Seagrass Meadows
A Forest Under the Sea
Seagrasses are flowering plants that grow under the
sea. Like plants that live on land, their flowering is
linked to the seasons. Seagrasses are often confused
with seaweed but the two are actually very different.
Seaweed are multicellular algae that have a holdfast
to anchor them to hard surfaces like rocks, whereas
seagrasses have leaves, stems and roots that hold
them in place like plants that live on land. Seagrasses
make up seagrass meadows, delicate interwoven
ecosystems that are home to many other organisms,
including dugongs, fish and sea snakes, with each
organism relying on the next.
Seagrass meadows have a wide distribution, ranging
from tropical waters to subtropical and temperate
regions and even the Arctic Circle. The largest seagrass
meadow covers over 1737 square miles, equivalent
to over 840 700 football pitches. Like plants and
seaweed, seagrasses rely on the energy from the sun
for photosynthesis in order to make their own food.
For this reason, seagrass meadows tend to be found in
shallow coastal areas with clear waters, for example,
the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in the USA.
Many of the organisms that you can find in seagrass
meadows are not permanent residents. The seasonal
and daily migration of organisms is one of the reasons
why seagrass meadows have such high biodiversity.
Seagrass meadows are the nurseries and feeding
grounds for commercially fished species like cod,
herring and pollock, as well as for endangered species
such as seahorses and turtles.
The speed of the waters in and around seagrass
meadows are typically slower than in other parts of
the ocean. This is because the blades of the seagrass
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary absorb some of the energy from the waves, slowing
Photo courtesy of NOAA Photo Library (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
the waves down. The slow-moving waters, along with
Home to the Ocean’s Nurseries, the abundance of food and dark hiding spots, make
Restaurants and Hotels the areas perfect for juvenile fish.
No matter what time of day it is, seagrass meadows
are the home of a massive array of organisms. During
the daytime, you can find bottlenose dolphins hunting
for food. At night, the waters become alive with
different species. Squirrelfish and snappers move
into the seagrass meadows at night time to forage for
smaller fish and invertebrates. Seagrass meadows are
also home to several species of manatees. These large
marine mammals are gentle, slow-moving creatures
that eat mainly vegetation along with small fish and
invertebrates.
Manatee foraging on a seagrass bed
Photo courtesy of Ruth Hartnup (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
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Another reason that seagrass meadows are very
biodiverse is the range of microhabitats available. The
surfaces on the seagrass blades are home to smaller
organisms like anemones and even rare species such
as the stalked jellyfish. The sediment surrounding the
roots is the home to molluscs, sea urchins and starfish,
with many of the molluscs being commercially fished.
Most commercially fished species are found in the
water column between the seabed and the water
surface.
Why are Seagrass Meadows Important?
In addition to their roots, seagrasses also have
underground stems called rhizomes that anchor
them to the seabed. These rhizomes are extremely
important as they stabilise sediment on the seabed.
This stabilisation is crucial to prevent seabed erosion
and to form a barrier against waves, storms and
hurricanes, and rising tides. Rising tides are becoming
more of a concern because of the rise in sea levels due
to global warming.
Seagrass meadows act like the ocean’s filtration
system: they absorb extra nutrients from the water
and can even take up bacteria. Absorbing nutrients
is particularly important in areas of excessive land
run-off that can contain fertilisers, manure and other
sources of excess nutrients.
Are Seagrass Meadows at Risk?
Problems can occur when seagrass meadows cannot
keep up with the influx of nutrients from land run-off.
Too many nutrients entering the system can lead to
eutrophication, an increase in the levels of minerals
in the water. Eutrophication encourages the growth
of algae, which can be deadly for the meadows. Algal
blooms cover the surface of the water, blocking sunlight
from reaching the seagrasses. Eventually, the algal
blooms die, sink to the seabed and are decomposed
by microorganisms. The decomposers reduce the
oxygen concentration of the water, which results in
other marine life dying from oxygen starvation. The
microorganisms also produce high concentrations of
carbon dioxide. This can cause an increase in water
acidity, known as ocean acidification. If waters become
too acidic, this can slow the growth of commercially
important fish and shellfish. If seagrasses are removed
or damaged, eutrophication and ocean acidification
are more likely to occur.
Seagrasses photosynthesise more quickly than
terrestrial trees and plants so if seagrass meadows are
destroyed, less carbon dioxide will be absorbed and
less oxygen will be produced. As atmospheric carbon
dioxide levels continue to rise due to human activities
it is increasingly important that seagrasses are able to
continue to absorb this carbon dioxide.
Seagrass Meadows
Palm Islands, Dubai
Photo courtesy of Palm_Island_Resort (@wikimedia.org) - granted under creative commons licence –
attribution
Seagrass meadows are not indestructible. They are
at risk from human disturbances such as coastal
construction. One of the most famous seagrass
meadows is off the coast of Dubai in the United
Arab Emirates. The seagrass meadows in this region
have been dredged to make space for human
developments called the Palm Islands, resulting in loss
of biodiversity. Many of the fishing practices that take
place around seagrass meadows are also damaging.
Bottom trawlers can tear and rip up acres of seagrass
beds at a time. This is not only an issue for the marine
species that live there but also for the world’s fisheries.
If nursery areas for species like cod and herring are
damaged, the whole life cycle of the fish would be in
jeopardy. How can we try to rectify this? Efforts are
being made to harvest seagrass seeds and use these
to replant and repopulate other seagrass meadows
around the world. But is this effort too little, too late?
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