日本鳗草(Zostera japonica)原是中国沿海潮间带较为常见的海草种类,近些年来随着生境的破坏其分布面积急遽下降,较大面积连续分布的海草床已经非常少见。2015年5月和8月,在山东黄河河口区发现了超过1000 ha几乎连续分布的日本鳗草海草床,与互花米草生境相邻,形成独特的生态景观。对日本鳗草生物量和种群补充等基本生物学指标也进行了调查。该发现极大丰富了中国海草数据库,并为日本鳗草的深入研究及保护提供了得天独厚的实验基地。
The dwarf eelgrass Zostera japonica was common in the intertidal zone along the coast of China. Nowadays, larger Z. japonica beds are very rare because of the rapid decline resulting from increasingly severe habitat destruction. However, in this study, a large and continuous Z. japonica bed with an area 1000 ha was found in the Yellow River estuary of Shandong province. This bed was adjacent to a Spartina alterniflora habitat, forming a unique ecological landscape. The basic biological indicators, including biomass and recruitment of Z. japonica, were obtained during two field investigations in May and August, 2015. This discovery will greatly enrich the seagrass distribution databases of China and provide a unique site for further research on this species.