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Zostera noltii is a species of seagrass known by the common name dwarf eelgrass. It is found in shallow coastal waters in north western Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Aral Sea and on islands in the Atlantic off the coast of northwest Africa. It is an important part of the intertidal and shallow subtidal ecosystems of Estuary, bays and .
The male flowers release strands of pollen which are of about the same density as the surrounding water and which remain capable of fertilising female flowers for several days. The seed capsules are photosynthesis and contain a bubble of air. After some weeks they split open and the seed sink to the bottom. Alternatively, the capsules may become detached from the plant and float away, releasing the seed elsewhere. The seeds are dispersed by waves and currents, or sometimes on the feet or in the gut of a bird.
Zostera noltii plays an important part in the winter diet of the whooper swan ( Cygnus cygnus), the mute swan ( Cygnus olor), the brent goose ( Branta bernicla) and the Eurasian wigeon ( Anas penelope) and in fact, overwintering populations of brent goose in Europe have declined since wasting disease has become established and reduced the quantity of eel grass available. Wigeon numbers have also declined. They are shy birds and only resort to feeding on Zostera noltii when the seagrass beds lower down the beach are exhausted. At least some of the seeds of eel grass have been found to germinate freely after they have passed through the gut of wildfowl and this provides a means by which the eel grass may travel dozens of kilometres (miles) and increase its range. However, seedlings of Zostera noltii are seldom encountered and vegetative reproduction, in which sections of rhizome become detached from the parent plant, is probably the most common means of spread.
Zostera noltii and other seagrasses are important in stabilising sediments and reducing wave energy and may provide a coastal defence against erosion. It is however sensitive to being smothered by shifting sediment and has a low capacity to recover when buried. This may be due to its relatively short leaves and its lack of vertical rhizomes. It is regularly exposed on the foreshore at low tide and is resistant to desiccation. Although it supports a Biodiversity assortment of animal species, these are more numerous in subtidal beds. Although Zostera noltii populations may be declining slowly, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists it as being of "least concern".
Categories: Noltei, Plants Described In 1832, Flora Of Central Asia, Flora Of Azerbaijan, Flora Of Western Asia, Flora Of Europe, Flora Of Portugal, Flora Of North Africa, Flora Of The Canary Islands, Flora Of Mauritania, Biota Of The Atlantic Ocean, Biota Of The Mediterranean Sea, Biota Of The Black Sea, Biota Of The Caspian Sea
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