Halodule wrightii

Halodule wrightii is an aquatic plant in the Cymodoceaceae family.[3] It is referred to by the common names shoalweed or shoal grass, and is a plant species native to seacoasts of some of the warmer oceans of the world. It has been reported from California, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, Maryland, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Costa Rica, Belize, Panamá, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, Brazil, Australia, Cape Verde, and Madagascar.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

Halodule wrightii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Cymodoceaceae
Genus: Halodule
Species:
H. wrightii
Binomial name
Halodule wrightii
Asch 1868
Synonyms[2]
  • Diplanthera beaudettei Hartog
  • Diplanthera dawsonii Hartog
  • Diplanthera wrightii (Asch.) Asch.
  • Halodule beaudettei (Hartog) Hartog
  • Halodule brasiliensis Lipkin

Some publications cite US specimens by the synonym, Halodule beaudettei,[14][15] but the two names represent the same species.[4][16][17][18]

Halodule wrightii is an herb growing in salt-water marshes in intertidal regions, often submerged at high tide but emergent at low tide. It has flat leaves up to 20 cm long, dark reddish-brown, with a few teeth on the margins. Fruits are spherical to egg-shaped, about 2 mm across.[4][19][20][21][22]

Seagrass is a marine angiosperm that possess conductive tissue, shoot systems, rhizomes and flowers. This plant is mainly found in muddy coastal marsh waters and off the coast of many Caribbean islands.[23]

They are also found in brackish waters on the east coast of the United States in waters up to 12 meters deep.[24] Halodule wrightii has a fast growth rate with a large shoot density that supplies efficient levels of nutrients to the plant. Rhizome growth and nutrient uptake directly affect each other which causes for such rampant size increase within the seagrass. The rhizome is horizontal underground stem that gathers nutrients for plants. This rapid growth is what makes this species a pioneer plant because it is able to adapt and develop even in oligotrophic conditions. Seagrass are a key component to coastal beaches and marsh habitats due to its importance to marine life, water quality, and nutrient availability.

Ecological functions

These aquatic plants form sea beds and increase habitat stabilization through constant shoot and rhizome production. The string like structure of the seagrass decrease water turbidity and movement of substrate whether it is sand or mud.[25] Seagrass beds function as an incubator for young juvenile fishes. They provide shelter from predators and reduce competition with other species. Halodule wrightii also supplies food resources to several species of fish, invertebrate marine life and manatees.[26] Such imperative responsibilities lie on seagrass beds, which is why protection and coastal seagrass management is so important to an ecosystem. This species of plant has the ability to adapt to various levels of salinity and temperatures making it a very versatile plant.

History

This plant was named after Charles Wright who was an American botanist and collector. In 1853 and 1856 Wright participated in a surveying expedition and discovered halodule wirghtii.[27] It is commonly known as a pioneer species being that it is one of the first species present in a developing. Halodule wrightii is also able to reproduce sexually and asexually however, flowering in this species is rare.

Problems with climate change

Ocean acidification, which is due to an increase in atmospheric temperature and CO2 levels cause the pH in the ocean to decrease and become more acidic. This acidification process leads to the death of many marine animals, especially those made of calcium carbonate. As for halodule wrightii, a seagrass, it has an important role in the cycling of nutrients and carbon sequestration.

A study conducted in Bahia, Brazil experimented on the effects of decreasing pH levels on halodule wrightii and the results expressed that phenotypic plasticity was occurring within the species.[26] Throughout the mesocosm experiment, a sustainability level was detected among the population which concluded that there was a genetic shift. This shift demonstrates just how this plant is able to adapt to vast changes within an environment.

Despite being a very resilient plant, H. wrightii still faces problems concerning increases in temperatures. When the environment that these plants reside in increase in temperature it tampers with the physiological function that allows for photosynthesis to occur thus leading to a decrease in population size.[28]

Restoration

Due to anthropogenic effects, seagrass beds have suffered destruction and vast decreases in population concentration. A means to rescue the dying population is through transplantation of seagrass beds from other locations. Halodule wrightii is a pioneer species so it is commonly used to develop suffering seabeds.

Recreational activities like jet skiing, and boating damage and uproot seagrass beds with ease in shallow coastal waters. Studies, such as the one performed in Brazils Abrolhos Marine National Park, tested the direct effects of anchor damage caused by intense boating activity and halodule wrightii levels were deeply impacted.[29]

References
  1. Short, F.T., Carruthers, T.J.R., van Tussenbroek, B. & Zieman, J. (2016). "Halodule wrightii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T173372A7001725. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T173372A7001725.en. Retrieved September 26, 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. The Plant List Halodule wrightii
  3. "Halodule wrightii Asch". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  4. "Halodule wrightii in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  5. Hickman, J. C. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California 1–1400. University of California Press, Berkeley.
  6. Hammel, B. E. 2003. Cymodoceaceae. In: Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica, B.E. Hammel, M.H. Grayum, C. Herrera & N. Zamora (eds.). Monographs in systematic botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 92: 456–457.
  7. Novelo R., A. & A. L. H. 1994. 239. Cymodoceaeceae. 6: 15–16. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez & A.O. Chater (eds.) Flora Mesoamericana. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D. F.
  8. Balick, M. J., M. H. Nee & D.E. Atha. 2000. Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize. Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden 85: i–ix, 1–246.
  9. Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas i–xv, 1–1881. The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson
  10. Cowan, C. P. 1983. Flora de Tabasco. Listados Florísticos de México 1: 1–123.
  11. Sousa Sánchez, M. & E. F. Cabrera Cano. 1983. Flora de Quintana Roo. Listados Florísticos de México 2: 1–100.
  12. BONAP (Biota of North America Project) floristic synthesis, Halodule wrightii Image
  13. Creed, Joel C.; Engelen, Aschwin H.; D´Oliveira, Emanuel C.; Bandeira, Salomão; Serrão, Ester A. (December 2016). "First record of seagrass in Cape Verde, eastern Atlantic". Marine Biodiversity Records. 9 (1): 57. doi:10.1186/s41200-016-0067-9. S2CID 7494405.
  14. Hartog, Cornelis den. 1964. Blumea 12: 303.
  15. Hartog, Cornelis den. 1960. Pacific Naturalist 1(15): 4–5, f. 2a–c.
  16. Phillips, Ronald C. (1 July 1967). "On Species of the Seagrass, Halodule, in Florida". Bulletin of Marine Science. 17 (3): 672–676.
  17. McMmillan, C. 1991. Isozyme patterning in marine spermatophytes. In: L. Triest, ed. 1988+. Isozymes In Water Plants. Opera Botanica Belgica 1+ vols. Belgium, Meise. Vol. 4,: pp. 193--200.
  18. "Image". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  19. Novelo, A. & L. Ramos. 2005. Vegetación acuática. Cap. 5: 111–144. In J. Bueno, F Álvarez & S. Santiago, Biodiversidad del Estado de Tabasco. CONABIO-UNAM, México.
  20. Godfrey, R. K. & J. W. Wooten. 1979. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States Monocotyledons 1–712. The University of Georgia Press, Athens.
  21. Berlin., Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu (1868-01-01). "Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin". Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin. 1868. ISSN 0433-8731.
  22. Ascherson, Paul Friedrich August. 1897. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 2: 37.
  23. Gallegos, Me; Merino, M; Rodriguez, A; Marba, N; Duarte, Cm (1994). "Growth patterns and demography of pioneer Caribbean seagrasses Halodule wrightii and Syringodium filiforme". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 109: 99–104. Bibcode:1994MEPS..109...99G. doi:10.3354/meps109099.
  24. Bulthuis, Douglas A. (1 January 1987). "Effects of temperature on photosynthesis and growth of seagrasses". Aquatic Botany. 27 (1): 27–40. doi:10.1016/0304-3770(87)90084-2.
  25. Hall, Lauren M.; Hanisak, M. Dennis; Virnstein, Robert W. (3 April 2006). "Fragments of the seagrasses Halodule wrightii and Halophila johnsonii as potential recruits in Indian River Lagoon, Florida". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 310: 109–117. Bibcode:2006MEPS..310..109H. doi:10.3354/meps310109. JSTOR 24870011.
  26. Pereira, Pedro H.C.; Ferreira, Beatrice P.; Rezende, Sérgio M. (September 2010). "Community structure of the ichthyofauna associated with seagrass beds (Halodule wrightii) in Formoso River estuary - Pernambuco, Brazil". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 82 (3): 617–628. doi:10.1590/S0001-37652010000300009. PMID 21562690.
  27. "Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory". Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.
  28. O'Donnell, Timothy P.; Arnott, Stephen A.; Denson, Michael R.; Darden, Tanya L. (January 2016). "Effects of Cold Winters on the Genetic Diversity of an Estuarine Fish, the Spotted Seatrout". Marine and Coastal Fisheries. 8 (1): 263–276. doi:10.1080/19425120.2016.1152333.
  29. Creed, Joel C; Amado Filho, Gilberto M (March 1999). "Disturbance and recovery of the macroflora of a seagrass (Halodule wrightii Ascherson) meadow in the Abrolhos Marine National Park, Brazil: an experimental evaluation of anchor damage". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 235 (2): 285–306. doi:10.1016/S0022-0981(98)00188-9.
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