Resumo

SOLANA-ARELLANO, Elena; ECHAVARRIA-HERAS, Héctor  e  FRANCO-VIZCAINO, Ernesto. An economical non-destructive method for estimating eelgrass, Zostera marina (Potamogetonaceae) leaf growth rates: formal development and use in northwestern Baja California. Rev. biol. trop [online]. 2008, vol.56, n.3, pp.1003-1013. ISSN 0034-7744.

Seagrass beds provide much of the primary production in estuaries; host many fishes and fish larvae, and abate erosion. The present study presents original analytical methods for estimating mean leaf-growth rates of eelgrass (Zostera marina). The method was calibrated by using data collected in a Z. marina meadow at Punta Banda estuary in Baja California, Mexico. The analytical assessments were based on measurements of leaf length and standard regression procedures. We present a detailed explanation of the formal procedures involved in the derivation of these analytical methods. The measured daily leaf-growth rate was 10.9 mm d^-1 leaf^-1. The corresponding value projected by our method was 10.2 mm d^-1 leaf^-1. The associated standard errors were of 0.53 and 0.56 mm d^-1 leaf^-1 respectively. The method was validated by projecting leaf-growth rates from an independent data set, which gave consistent results. The use of the method to obtain the mean leaf growth rate of a transplanted plot is also illustrated. Comparison of our leaf-growth data with previously reported assessments show the significant forcing of sea-surface temperature on eelgrass leaf dynamics. The formal constructs provided here are of general scope and can be applied to equivalent eelgrass data sets in a straightforward manner. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (3): 1003-1013. Epub 2008 September 30.

Palavras-chave : eelgrass; growth rates; analytical estimations.

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