Seagrass Beds

By Anonymous -
Seagrass Beds
Seagrass beds are very important to the environment and many animals that are in the ocean. Seagrasses (Division Angiospermae) are flowering vascular plants that live in shallow parts of the ocean and all around the world, which only grow in marine, fully saline environments. Seagrasses are the only flowering plants to live in the water and are one of the most important species to the ocean. Seagrasses grow by rhizome extension, and often grow in large "meadows", which look like grassland: in other words, many of the species of seagrasses superficially resemble terrestrial grasses of the family Poaceae. Seagrasses are a great habitat for many species, especially for young organisms to hide from predators and provide food for several species as well. Seagrass beds also help with erosion and protection on the shoreline for many organisms such as sea turtles.


     Hundreds of species feed on seagrasses worldwide, including green turtles, dugongs, manatees, fish, geese, swans, sea urchins, and crabs. Some fish species that visit/feed on the seagrass raise their young in adjacent mangroves or coral reefs. Some animals do not eat seagrass directly, and instead, when the seagrass dies and decomposes, the animals can feed on this dead material or on the bacteria it produces, which causes the breaking down of the dead material.The seagrass beds have experienced huge losses over the past twenty years, and some of the seagrass beds have lost up to 95% of their density, but yet some have remained just fine.There has been a huge light reduction reaching the seagrass beds and it has played a giant factor in the loss of the seagrass beds. When the loss begins, it starts in the outer regions of the seagrass beds and moves towards the center, effecting the entire seagrass bed. Natural disturbances, such as grazing, storms, ice-scouring, and desiccation, are an inherent part of seagrass ecosystem dynamics. Seagrasses display an extraordinarily high degree of phenotypic plasticity, adapting rapidly to changing environmental conditions.



 Seagrasses have evolved from land plants and over fifty species of seagrasses worldwide have been discovered. Seagrasses have roots, flowers, and specialized cells to transport nutrients within a plant, which makes them very similar to land plants, but different from algae or seaweeds. In order to grow, seagrasses need lots of light reaching them, the correct water temperature, and a small amount of nutrients. Seagrasses use sunlight and photosynthesis to make food like land plants, and since photosynthesis requires light, seagrasses need to be close to the water’s surface to thrive.


Seagrasses get nutrients from their roots. The seagrasses's roots are also what anchor seagrasses to the bottom of the ocean. Seagrasses are found growing mostly along the coastlines where the water is shallow enough to allow the plants to get both the nutrients and the sunlight that they need to live.


Seagrasses can also help improve the water quality. Fast moving water currents stir up the sediment gathered on the bottom, which makes the water cloudy, and when the flowing water hits the seagrass, it slows down, allowing all the particles to settle. Seagrasses can also help by acting as a filter if there are too many nutrients in the water or sediment.


      Historically, seagrasses were collected as fertilizer for sandy soil. This was an important use in the Ria de Aveiro, Portugal, where the plants collected were known as molico.
In the early 20th century, in France and, to a lesser extent, the Channel Islands dried seagrasses were used as a mattress (paillasse) filling - such mattresses were in high demand by French forces during World War 1. It was also used for bandages and other purposes.
Currently, seagrass has been used in furniture, and woven like rattan.




Sources:



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