Qualitative and quantitative assessment of the reproductive litter from Posidonia oceanica accumulated on a sand beach following a storm

The biomass of reproductive litter from Posidonia oceanica deposited on a 3.5 km stretch of beach in the north-western Mediterranean, as a consequence of a storm in May 2004, was quantified. The damage caused by this storm to the meadow from which fruits originated was evaluated in terms of loss of seed production. Intermediate fruits (i.e., developing fruits) were the most important reproductive component, followed by immature and damaged fruits. No fully mature fruits were found. No significant differences in the average number of fruits and biomass accumulated were detected among beach sections hundreds of metres apart. Extrapolation of the results at four beach sections indicated that about I million fruits were deposited on the entire (3.5 km) beach. This was equivalent to the seed production potential of about 313,217 inflorescences, or a flowered area of 1500 m(2). The organic input to the beach was 224 kg ash-free dry weight (AFDM). These results suggest that storms may provide an unpredictable source of seed mortality in P. oceanica. The reproductive material produced by storms, however, may constitute an important source of allochthonous organic matter to the beach.