The length-times-width proxy for leaf area of eelgrass: criteria for evaluating the representativeness of leaf-width measurements

摘要

1. Conservation and remediation projects for Zoster a marina populations require easy and economical methods for non-destructive approximations of leaf area. Allometric models provide a reliable approach for estimating biomass in terms of leaf area, and the length-times-width proxy for leaf area is widely used. 2. Although leaf length of Z. marina can be unambiguously determined as the span from the ligula to the tip, different methods have been reported for obtaining representative measurements of leaf width. 3. Using allometric models and eelgrass leaf-growth properties we derived criteria based on regression equations, for the assessment of the representativeness of leaf width as a determinant of leaf area. In comparison with other estimations reported in the literature, width measurements taken at the midpoint of the leaf produced the most consistent proxy values for leaf area of eelgrass.