Dynamics of the Aboveground and Belowground Structure of the Seagrass Halodule wrightii

Dynamics of the aboveground and belowground structure of the seagrass Halodule wrightii (Asherson) Asherson was studied from April 1984 to March 1985. Seasonality of plant structure was evident, with the highest abundance of short shoots and belowground structures occurring in June. An Inverse relationship between root and rhizome biomass was observed with the former reaching a maximum in February and March, while the latter attained highest values in July and August. The number of short shoots produced per branch varied over the year, ranging from a low of 0.4 to a high of 1.5. The ratio number of branches/rhizome length was relatively constant over the study period with a slight decrease in summer. Examination of underground architecture revealed that, in contrast to plants that have highly branched underground structure, high belowground complexity of H. wrightii is achieved by a dense intermingling of many plants with unidirectional rhizomes.