• 환경생물
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.186-194
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• 2006

Nitrogen dynamics of Seagrass Zostera marina were investigated in both Dongdae Bay and Ojiri from March to August, 2004. All seagrass samples were separated into four fractions such as leaves (new and adult), sheath and rhizome in order to understand temporal variations of nitrogen content in different fractions of Zostera marina. There are temporal variations of shoot production rates and total nitrogen contents in their different fractions at both study areas. Leaf production were almost 4 to 5 fold higher in summer than in winter. The irradiance is the primary factor controlling the leaf production of Zostera marina in both sites although water temperature also influence its productivity. Nitrogen contents of leaves were overall low in summer than in winter, but nitrogen content of rhizome increased during the summer season. In addition, nitrogen contents of new leaves were mostly higher than adult leaves in spite of lower nitrogen content of new and adult leaves in high productivity period. This result suggests that Zostera marina seems to have significant translocation ability of nitrogen in a shoot. The nitrogen content of leaf tissue may reflect nutritional nitrogen availability.