Transitional Waters
Ecological status groups and traits for transitional water marine benthic vegetation
By studding morphological (external morphology, internal anatomy, texture), physiological (surface area/volume ratio, photosynthetic/non-photosynthetic ratio, photosynthetic performance, growth, light adaptation) and life history (longevity, succession) traits along with distributional data across eutrophication gradients two main groups of transitional water benthic macrophytes were identified: the slow-growing, late-successional species (ESG I) and the fast-growing, opportunistic species (ESG II). Both groups were hierarchically divided into three sub-clusters:
- ESG I comprises thick perennial (IA), thick plastic (IB) and shade-adapted plastic species (IC), and
- ESG II comprises fleshy opportunistic (IIA) and filamentous sheet-like opportunistic (IIB) species and species of fresh water affinity (IIC, e.g. Potamogeton sp.).
Key functional traits and names of transitional water benthic macropthyte Ecological Status Groups
No. | Taxon | ESG |
---|---|---|
1 | Acanthophora | IIA |
2 | Acetabularia | IC |
3 | Acrothamnion | IIB |
4 | Agardhiella | IIA |
5 | Alsidium | IIA |
6 | Anotrichium | IIB |
7 | Antithamnion | IIB |
8 | Bangia | IIB |
9 | Blidingia | IIB |
10 | Boergeseniella | IIA |
11 | Callithamnion | IIB |
12 | Ceramium | IIB |
13 | Chaetomorpha | IIB |
14 | Chondria | IIA |
15 | Chondrophycus | IIA |
16 | Cladophora | IIB |
17 | Cyanobacteria | IIB |
18 | Cymodocea | IA |
19 | Cystoseira | IB |
20 | Dasya | IIB |
21 | Dichtyota | IIA |
22 | Entocladia | IIB |
23 | Erythropeltis | IIB |
24 | Erythrotrichia | IIB |
25 | Fucus | IB |
26 | Gastroclonium | IIA |
27 | Gracilaria | IIA |
28 | Gracilariopsis | IIA |
29 | Griffitsia | IIB |
30 | Halopitys | IIA |
31 | Herposiphonia | IIB |
32 | Hincksia | IIB |
33 | Hydrolithon | IC |
34 | Hypnea | IIA |
35 | Lamprothamnion | IB |
36 | Laurencia | IIA |
37 | Lithophyllum | IC |
38 | Lophosiphonia | IIB |
39 | Monostroma | IIB |
40 | Nanozostera | IA |
41 | Nitophyllum | IIA |
42 | Phaeophyla | IIB |
43 | Pneophyllum | IC |
44 | Polysiphonia | IIB |
45 | Porphyra | IIB |
46 | Pterothamnion | IIB |
47 | Rhizoclonium | IIB |
48 | Ruppia | IA |
49 | Rytiphlea | IB |
50 | Rhodophylis | IIA |
51 | Sargassum | IB |
52 | Solieria | IIA |
53 | Sphacelaria | IIA |
54 | Spyridia | IIA |
55 | Stylonema | IIB |
56 | Ulotrix | IIB |
57 | Ulva | IIB |
58 | Ulvella | IIB |
59 | Undaria | IB |
60 | Valonia | IIB |
61 | Vaucheria | IIB |
62 | Zostera | IA |