Advances on the conservation status of endemic Posidonia K.D. Koenig species from South Australia

Marine angiosperms are important because they provide stabilization of coastal sediments, water clarity, take part of the breeding habitat for various species, and provide shelter from predators for some marine species, among other benefits. Their conservation is therefore of vital importance for the maintain the homeostasis of the marine environment. However, some threats to the meadows that they form have been described in South Australia. Among them, coastal development, the presence of invasive species and pollution, are the most important in worsening their conservation status. For this reason, this work is aimed to perform a literature review of the conservation status of the four species of the genus Posidonia endemic to this area: P. angustifolia Cambridge & J.Kuo, P. australis Hook.f., P. ostenfeldii Hartog and P. sinuosa Cambridge & J.Kuo. To achieve this goal, information was sought on the distribution, population dynamics, threats and conservation strategies for each of the species.

Both in situ and ex situ conservation strategies are important to slow the decline of marine angiosperms. Posidonia species are slow-growing, and their seeds are sensitive to desiccation, which makes ex situ conservation more difficult to implement than in situ conservation strategies.