9
Modeling Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.)
Distributions in Great Bay,
New Hampshire
Pamela M. Behm and Roelof M.J. Boumans
In der Beschrankung zeigt sich erst der Meister!
Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1802)
(Translation : It is not until limitations are put on him
that the master really shows himself.)
The following chapter presents a hierarchical bottom-up model of
eelgrass (Zostera marina L) bed development which:
• Starts at the individual-leaf level;
• Incorporates individual leaf production along with roots and rhizomes
growth to form individual shoots;
• Traces sugar transfer among shoots, roots and rhizomes ;
• Can be used to explore limiting factors for eelgrass bed growth .
9.1. Introduction
The Great Bay Estuary in New Hampshire, USA, is an estuary historically
known for its abundant eelgrass meadows. These meadows provide the
largest spatial habitat distribution within Great Bay (Short ed . 1992). A map
of the estuary , showing the main waterways and tidal channels, is provided
in Figure 9.1.
Eelgrass (Zostera marina 1.) is a critically important source of primary
production and habitat structure in estuaries and coastal marine environments (Zimmerman et al. 1995). Seagrasses in general have the ability to
tolerate usually anoxic sediments, owing to structural features that provide
photosynthetically derived 02 to below-ground tissues. Roots can then
carry out protein synthesis even while anaerobic (at reduced rates), as long
as there is sufficient sugar present (Zimmerman et al. 1995).
Eelgrass health is both a factor in and an indicator of the overall health of
bays and estuaries (Short ed . 1992). It provides food, shelter, and nursery
areas for many marine animals (Bach 1993, Connolly 1994). Eelgrass communities help stabilize bottom sediments and filter suspended sediments.
164
M. Ruth et al. (Eds.), Dynamic Modeling for Marine Conservation
© Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. 2002
Modeling Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.)
Distributions in Great Bay,
New Hampshire
Pamela M. Behm and Roelof M.J. Boumans
In der Beschrankung zeigt sich erst der Meister!
Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1802)
(Translation : It is not until limitations are put on him
that the master really shows himself.)
The following chapter presents a hierarchical bottom-up model of
eelgrass (Zostera marina L) bed development which:
• Starts at the individual-leaf level;
• Incorporates individual leaf production along with roots and rhizomes
growth to form individual shoots;
• Traces sugar transfer among shoots, roots and rhizomes ;
• Can be used to explore limiting factors for eelgrass bed growth .
9.1. Introduction
The Great Bay Estuary in New Hampshire, USA, is an estuary historically
known for its abundant eelgrass meadows. These meadows provide the
largest spatial habitat distribution within Great Bay (Short ed . 1992). A map
of the estuary , showing the main waterways and tidal channels, is provided
in Figure 9.1.
Eelgrass (Zostera marina 1.) is a critically important source of primary
production and habitat structure in estuaries and coastal marine environments (Zimmerman et al. 1995). Seagrasses in general have the ability to
tolerate usually anoxic sediments, owing to structural features that provide
photosynthetically derived 02 to below-ground tissues. Roots can then
carry out protein synthesis even while anaerobic (at reduced rates), as long
as there is sufficient sugar present (Zimmerman et al. 1995).
Eelgrass health is both a factor in and an indicator of the overall health of
bays and estuaries (Short ed . 1992). It provides food, shelter, and nursery
areas for many marine animals (Bach 1993, Connolly 1994). Eelgrass communities help stabilize bottom sediments and filter suspended sediments.
164
M. Ruth et al. (Eds.), Dynamic Modeling for Marine Conservation
© Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. 2002