Zostera noltei is an important intertidal seagrass threatened by anthropogenic influences such as clam aquaculture in the Ria Formosa lagoon of southern Portugal. Habitat restoration projects may help to reestablish this seagrass, but more must be understood about the effects of seasonality and donor population before large-scale transplanting is pursued. In this small-scale experimental study, it was hypothesized that Z. noltei individuals originating from an upper intertidal donor zone would be successful candidates for transplanting in the diminished lower intertidal during the winter season. Using physiological measures in the leaf tissue of (a) oxidative stress (malondialdehyde (MDA)); (b) antioxidant activity (Trolox® Equivalent Antioxidant Activity (TEAC), Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), Total Phenolic Content (TPC); (c) carbohydrates (soluble sugars and starch); and (d) photosynthetic pigment concentrations (total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a/b, total chlorophyll/total carotenoids), it is concluded that one month after transplantation, the plants showed minimal to no oxidative damage and contained appropriate levels of energy storage and photosynthetic pigments. Current literature is lacking in winter transplant trials and physiological baselines for this species, and so this research contributes to important background information which may inform future restoration efforts.
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