The importance of seagrass

From an article posted on the site of the Reef Systems Unit in Puerto Morelos:

Common in reef lagoons and sandy bays of the Caribbean, seagrass communities play an important role in maintaining the equilibrium of tropical coastal ecosystems. As primary producers, seagrasses help form the foundation of the food chain and provide sustenance for a great many reef organisms. In addition to food, seagrasses also provide several other important services to the reef community: they are the main spawning and nursery area for local populations of fish, lobster and other reef creatures, and they trap and bind sediment providing both a reservoir for beach replenishment and a barrier against shifting sand for immobile reef creatures such as corals. The scientific study of seagrasses is therefore critical in understanding how to prevent beach erosion, maintain viable fisheries, and protect and replenish the coral-reef community.

The seagrass community consists of one or more seagrass species as well as rhizophytic calcareous and fleshy macro-algae. The dominant members of the community are the seagrasses, which are similar in structure to many terrestrial plants having leaves, roots, and rhizomes (horizontal and vertical branches growing beneath the sediment). In the Caribbean there are 8 species of seagrasses, but the most common are turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme), and shoal grass (Halodule wrightii).

We study the processes which control and influence the seagrass community at both population and community levels. Our close proximity to seagrass meadows in the shallow reef lagoon of Puerto Morelos allows us to undertake regular monitoring and in situ experiments using scuba.