The effects of increasing nutrient concentrations on population of Ruppia tuberosa in Coorong, South Australia

© 2016 Kevin Yeon Jiun MahSeagrass habitats support nearshore marine ecosystems globally and their deterioration could lead to devastating impacts on marine species. In Coorong, South Australia, the population of seagrass Ruppia tuberosa was significantly impacted during Australia’s millennium drought that resulted in the closure of Murray Mouth in 2004, which led to extreme salinities in the Coorong Lagoons. Although salinity was often known as the major factor that influences Ruppia population, the seagrass population did not recover after the drought as water replenished the Coorong in 2010. In this research project, nutrient was proposed as another major factor apart from salinity that could influence Ruppia population. Monitoring data in the Coorong Lagoons was collected from various sources and were aggregated for running a general linear model analysis. The results showed insignificant results between nutrient and population of Ruppia tuberosa. However, certain amendments such as taking into account the annual environmental variations in the Coorong could be applied in the analysis, and that could imply contrasting results in this research project