Some Applications of Lepidochronological Analysis in the Seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Leaf sheaths, in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, can persist for millennia within a matte, and they show cyclic variations in thickness along the rhizome. These cycles are annual. The study of these cyclic changes and related phenomena is termed lepidochronology. Three applications of this technique are examined in this work: (i) estimation of the growth rate and annual production of rhizomes, (ii) modelling of leaf renewal cycles (rhythm of leaf formation and of leaf fall, leaf longevity), and (iii) detection and dating of previous flowering from the remains of flower stalks inserted between the sheaths.