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Theses/Dissertations

1998

Environmental Sciences

Seagrasses -- Ecology -- Western Australia -- Cockburn Sound

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Reefs As Contributors To The Diversity Of Epiphytic Algal Communities In Seagrass Meadows, B. R. Van Elvan Jan 1998

Reefs As Contributors To The Diversity Of Epiphytic Algal Communities In Seagrass Meadows, B. R. Van Elvan

Theses : Honours

It has recently become dogma that reef systems arc a source of diversity to algal epiphyte communities in adjacent seagrass meadows. While this theory had not been tested, it was often cited as the reason for unexpected results in algal studies and marine pollution monitoring. This study examined whether reefs do in fact contribute to the diversity of seagrass epiphytes by testing the effect of distance from reef on seagrass epiphyte communities. The study was conducted in the vicinity of Carnac and Garden Islands and Parmelia Bank, off the coast of Fremantle, Western Australia. Three habitat types were selected as …


Perceptions Of Seagrass Ecosystem Health And Potential Indicators For Monitoring, Nick Wood Jan 1998

Perceptions Of Seagrass Ecosystem Health And Potential Indicators For Monitoring, Nick Wood

Theses : Honours

A range of seagrass characteristics were assessed for potential use as indicators of ecosystem health. Shoot density, shoot width, maximum shoot length, above and below ground biomass, percentage canopy cover, leaf area index, leaf extension rate, meadow productivity, epiphyte biomass, epiphyte species richness, percentage of calcium carbonate in epiphytic material and percentage of nitrogen in leaf tissue were all measured in “healthy~ and unhealthy" Posidonia augustifolia meadows in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds, from June through to August 1998. A questionnaire was used to determine which meadows researchers and managers in the seagrass ecology field in Perth perceived to be healthy …