Suitability of Zostera marina populations for transplantation to the Wadden Sea as determined by a mesocosm shading experiment

As part of eelgrass re-establishment efforts in the Wadden Sea, five northwest European eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) populations were studied in a mesocosm filled with Wadden Sea water over a 2-year period. The original habitats of these populations varied with regard to salinity, tidal regime, latitude, substrate type and water nutrient content. The reproductive strategies ranged from semi-annual to perennial. Experimental parameters studied were: planting density (64 and 121 plants m(-2)) and irradiance corresponding to 75%, 89%, 95% and 98% light reduction at the bottom. Three out of five Z. marina populations were successfully transplanted. Planting density, although initially positively correlated, had no effect on final transplantation success. The populations maintained their original reproductive strategy. The reproductive strategy of the donor population did not show a clear correlation with transplantation success. The maximum light reduction tolerated at the bottom was 75%-89%. The populations did not differ in shading tolerance. Assuming a light attenuation coefficient in the Wadden Sea of k = 2.0 m(-1), this corresponds to a maximum transplantation depth of between 0.45 m and 0.85 m below mean sea level. The differences in transplantation success, and the conservative reproductive strategy of different Z. marina populations, indicate genetic differences and/or low phenotypic plasticity. Moreover, this implies that the characteristics of a donor population must be carefully considered prior to transplantation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.