Seagrasses represent the only group of flowering plants that are truly marine and that can function and reproduce whilst submerged in salt water.
They comprise ~0.02% of all angiosperm flora and are found in all coastal areas of the world except along Antarctic shores. Five species of seagrass
are found around the British Isles, including three species of eelgrass (Zostera marina, Z. angustifolia
and Z. noltii). Although not classed as endangered or threatened, Zostera species remain a high priority for monitoring and
conservation management and seagrass beds have been designated as a priority habitat by the UK Biodiversity Habitat Action Plan.
Like other seagrasses, Zostera can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Vegetative growth seems to predominate, particularly in
Z. noltii, although there have been reports of annual growth in some populations of Z. angustifolia.
The overall aim of this project is to use a combination of high-resolution nuclear and chloroplast markers to study the evolutionary and
demographic history of the genus Zostera in the UK and primarily in Northern Ireland. The main objectives are:
| -
|
To develop and use nuclear and chloroplast microsatellites to assess levels of diversity in UK populations of Zostera marina,
Z. angustifolia and Z. noltii. This data will be used to estimate the severity of any genetic bottleneck caused by the wasting
disease outbreaks of the 1920s and 1930s
| -
|
To use the same data to assess patterns of diversity on smaller scales to assess the relative contributions of seed set and vegetative reproduction
in the re-establishment of beds of different Zostera spp.
| -
|
To elucidate the true taxonomic status of Z. angustifolia
| | |
| 
| 
|
