Sediment Stabilization. It can protect coasts, improve water filtration and plays the following important roles: Biodiversity Spiny seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) female sheltering is meadow of common Eelgrass (Zostera marina). A widely distributed temperate seagrass species commonly referred to as eelgrass (Zostera marina) once formed extensive meadows around the coastal waters of the British Isles but are now categorised as being nationally scarce. Seagrasses play key roles as: Primary producers: tropical seagrass beds are among the most productive ecosystems, rivaling agriculture crops like corn and soybeans. 32% of commercial fish species utilise seagrass during one part of their lifecycle. Seagrass meadows play a vital role in mitigating climate change and stabilizing the carbon cycle. Poverty Alleviation . Seeds are being collected from various sites and cultivated, ready for replanting to create new meadows. Seagrass meadows form the basis of the world’s primary fishing grounds, supplying 50% of the world’s fisheries. Seagrass meadows are of fundamental importance … In nearly all the seas around the world, in the shallow waters next to the land, are secret underwater gardens. WHY IS SEAGRASS IMPORTANT? The habitat complexity within seagrass meadows enhances the diversity and abundance of animals. In northern Australia, seagrass meadows are important as they provide sheltered refuges and feeding areas for prawns and juvenile fish. seagrasses themselves are food for a large number of herbivores including urchins, manatees, and sea turtles. The benefits that humans derive from seagrass meadows are termed ‘ecosystem services’. At low tide, wildfowl like wigeon and brent geese feed on the exposed seagrass, huge flocks noisily foraging along the shore. Seagrasses also cleanse the water of excess nutrients and toxic pollutants. This means that the plants alter the ecosystem around them. Seagrasses also filter water and produce oxygen. Their work is a vital step in safeguarding this important habitat for future generations. Read More. Image: Seagrass. What’s at stake. Other commercially important species including spiny lobsters (Panulirus guttatus), pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum) and stone crabs (Menippe mercenaria) also use seagrasses as nurseries. The rhizomes and roots of the grasses bind sediments on the bottom, where nutrients are recycled by microorganisms back into the marine ecosystem. Seagrass meadows are an important feeding ground for herbivorous grazers, like green turtles, manatees, dugongs, and for foraging omnivores that may feed on invertebrates and other animals that live amongst the plants. This seagrass meadows reading comprehension activity includes differentiated questions that are suitable for higher KS3 and KS4 students. Seagrass is part of a marginalised ecosystem that must be increasingly managed, protected and monitored – and needs urgent attention now. Conservation . Their abundance and the important roles they play earn them the title of third most valuable ecosystem on the planet after estuaries and wetlands. In recognition of this, the historic United Nations Paris Agreement of 2015 emphasizes the critical importance of conserving seagrasses and other Blue Carbon ecosystems. They also are important primary producers, together with the epiphytic algae. Seagrass meadows occupy less than 0.2 percent of the world's oceans, but regardless of this very small percentage they still account for more than 10 percent of all carbon buried annually in the sea, mostly in the roots and soils beneath them. Seagrass meadows tend to form over soft sediment. It’s easy for us to underestimate the importance of seagrass. Therefore, a habitat improvement program can include local government development controls, port or bay development programs, catchment management programs, regional development and land-use policies, marine park zoning and management ( Chapter 23 ). Seagrass meadows are found along soft-bottomed, shallow, marine coastlines of every continent except Antartica. But, seagrass meadows are one of the most productive and multifunctional ecosystems on the planet, and their importance should not be overlooked. Seagrass meadows play an important role in keeping our oceans healthy and providing a home for all kinds of marine life. Sea snails, endangered seahorses and 50 species of fish frequent these underwater meadows, which support 20% of the world’s biggest fisheries, acting as fish nurseries for cod, plaice and pollock. Why are seagrass meadows important? In some coastal areas, entire fisheries may depend on the productivity of these seagrass beds. Seagrass. Seagrass beds are important feeding grounds for thousands of species around the world, and they support this diverse food web in three different ways. Their website provides an excellent overview on what are seagrass meadows and why they are so important for climate regulation, fisheries, biodiversity, coastal protection, water purification, disease control, and tourism. But a seagrass meadow can be just as effective as a temperate forest in sequestering carbon, sinking it into the sediment for decades or even centuries. Climate. Scientists and conservationists now recognise seagrass meadows as highly important coastal ocean habitats, holding 40 times more marine life than seabeds without grass. These organisms mainly attach on older leaves. The carbon dioxide is used to build the plant’s tissues or is stored in the sediment. Green sea turtles are a particularly important consumer of seagrasses. They also stabilise coastal sediments. Studland Bay, Dorset, England. But Ocean Alive action also targets the policy-making sphere. For thousands of people around the world seagrass provides them with food security and a livelihood. Why should we value our seagrass beds? Some of these services span the global seagrass range — such as water filtration, habitat provision, fish nursery grounds and biodiversity support. .. Seagrasses as a Nursery. These extensive meadows are made up of a group of flowering plants that are unique in their… Seagrass meadows are one of the more important ecosystems. The sheltered conditions of a seagrass meadow are perfect nursery grounds for young flatfish, and they provide a home for both of the UK's native species of seahorse. Seagrass restoration projects are being piloted in the UK, with the help of The Wildlife Trusts. In the dense seagrass meadows, a wide variety of organisms are fouling such as hydroids, sponges, bryozoa and seaweeds. They control erosion by trapping soil and sand with their roots. This involves explaining to both local and global communities the importance of seagrass meadows. Seagrasses stabilize sediments. California, Channel Islands NMS, Photographer: Claire Fackler, CINMS, NOAA, CC BY 2.0. These organisms mainly attach on older leaves. Students read about seagrass meadows, what they are, why they are important and how humans are having an impact on them before answering the questions.This resource has been specifically designed to accompany this video from the WWF. Habitats. Several species of coral reef fishes forage in seagrass meadows during the night and return to the protection of the reefs during the day. In the dense seagrass meadows, a wide variety of organisms are fouling such as hydroids, sponges, bryozoa and seaweeds. The scientists were even able to discover the areas where seagrass beds have been storing carbon for thousands of years. Biota. refuge from predation explains the importance of seagrass meadows as nursery and feeding habitats for these organisms, some of them target of highly important commercial fisheries. Seagrass stabilizes sediments and prevents erosion along Florida’s coastline. “Underwater meadows of seagrass offer important protection against pollution to both humans and coral reefs,” said the report which was based on a study published in the journal Science. Seagrass meadows support communities and livelihoods. Biota. They successfully restored seagrass meadows that were destroyed by plant disease and hurricanes in the 1930s. This is as a result of the nursery area that seagrasses provide to commercial fish when they are juveniles. They also are important primary producers, together with the epiphytic algae. However, local variation occurs in the services exploited and goods extracted. For many organisms they are an important shelter. Seagrass has huge benefits. Despite all this, seagrass coverage is being lost globally at a rate of 1.5 % per year. Photo courtesy Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary . Aside from monitoring seagrass ecosystems, a key focus of such projects is to raise awareness of the importance of seagrass ecosystems. When seagrass grows in large areas, the habitat it creates is called a seagrass meadow. Seagrass is an angiosperm (flowering plant) that lives in a marine or brackish environment. These gardens are home to a special marine (saltwater) plant called seagrass. Seagrass meadows support coastal fisheries. Seagrasses grow in groups, forming seagrass beds or meadows. "Seagrass meadows in general have this important function, where they can act as nutrient filters. For many organisms they are an important shelter. Some organisms—primarily large grazers like manatees, dugongs, green sea turtles and geese—eat the living leaves directly, and seagrass forms a major component of their diets. In addition, migrating birds use shallow and intertidal seagrass meadows as resting and feeding areas during their travels. Seagrass meadows are important habitats, supplying social and economic benefits to coastal communities. Not only does this boost the bay’s carbon-capturing ability, but it also led to another benefit as bay scallops have successfully been reintroduced to an area where they have been functionally extinct since the 1930s. Other work includes looking at mooring systems that reduce the physical impact of boating and educating people around the importance of seagrass. Seagrass meadows are an important part of estuarine ecosystems, providing habitat and food for birds, fish and crustaceans. Seagrass plants are important food sources for animal grazers including manatees, green sea turtles and aquatic birds. Seagrasses on reef flats and near estuaries are also nutrient sinks, buffering or filtering nutrient and chemical inputs to the marine environment. Once people understand why seagrass is important… Seagrass meadows also play an important role in the fight against rapid climate change, because seagrasses take up carbon dioxide that is dissolved in seawater, like other plants take it up from the air. Many fish species use seagrass meadows as nursery areas to grow and mature. Although often overlooked, seagrasses provide coastal zones with a number of ecosystem goods and services.Seagrasses are considered ecosystem engineers. As much as 92% of the UK’s seagrass has been lost, restoring it is vital for ocean health. Their rhizomes weave together under the seabed, stabilising the sand or mud they grow on. These plants provide important habitat for a variety of marine life. They contribute to good water and sediment quality by consuming nutrients and oxygenating the water and are estimated to provide $12 million … Seagrass meadows are often an important downstream habitat in coastal systems. 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