Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Hanisak, M. Dennis

Abstract

The goal of this study was to develop an alternative approach to typical seagrass transplantation techniques that damage the donor bed. Floating individuals of Halodule wrightii were collected in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, during fall of 2013 and spring of 2014, with the fall collection planted in outdoor tanks. Only 25% of individuals collected in the fall survived the winter in the tanks. Individuals from both collections were deployed onto biodegradable mats in a capped dredge hole in the IRL in March, 2014. Approximately 66% of the mats survived the six-month experiment, and the area covered by seagrass quadrupled. Growth in shoot count, average height, horizontal spread, and biomass was similar for both fall and spring treatments. Thus, time and effort of overwintering had no benefit over spring harvesting. The use of floating individuals can provide a more practical, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional transplanting for seagrass re storation.

Extent

103 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00004482

Format

pdf

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