Response to 'Comment on 'Seagrass viviparous propagules as a potential long-distance dispersal mechanism' by A. C. G. Thomson et al'

摘要

[Extract] Our original article (Thomson et al. 2015) presented data exploring Zostera nigricaulis asexually produced vegetative propagules as a potential long-distance dispersal mechanism for seagrasses. We found that the vegetative propagules of Z. nigricaulis were able to maintain buoyancy and photosynthetic health for more than 85 days, which suggested capacity for long-distance dispersal. While long-term establishment of propagules in situ was not successful due to poor seasonal conditions, highly successful establishment and growth in mesocosm-based experiments gave support for positive establishment opportunities. Resilience of seagrass meadows relies on the ability of seagrass to successfully recolonise denuded areas or disperse to new areas (Macreadie et al. 2014), and this research demonstrated that although successful establishment may be rare, vegetative propagules show re-establishment potential for declining seagrass populations. These results are consistent with results found by Stafford-Bell et al. (2015), where prolonged dispersal of Zostera muelleri vegetative fragments was predicted.