Mechanical seagrass transplantation in Western Australia

An underwater seagrass harvesting and planting machine ('ECOSUB1') was desi gned with the specific parameters that a large seagrass 'sod' (0.25 m(2) in area and 0.5 m deep) could be extracted and planted with minimal disturban ce to the leaves, roots and rhizomes contained within it. A prototype was d eveloped and tested by the end of September 1996 and transplantation commen ced in November 1996. Over 1500 sods have been planted up to March 1999. Su rvival appears dependent on the species being transplanted; Posidonia speci es have shown good survival to date, with Posidonia sinuosa and Posidonia c oriacea plants showing 76.8 and 75.8% survival, respectively, 2 years after transplantation. Amphibolis griffithii plants have not done as well (44.3% ), although this appears to be largely dependent on planting technique and winter storm damage to the plants at the time of transplanting. (C) 2001 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.