Secondary dispersal of seagrass seeds in complex microtopographies

JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL BIOLOGY

卷:473

Article

Alvarez, A.¹ 

[1] CSIC UIB, Inst Mediterraneo Estudios Avanzados IMEDEA, Dept Marine Ecol MARE, C Miquel Marques 21, Esporles 07190, Spain

关键词: Seagrass meadows;    Seed dispersal;    Micro-topography;    Fractals;    Computational fluid dynamics;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jtbi.2019.04.022

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Motivated by observational and experimental evidence, a theoretical model is proposed to relate the secondary dispersal of seagrass seeds with the complexity of microtopography in natural environments. Complexity is encoded in terms of the Hurst exponent of a fractal description of the microtopographical geometry. The percentage of a seafloor transect where secondary dispersal of seagrass seeds occurs, is quantified in terms of the mainstream velocity, bottom complexity and properties of the seeds. Theoretical expressions are validated considering the cases of Zostera marina and Posidonia oceanica seeds and using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A total of 200 CFD simulations with different bottom complexities and flow conditions, were done for each seagrass genus to validate the theoretical model. Numerical results agree with theoretical predictions. This finding provides a management tool to assess the degree of seed retention in seed-based restoration areas. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free