Jackson Estuarine Laboratory
Leaf reddening in seagrasses
Abstract
Leaf reddening is well documented in terrestrial angiosperms, but has rarely been reported in seagrasses. In a survey of the world's six seagrass bioregions, we documented leaf reddening in 12 seagrass species from intertidal and shallow subtidal waters at 25 locations in the tropical Atlantic and tropical Indo-Pacific Oceans. Including additional observations of seagrasses with reddened leaves from Australia, the phenomenon is now documented in 15 seagrass species at 29 locations worldwide. Similar to terrestrial angiosperms, leaf reddening in seagrasses may relate to enhanced production of anthocyanins after exposure to one or more stressors.
Publication Date
2-1-2010
Journal Title
Botanica Marina
Publisher
Walter De Gruyter
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Novak, A.B. and F.T.Short. 2010. Leaf reddening in seagrasses. Botanica Marina 53:93-97.