The surfgrass, Phyllospadix japonicus is abundantly found on exposed rocky shores of the Korean peninsula. Recently, Phyllospadix japonicus inhabiting along the eastern coast of Korea has been severely influenced by anthropogenic factors, including of...
The surfgrass, Phyllospadix japonicus is abundantly found on exposed rocky shores of the Korean peninsula. Recently, Phyllospadix japonicus inhabiting along the eastern coast of Korea has been severely influenced by anthropogenic factors, including offshore construction, eutrophication, and attracted the public’s attention on the need of the restoration of surfgrass habitats. Few studies have been made to develop transplanting techniques for surfgrasses, mainly due to the reason of difficulties of transplant survival on exposed shores. In this sense, a new Phyllospadix transplantation flame method (PTFM) was developed, which involves affixing surfgrass transplants on a stainless steel wire rope frame on the underwater bedrock. In November 2013, Phyllospadix japonicus was transplanted on a shore exposed to the Pacific Ocean on the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula by using newly developed PTFM. In order to evaluate the feasibility of the transplantation method, the survival rate and shoot density of the transplants was investigated every month for 15 months. The survival rate of the transplants was turned out to be 96.9% after 1 month of post-transplantation, showed rapid increase of 196.9% in next 15 months. Shoot density of the transplants was also rapidly increased from 800 sht m⁻² to 1,575 sht m⁻². Transplanted Phyllospadix japonicus using PTFM was grown successfully in situ, attributing to an increase in density through the formation of lateral shoots. With results addressed in this study, it is proposed that PTFM as a useful transplantation method for the restoration of surfgrasses on rocky subtidal zones with high waves.