Effects of air exposure on desiccation and photosynthetic performance of Cymodocea nodosa with and without epiphytes and Ulva rigida in comparison, under laboratory conditions

The seagrass Cymodocea nodosa and the chlorophyte Ulva rigida growing in the upper sublittoral zones of the Mediterranean Sea are exposed to air during low tides. We compared the desiccation coefficient (k), and the photosynthetic performance (ΔF/Fm’) of C. nodosa leaves with and without epiphytes to that of U. rigida. The recovery ability of these two species was assessed by ΔF/Fm’, after re-immersion. The desiccation coefficient (k) significantly (p