Abiotic modulation of Spartina maritima photobiology in different latitudinal populations

Spartina maritima has a very wide distribution in the northern hemisphere salt marshes crossing a wide variety of climatic environments. Therefore, it is not strange that some differences arise when observing the photosynthetic mechanisms of different populations inhabiting different latitudes. During this study it could be observed that climate is the most important factor controlling the photosynthetic traits of different populations distributed along a climatic gradient, namely the air temperature, humidity and light environment. Also some sediment physicochemical parameters such as pH and pore water salinity showed important influences driving the photosynthetic mechanisms in S. maritima. Furthermore S. maritima is one of the most abundant halophytes colonizing the Portuguese salt marshes. These facts have greater importance if one considers the large abundance of this halophytic species and how climate change will affect their metabolism and thus the ecosystem services provided by this species to the estuarine system.The authors would like to thank to the “ Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)” for funding the research in the Centre of Oceanography throughout the project PEst-OE/MAR/UI0199/2011 and this specific work throughout the projects ECOSAM (PTDC/ AAC-CLI/104085/2008) and 3M RECITAL (LTER/BIA-BEC/0019/ 2009). B. Duarte investigation was supported by FCT throughout a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/75951/2011)