The Importance of Seagrass to Tropical Marine Ecology

This discussion topic submitted by Leslie A. Hadaway ( Lucybug2@aol.com) at 12:04 pm on 3/23/00. Additions were last made on Sunday, March 26, 2000.


Discussion Topic: Seagrass Beds

Importance: Seagrass beds provide a habitat for many diverse organisms, reduce wave energy in fragile environments, trap sediments to stabilize the ocean
floor, prevent sediments from settling and covering coral, and provide shelter and habitat nurseries.

Outline:
-basic definition of seagrass
-common types of seagrass (possible inclusion of a dichotomous key for identification)
-the environmental importance of seagrass
-endangerment of seagrass habitat and its cause
-location of seagrass beds worldwide

References:

#1. Seagrass Ecology at the Turn of the Millenium: Challenges for the New Century, Carlos M.
Duarte, Aquatic Botany 65 (1999) 7-20.

#2. Strategic Assessment of Florida's Environment (SAFE), Florida Marine Research Institute,
Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Frank Sargent, (813) 896-8626.

#3. Seagrass Distribution in South Florida: A Multi-agency Coordinated Monitoring Program,
James W. Fourqurean,Michael J. Durako, Margaret O. Hall and Lee N. Hefty,
www.fiu.edu/~seagrass/papers/seagrass_distribution/distribu.pdf

#4. Microalgae on Seagrass Mimics: does Epiphyte Community Structure Differ From Live
Seagrasses? James L. Pinckney and Fiorenza Micheli, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and
Ecology, 221 (1998)p.559-70.

#5. The Effects of Global Climate Change on Seagrasses, Frederick T. Short and Hilary A.
Neckles, Aquatic Botany 63 (1999), 169-196.

#6. Structure of Major Seagrass Beds From Three Coral Reef Atolls of Lakshadweep, Arabian
Sea, India, T.G. Jagtap, Aquatic Botany 60 (1998) 397-408.

#7. Biomass Dyanmics of Seagrasses and the Role of Mangrove and Seagrass Vegetation as
Different Nutrient Sources for an Intertidal Ecosystem, Willem F. de Boer, Aquatic Botany 66
(2000) 225-239.

#8. Plant-animal Associations in two Species of Seagrasses in Western Australia, P. Jernakoff, J.
Nielsen, Aquatic Botany 60 (1998) 359-376.


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It is 1:16:43 PM on Friday, May 16, 2008. Last Update: Sunday, March 26, 2000