Seagrass evolution, ecology and conservation: a genetic perspective

Abstract

The study and characterization of natural systems involves the evaluation of their diversity and the identification and definition of processes and fluxes operating at different temporal and spatial scales. Ecological studies in general are limited by their ability to infer these different scaled of process. The use of genetic analysis to provide insight into scales of process in ecology has increased as the basic tools to undertake such studies have improved and become more widely available. A large number of genetic based approaches are available today but most commonly utilized are DNA markers to assess the relationships among individuals at hierarchical levels ranging from fine scale population processes to the phylogenetic relationships of species, genera, and higher taxa. To date, most studies of seagrass genetic diversity have been aimed toward the comprehension of ecological and evolutionary processes and, as such, this is the main subject of this chapter.