Nutrient History Affects the Response and Resilience of the Tropical Seagrass Halophila stipulacea to Further Enrichment in Its Native Habitat

Aqaba Marine Reserve's tropical seagrass, Halophila stipulacea, exhibits contrasting responses to nutrient enrichment based on its historical exposure to eutrophication. While populations from oligotrophic South Beach (SB) showed signs of stress—such as reduced biomass, leaf area index (LAI), and internodal distances—those from eutrophic North Beach (NB) thrived with additional nutrients during an unusually warm summer. The study highlights the species' resilience but underscores that prior nutrient exposure significantly influences its response to further enrichment. Key indicators for detecting stress in H. stipulacea include carbohydrate reserves, LAI, internodal length, and apical shoot occurrence. This research emphasizes the importance of monitoring these traits to mitigate impacts on seagrass ecosystems under changing environmental conditions.

Helber, S. B., Winters, G., Stuhr, M., Belshe, E. F., Bröhl, S., Schmid, M., Reuter, H., & Teichberg, M. (2021). Nutrient History Affects the Response and Resilience of the Tropical Seagrass Halophila stipulacea to Further Enrichment in Its Native Habitat. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.678341