A new study published in the journal ‘Diversity’ and developed by a scientific team of the Ecology of Marine Angiosperms Group of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC) has shown how the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa and the macroalga Caulerpa prolifera, dominant species in the coastal lagoon of the Mar Menor, are able to remove large amounts of inorganic nitrogen from the environment.
Specifically, this inorganic nitrogen is accumulated in their tissues, temporarily disabling its use by opportunistic algae related to eutrophication processes, according to IEO-CSIC sources in a statement.
«When strong nutrient inputs occur, these meadows can function as natural biofilters and avoid adverse effects on the ecosystem,» explained Jaime Bernardeau, IEO researcher and author of the study.
The study highlights the important role that seagrass meadows played in the Mar Menor before their disappearance in 2016 and how, after that, the ecosystem lost one of the main mechanisms that ensured the resilience of the system.
To reach these conclusions, the scientists designed an experiment to study how both species are able to absorb and incorporate inorganic nitrogen into their tissues. They collected specimens from various areas of the lagoon and replanted them in the laboratory to simulate natural conditions.
The plants were grown under different concentrations of nitrate and ammonium and then underwent isotopic analysis of the tissues to calculate the amount of each nutrient absorbed. Researchers from the Autonomous University of Baja California collaborated in the development of these techniques.
The Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) is a National Centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), under the Ministry of Science and Innovation, dedicated to research in marine sciences, especially in relation to scientific knowledge of the oceans, the sustainability of fishery resources and the marine environment.
The IEO represents Spain in most international scientific and technological forums related to the sea and its resources. It has nine coastal oceanographic centres, five marine culture experimentation plants, 12 tide gauge stations, a satellite image receiving station and a fleet of four oceanographic vessels, including the Ramón Margalef and the Ángeles Alvariño.