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Ecological characteristics of Zostera japonica population in Swan Lake of Rongcheng, Shandong Province of China.

ZHANG Xiao-mei1,2, ZHOU Yi1, WANG Feng1,2, LIU Peng1,2, LIU Bing-jian1, LIU Xu-jia3, YANG Hong-sheng1   

  1. (1Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China; 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; 3Key Laboratory of Marine Biological Technology, Guangxi Institute of Oceanology, Beihai 536000, Guangxi, China).
  • Online:2013-07-18 Published:2013-07-18

Abstract: In this study, a large area of well preserved Zostera japonica dominated meadow was found in a coastal lagoon, Swan Lake, in Rongcheng of Shandong Province. Due to its unique geographical position and high biomass, this meadow may act as a typical Z. japonica bed in the coastal area of Shandong. From September, 2011 to October, 2012, an annual investigation was conducted on the Z. japonica and its habitats in east coast of Swan Lake, and the distribution of the Z. japonica and its habitats ecological characteristics were preliminarily understood. The major ingredients of  sediments particles in the Z. japonica bed was  sand (81%) and silt (14%).  The C and N contents in the sediments were the highest in winter, and the C/N ratio was the highest in autumn. The shoot density, shoot height, and biomass of the Z. japonica were all significantly correlated with water temperature (P<0.05). There was an obvious change in the Z. japonica growth among seasons, with the peak biomass obtained in August-September. The C and N contents and C/N in Z. japonica leaves also varied with seasons. The leaf C content was significantly higher in autumn than in spring and summer (P<0.05), the leaf N content was significantly lower in summer than in spring and autumn (P<0.01), whereas the leaf C/N ratio was significantly higher in summer than in spring (P<0.05). The annual carbon sequestration by the Z. japonica in the Swan Lake was estimated to be 111.4 g C·m-2.