Regresar

Growth form and population density of Spartina maritima (curtis) fernald in northwest Spain

Abstract:

A number of species of Spartina show two clearly distinguishable growth forms, tall and short. Several authors have suggested that the differences in height reflect differences in soil properties. In the present study, we determined mean shoot height, shoot density, and standing crop in three populations of Spartina maritima in northwest Spain. Soil properties were also determined at each site. Shoot density was significantly correlated with redox potential and sulfide concentration, but height was not significantly correlated with any of the soil properties considered. This latter result suggests that the observed variability in height among the study populations may be of genetic origin.