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Shoot micro-distribution patterns in the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica

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Abstract

Posidonia oceanica meadows host a huge number of shoots and their dynamics is strictly related to the spatial distribution patterns of those shoots. To investigate the structure of P. oceanica meadows at very small spatial scale (i.e. in the 100–102 cm range), point patterns of shoot micro-distribution were analyzed. Spatial distribution of shoots was recorded by cutting all the leaves and by digitizing shoot location from pictures of square frames (1 m2) that were randomly positioned in seemingly uniformly dense stands. Ten frames were sampled, all from Southern Italian meadows, and the position of 7828 shoots was recorded. Nearest neighbour distance (NNd) statistics revealed recurring patterns at the different spatial scales: regular patterns were recognized among shoots at smaller spatial scale (100–101 cm), while aggregated shoot distribution emerged in the 101–102 cm range and an important stochastic component was observed at larger spatial scales. Reasons underpinning different spatial point patterns in P. oceanica meadows were discussed by relating the observed patterns to ecological processes (i.e. competition among shoots, role of “species-specific” drivers or “site-specific” features), also including relationships between shoot NNd and shoot density counts. The raw data, provided as supplementary material, are currently the first and the only source of information available about shoot spatial micro-distribution. In this regard, although our data set cannot represent the whole spectrum of variability in P. oceanica meadows, it can be regarded as a first step towards a better knowledge of small scale shoot point patterns in P. oceanica meadows.

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Acknowledgements

All our thanks to the “R Development Core Team” and to the authors of various Statistical Packages utilized and downloaded from the CRAN (Comprehensive R Archive Network). The authors wish to thank the personnel of the MPA of Capo Rizzuto and Marine Park of Riviera dei Cedri for rendering this investigation possible, Claudio Bacci for assistance in the development of the sampling methodology, Domenico Rocca and Ezio Zito for their collaboration in scuba diving data collection and two anonymous reviewers and the associate editor for their comments, which improved the quality of the manuscript.

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  1. ISPRA–Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Rome, Italy

    Tiziano Bacci & Francesco Sante Rende

  2. Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy

    Michele Scardi

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  1. Tiziano Bacci
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  2. Francesco Sante Rende
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Correspondence to Tiziano Bacci.

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All plant experiments were done with permission from the Marine Protected Area of Capo Rizzuto and the Marine Park of Riviera dei Cedri.

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Responsible Editor: P. Kraufvelin.

Reviewed by M. Montefalcone and an undisclosed expert.

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Bacci, T., Rende, F.S. & Scardi, M. Shoot micro-distribution patterns in the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica . Mar Biol 164, 85 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3121-1

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