Standing Stocks and Other Features of Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Populations on the Coast of Alaska

Of eelgrass populations sampled from southeast Alaska to Bering Strait, those in Kinzarof and Izembek lagoons on the Alaska Peninsula had the highest standing stocks (mean, 1510 g dry wt/m2) and that in Calder Bay in southeast Alaska had the lowest (65 g dry wt/m2). Caloric content of eelgrass averaged 4211 cal/g in the leaves and 3571 cal/g in the roots and rhizomes. The concentration of chlorophyll a in eelgrass had a mean of 0.513 mg/g fresh wt, with one exception. Population densities were high in Kinzarof and Izembek lagoons (mean, 4576 turions/m2) and low in all other sample areas (599 turions/m2). Flowering plants were 3–4% of the total population. Mean leaf length varied from 13 to 48 cm and width from 2.4 to 5.1 mm. The differences in the eelgrass populations appeared to be related to local conditions rather than a large geographical gradient.