPH treated rhi­ Leaf length comparisons showed no sig­ zomes were not as developed as the 0.5% nificant difference between the control treatment, but branching rhizomes were and the 0.05% NAPH treatment (paired t still very much in evidence. https://aquila.usm.edu/goms/vol4/iss2/10 4 DOI: 10.18785/negs.0402.10 Zimmermann et al.: Transplanting and Survival of the Seagrass Halodule wrightii Unde Northeast Gulf Science Vol. 4 No. 2 April 1981 135

TABLE 2. Biomass (grams dry weight of leaf and rhizomes) of control and NAPH treated Hafodu/e wrightii (January, 1980).

Type Total (g) Leaf (g) Rhizome (g) %Leaf %Rhizome

Control 1.023 0.3530 0.6700 34.5 65.5 0.05% NAPH 0.8866 0.2551 0.6315 28.8 71.2 0.1% NAPH 0.2400 0.0919 0.1481 38.3 61.7 0.5% NAPH 1.3663 0.4668 0.8996 34.2 65.8 1.0% NAPH 0.4681 0.1515 0.3266 30.2 69.8

DISCUSSION Mahoney and M. 0. Hall for the micro­ and macroepiphyte identification. D. The similarity of the growth cycles of Mook supplied valuable temperature and transplated Ha/odu/e wrightii treated salinity data and R. W. Virnstein critically with NAPH to undisturbed H. wrightii reviewed the manuscript. growing in the field indicates that the con­ centrations of NAPH used in this study did not affect the plants normal growth cycle. LITERATURE CITED The elongate rhizomal axes noted in the NAPH treated plants indicate new meriste­ Burkholder, P.R., L.M. Burkholder and matic growth in the rhizome system, while J.A. Rivero. 1959. Some chemical con­ the original transplants had rhizomal axes stituents of turtle grass, Tha/assia tes­ not more than 2-3 em long. Untreated tudinum. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, 86: rhizomes displayed little development. 88-93. Transplants treated with 0.5% NAPH ex­ Eiseman, N.J. and C. McMillan. 1980. A hibited much· better leaf growth and new species of seagrass, Ha/ophila rhizome development than the untreated johnsonii, from the Atlantic coast of plants. Although the other transplants Florida. Aquatic Botany 9: 15-19. treated with varying concentrations of Fuss, C.M. and J.A. Kelly. 1969. Survival NAPH demonstrated increased leaf and and growth of seagrasses transplanted rhizome development, their final number under artificial conditions. Bull. Mar. of surviving plants was less than the 0.5% Sci. 19: 351-363. NAPH treated plants which consequently Gilmore, R.G. 1977. Fishes of the Indian influenced the biomass data. River lagoon and adjacent waters, The use of low concentrations of NAPH Florida. Bull. Florida State Mus., Bioi. did not result in plant morality, but in Sci. 22: 101-148. many cases enhanced growth. While the Kelly, J.A., C.M. Fuss and J.R. Hall. 1971. role of NAPH in transplanting seagrasses The transplanting and survival of turtle under field conditions needs further grass, Thalassia testudinum, in Boca evaluation, this study indicates that the Ciega Bay, Florida. Fish. Bull. 69: 273- hormone, coupled with sediment com­ 280. patibility, can be usedwith moderate suc­ Kenworthy, W.J. and M. Fonseca. 1977. cess in transplanting H. wrightii to aquaria Reciprocal transplant of the seagrass systems. Zostera marina L. effect of substrate on growth. Aquaculture 12: 197-213. McRoy, C.P. and C. McMillan. 1977. Pro­ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS duction ecology and physiology of sea­ grasses. In: C.P. McRoy and C. Helf­ The authors would like to thank R. K. ferich (ed.) Seagrass Ecosystems - a

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136 Short papers and notes

scientific perspective. Dekker Pub­ Report #32. 29 p. lishing, N.Y. 53-87. Odum, H.T. 1963. Productivity measure­ ments in turtle grass and the Carl F. Zimmermann, Harbor Branch effects of dredging an intra-coastal Foundation, Inc., RR 1, Box 196, Fort channel. Publ. lnst. Mar. Sci. U. Tex. Pierce, FL 33450 9: 48-58. Thomas D. French, Florida Institute of Patriquin, D.G. 1972. The origin of nitro­ Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901 gen and phosphorus for growth of Present address: 4720 N. Orange the marine angiosperm Thalassia tes­ Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32804 tudium. Mar. Bioi. 15: 35-46. John R. Montgomery, Harbor Branch Phillips, R.C. 1960. Observations on the Foundation, Inc., RR 1, Box 196, Fort ecology and distribution of the Florida Pierce, FL 33450 seagrasses. Fla. St. Bd. Conserv., Mar. Lab. Prof. Pap. Ser. 2, 72 p. ----· 1976. Preliminary observa­ tions on transplanting and a phenol­ ogical index of seagrasses. Aquatic Botany 2:93-101. Pomeroy, L.R. 1960. Primary productivity of Boca Ciega Bay, Florida. Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Carib. 10:1-10. Sokal, R.R. and F.J. Rohlf. 1969. Biometry. W.H. Freeman Co. San Francisco. 776 p. Strawn, K. 1961. Factors influencing the zonation of submerged monocotyle­ dons at Cedar Key, Florida. J. Wild!. Manage. 25: 178-189. Sykes, J.E. 1967. The role of research in the preservation of estuaries. Trans. 32nd N. Amer. Wild. Nat. Res. Conf. 150-160. Thompson, M.J. 1978. Species composi­ tion and distribution of seagrass beds in the Indian River lagoon, Florida. Fla. Sci. 41: 90-96. Thorhaug, A. 197 4. Transplantation of the seagrass Thalassia testudinum Konig. Aquaculture 4: 177-183. van Breedveld, J.F. 1975. Transplanting of seagrasses with emphasis on the importance of substrate. Fla. Mar. Res. Pub. 17. 26 p. Zimmermann, C.F. (ed.). 1980. Sediment size analysis of sediments collected from Halodule wrightii seagrass beds. Harbor Branch Foundation. Tech. https://aquila.usm.edu/goms/vol4/iss2/10 6 DOI: 10.18785/negs.0402.10