|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||||
 |
|
| What
is seagrass? |
|
|
You might not of even heard of seagrass but it is one of the most important plants on earth. Seagrass is the basis for many important ecosystems. Seagrass is the only type of marine flowering plant and meadows of these plants are commonly found in shallow coastal marine locations, reef tops and estuaries. Seagrass is important because it is food and provides sheltor for marine life. |
|
| What
does seagrass look like? |
|
|
Seagrass is found all over the world and there are around 60 different species. These mostly range from the size of your fingernail to plants with leaves as long as 7 metres. Some of the shapes and sizes of leaves of different species of seagrass include an oval shape, a long spaghetti like leaf and a ribbon shape. Species that have a paddle or fern shaped leaf are called Halophila. Ones that have a ribbon shaped leaf are the Cymodocea, Thalassia, Thalassodendron, Halodule and Zostera. Spaghetti like seagrass is called syringodium.
|
 |
| What
harms seagrass? |
|
| All
species of seagrass can be affected by pollution and damage in the environment.
This can cause seagrass to die from being shaded from light, covered by
faster growing algae, buried by sediment from a land base source or harmful
chemicals. These are just a few damaging situations for seagrass. |
|
| Where
is seagrass found? |
|
|
Seagrass is found all over the world. You can click on a link in the Science Central or Junior Divers section of the site to see maps of where seagrass is located in Australia and overseas.
|
|
| Why
seagrass is important? |
|
|
Seagrass is important because: - Many animals depend on it for shelter and food; - Dugongs and Green Sea Turtles could not survive without it; - It is a platform algae, which is a food source for small fish and other animals; - Within seagrass beds, you can find animals such as sea cucumbers, crabs, shrimps,octopuses, starfishes, mussels and seahorses; - Seagrass binds the ocean floor to prevent erosion and keep water clear; - Octopuses dig a burrow in bare patches of seagrass meadows; - The old seagrass leaves are colonised by bacteria, fungi and algae; - Seagrass can work as a filter for nutrients in run off that comes from rivers before it is washed out to sea and to coral reefs.
|
|
| Management
of Seagrass meadows in Queensland, Australia. |
|
|
- Seagrasses (and all marine plants) are protected under the Fisheries Act. - A permit is needed before any work can be done that could damage seagrass. |
|
| Did you know? | |
|
- All of the seagrass names are latinised. - Seagrass is different to seaweed and algae as they have true roots and are flowering plants. -
Seagrass is a nursery for baby prawns and shrimp. - Cairns artist Ruth Berry painted the world's first set of prints on Queenslands seagrasses in watercolour. |
 |
| More Information about Seagrass on this site | |
|
- Interactive Seagrass Ecosystem
|
 |
| Great
Sites on Seagrass |
|
|
- CRC Reef www.reef.crc.org.au www.botany.hawaii.edu/seagrass/ - The Western Australia Seagrass Web Page http://wwwscience.murdoch.edu.au/centres/others/seagrass/index.html - The South Florida Seagrass Ecosystems Home Page
|
|
 |
 |
 |