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Mesoamericana 13 (1) Agosto de 2009
REVIEW OF DISPERSAL MEANS OF A NEWLY REPORTED Ruppia maritima L.
(RUPPIACEAE) POPULATION IN NORTH CENTRAL CUBA
REVISIÓN SOBRE LAS VÍAS DE DISPERSIÓN DE UNA POBLACIÓN DE Ruppia maritima
L. (RUPPIACEAE) RECIENTEMENTE REGISTRADA EN LA ZONA CENTRAL NORTE
DE CUBA
Alain Parada Isada* and Mayrene Guimarais Bermejo
Centro de Investigaciones de Ecosistemas Costeros, Cayo Coco, Morón, Ciego de Ávila, ZIP 69 400, Cuba
*Autor de correspondencia: alain@ciec.fica.inf.cu
Fecha de recepción: 26 de marzo de 2009 - Fecha de aceptado: 25 de julio de 2009
ABSTRACT. Cayo Coco, located in the central northern coast of Cuba is considered a new locality for Ruppia maritima L.
Main wigeongrass dispersal means were casuistically assessed; and hydrochory and fish-mediated endozoochory were
discarded based on the geographical distance, hydrological patterns as well as the occurrence and movement patterns of
Ruppia-consuming fish species inhabiting the coastal and estuarine ecosystems in the study area. North American
migratory waterfowls came out as the best candidate for the seed dispersion involved in Laguna Larga. Specifically, species
such as Anas discors, A. americana, and A. clypeata were most important based on the abundance and permanence, the
importance of drupelets in the diet, bill eco-morphology, and the habitat preference.
Keywords: Cayo Coco, dispersion, waterbirds, Laguna Larga, seeds.
RESUMEN. Cayo Coco ubicado en el sector centro-norte de Cuba es considerada nueva localidad para Ruppia maritima
L. Se analizaron casuísticamente las principales vías de dispersión de esta fanerógama y los procesos de hidrocoría y
zoocoría por peces se descartaron, teniendo en cuenta la distancia geográfica, los patrones hidrológicos, así como la
presencia y los patrones de movimiento de las especies de peces que consumen Ruppia maritima que habitan en los
ecosistemas costeros y estuarinos presentes en el área de estudio. Las aves acuáticas migratorias de Norteamérica fueron
los mejores candidatos como vía de dispersión en Laguna Larga. Más específicamente, las especies Anas discors, A.
americana y A. clypeata fueron los más importantes teniendo en cuenta criterios como la abundancia y permanencia de la
especie durante la residencia invernal, la importancia de las semillas en la dieta, la ecomorfología del pico, así como la
preferencia del hábitat.
Palabras clave: Cayo Coco, dispersión, aves acuáticas, Laguna Larga, semillas.
INTRODUCTION
Ruppia maritima L. (wigeongrass) is a submerged
angiosperm that inhabits brackish coastal and inland
saline waters and presents a world-wide distribution
(Verhoeven, 1979). The genus Ruppia has been classified
in the past in various manners; several authors considered
it as a family on its own, the Ruppiaceae, but it has also
been regarded as a subfamily of the Potamogetonaceae
(den Hartog and Kuo, 2006). In fact, as a consequence of
the great morphological variation between populations,
partly due to environmental differences and partly
genetically determined, the taxonomy of the genus is still
unresolved.
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This plant exhibits a broad range of environmental
tolerance so that it is able to colonize marine, estuarine,
and freshwater habitats (Lazar and Dawes, 1991). In
addition, it is the main source of primary production in
many subtropical lagoons (Edwards, 1978; Paton, 1982)
and provides both food and cover for a large invertebrate
biota. For instance, in Western Europe, invertebrates
associated with Ruppia-dominated communities have
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been numbered up to 43 800/m with biomasses of up to
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22.9 g/m ash-free dry weight (Verhoeven, 1980).
Taxonomic groups such as small worms, nematodes,
ciliates, ostracods, and copepods (Kantrud, 1991),
amphipods (Nixon and Oviatt, 1973) and the annelid