CYCLING OF Mn,Fe, Cu AND Zn BY EELGRASS,ZOSTERA MARINA L |
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| Authors: | J E Drifmeyer G W Thayer F A Cross J C Zieman |
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| Institution: | Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22903
National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Center, Beaufort Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516 |
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| Abstract: | Significant (P < 0.005) differences in Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn concentrations were found in different parts of eelgrass plants; i.e., roots and rhizomes, live blades, attached dead blades, and detritus. Imported vs. exported suspended particles of eelgrass blades did not differ in Mn, Fe, Cu or Zn content. Significant location effects, which varied with the type of plant tissue, were noted for Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn for three grass beds in the vicinity of Beaufort, NC. In simplified Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn budgets, eelgrass biomass is the largest biological reservoir, while eelgrass growth, senescence, and decomposition constitute the largest biological flux of these elements in this ecosystem. |
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