Seagrass Demographic and Spatial Habitat Characterization in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, Using Fixed Transects

A detailed submerged aquatic vegetation study was conducted in Little Egg Harbor, NJ, a lagoonal estuary located within the boundaries of the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Reserve, to assess the demographic characteristics and spatial habitat changes of Zostera marina beds over an annual growing period and to determine the species composition, relative abundance, and potential impacts of benthic macroalgae on seagrass habitat in the system. Two disjunct seagrass beds in Little Egg Harbor, covering an area of similar to 1,700 ha, were sampled at 10 equally spaced points along six, east-west-trending transects in spring, summer, and fall of 2004. During this period, 180 seagrass samples were collected at 60 transect sites, together with an array of water quality measurements. Results of this investigation indicate that both aboveground and belowground biomass of seagrass peaked during June-July and declined significantly into the fall months. Mean aboveground biomass ranged from 18.22 g to 106.05 g dry wt m super( -2), and mean belowground biomass from 50.48 g to 107.64 g dry wt m super( -2).