Reproductive and morphological traits through the seasons in fucoid seaweeds along a South Wales (UK) coast

Abrar Shakil¹, Mike Fowler¹, John Griffin¹

¹Swansea University, UK

Reproductive and morphological traits provide valuable information on species’ ecological roles and potentially allow us to track impacts of environmental change. Fucoid seaweeds including Fucus serratus, F. vesiculosus, and Ascophyllum nodosum are important habitat-formers and support biodiversity and ecosystem functioning on North-East Atlantic rocky shores, where they are subjected to accelerating climatic warming. Surprisingly, few studies have characterised phenological variation in these species in the NE Atlantic. In this poster, we present preliminary findings from a field study at a moderately exposed rocky shore in S. Wales, UK, examining seasonal variability in the reproductive and morphological traits of three fucoid species. Individuals are being sampled monthly, with information gathered on population-level reproductive status, reproductive effort, and key morphological traits such as specific thallus area. Preliminary findings confirm clear interspecific differences in reproductive and morphological traits. Several species show increased reproductive effort and more conservative morphological traits higher on the shore, particularly during peak reproduction times. Together, these findings provide baseline information for monitoring future phenological shifts in response to climate change, potentially support efforts to gather propagules for restoration activities, and indicate how species’ ecological roles may vary with season and environmental stress.