Sammendrag
Chemical ecology has been suggested as a less time-consuming and more cost-efficient
monitoring tool of seagrass ecosystems than traditional methods. Phenolic chemistry in Zostera
marina samples was analyzed against latitude, sea depth, sample position within a seagrass meadow
(periphery or center) and wave exposure. Multivariate data analysis showed that rosmarinic acid
correlated moderately positively with depth, while the flavonoids had an overall strong negative
correlation with increasing depth—possibly reflecting lack of stress-induced conditions with
increasing depth, rather than a different response to light conditions. At a molecular level, the
flavonoids were separated into two groups; one group is well described by the variables of depth
and wave exposure, and the other group that was not well described by these variables—the latter
may reflect biosynthetic dependencies or other unrevealed factors. A higher flavonoid/rosmarinic
acid ratio was seen in the periphery of a seagrass meadow, while the contrary ratio was seen in the
center. This may reflect higher plant stress in the periphery of a meadow, and the
flavonoid/rosmarinic acid ratio may provide a possible molecular index of seagrass ecosystem
health. Further studies are needed before the full potential of using variation in phenolic chemistry
as a seagrass ecosystem monitoring tool is established.
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