Responses of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica to hypersaline stress duration and recovery

We studied the hypersaline stress responses of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica to determine if the species was tolerant to salinity increases that occur in coastal waters by the desalination industry. Water relations, amino acids, carbohydrates, ions, photosynthesis, respiration, chlorophyll a fluorescence, leaf growth and morphology, and plant mortality were analysed after exposing the mesocosm P. oceanica to a salinity level of 43 for one and three months followed by a month for recovery. One-month saline-stressed plants exhibited sub-lethal effects, including a leaf cell turgor pressure reduction, loss of ionic equilibrium and decreased leaf growth. There were also changes in photoprotective mechanisms, increased concentrations of organic osmolytes in leaves and reduced leaf ageing. All these dysfunctions recovered after removing the stress. After the longer exposure of three months, stress symptoms were much more acute and plants showed an excessive ionic exclusion capacity, increased leaf cell turgor, reduced plant carbon balance, increased leaf aging and leaf decay and increased plant mortality, which indicated that the plant had entered a stage of severe physiological stress. In addition, the long-term saline-stressed plants were not able to recover, still showing sustained injury after the one-month recovery period as reflected by unbalanced leaf ionic content, persistently impaired photosynthesis, decline in internal carbon resources and decreased leaf growth that resulted in undersized plants. In conclusion, P. oceanica was not able to acclimate to the saline conditions tested since it could not reach a new physiological equilibrium or recover after a chronic exposure of 3 months.

► Plants were saline-stressed for varying times and subsequently allowed to recover.
► Salinity affected water relations, photosynthesis, respiration, growth and morphology.
► The longer the exposure, the higher were the stress symptoms.
► 1-month stressed plants fully recovered, while those stressed for 3 months did not recover.
► Posidonia oceanica was not able to acclimate to selected hypersaline conditions.