Analysis of ecological characteristics and molecular mechanisms related to reproductive strategy in marine angiosperm Zostera marina

潮间带海草Zostera marina是沿日本海岸线分布的Zostera河床的主要组成部分之一。总体而言，滨海大叶藻表现出两种繁殖策略，即一年生和多年生。尽管种子和萌发期的环境水温对一年生海棠新梢的形态特征有较大影响，但环境水温对多年生海棠新梢形态特征的影响不大。这些结果表明，在个体水平上，一年生大叶藻和多年生大叶藻的繁殖策略不同。通过对Z.marina幼苗、地上部各器官和花瓣的表达分析，分离和鉴定了可能与Z.marina生殖策略有关的候选基因，包括花同源同源MADS-box基因。

The intertidal seagrass Zostera marina is one of the major components of Zostera beds which are distributed along the coastline of Japan. In general, Z. marina shows two types of reproductive strategy, annual-type and perennial-type. Although morphological characteristics of annual Z. marina shoots were greatly affected by environmental water temperature during seed and germination periods, the influence of environmental water temperature on those of perennial Z. marina shoots was not observed. These results suggest that the reproductive strategy of annual Z. marina is different at individual level from that of perennial Z. marina. Candidate genes including floral homeotic MADS-box genes, which may be responsible for the reproductive strategy of Z. marina, were isolated and identified by expression analysis of the genes in Z. marina seedlings, various organs in the shoots, and spadices.