Root Surface Area Measurements of Zostera marina and Halodule wrightii

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Abstract
Surface area measurements were made of Z. marina and H. wrightii roots collected from estuarine sediments off Beaufort, North Carolina, USA. Scanning electron microscopy, phase contrast microscopy and a newly developed glycerol root drag technique were used to measure root and root hair dimensions. Zostera root hair basal cells had an average exposed surface area of 7.98 .times. 10-3 mm2. Average Zostera root and root hair surface areas for all sites were 48.2 and 138.9 mm2/root, respectively. Halodule root and root hairs were shorter and thicker than those of Zostera. Average Halodule root and root hair surface were 34.8 and 19.2 mm2/root, respectively. Zostera and Halodule had an average total root surface area per core volume of sediment for all sites of 1.35 and 0.43 cm2/cm3, respectively.