Seagrass

Global Seagrass Decline Affects Shallow-water Ecosystems

Disappearance of seagrass beds around the world has resulted in sharp decline in important habitats, food sources and sediment stabilizers affecting the shallow-water ecosystems // , according to Frederick Short, researcher of natural resources and marine science, University of New Hampshire. ...

New study shows extent of harmful human influences on global ecosystems

...ng to the study, the ecosystems most at threat are: coral reefs, which house more than 25 percent of all marine life and protect against wave erosion; seagrass beds, which are nursery grounds for young fish and mangroves, which grow in coastal habitats and also help ward off erosion. This project allows u...

Seagrass in Biological News

Restoring seagrass beds: Is it for the birds?

Although most people consider bird droppings a nuisance, scientists at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab see them as a rich source of phosphorus, a natural fertilizer for grassbeds which have been destroyed by boat propellers. Over the next couple of months, Sea Lab scientists Dr. Ken Heck and Dr. John D...

Marine invasive species advance 50 km per decade, World Conference on Marine Biodiversity told

...anean by the invasive algae Lophocladia lallemandii is leading to a steeper seagrass decline in the Mediterranean coast. According to Marb, "the invasion of Lophocladia increases seagrass mortality by five fold". The paleogeographic study of the historic proc...

Marine invasive species advance 50km per decade, World Conference on Marine Biodiversity told

...anean by the invasive algae Lophocladia lallemandii is leading to a steeper seagrass decline in the Mediterranean coast. According to Marb, "the invasion of Lophocladia increases seagrass mortality by five fold". The paleogeographic study of the historic proc...

Restoring Alabama's coast

...agrasses along the shoreline. Additionally, a seagrass restoration project in Little Lagoon adjacent to t...mpare the feasibility and cost-efficacy of several seagrass planting methods. $400,000 will be utilized to co...ill commence at Boggy Point and Point aux Pins and seagrass planting will take place in Little Lagoon. Post-pr...

Nitrogen retained through loss

... The nitrogen cycle plays a major role in seagrass fields. Dutch researcher Arie Vonk studied the nit...results in an efficient nitrogen cycle in tropical seagrass fields. Consequently the nitrogen lost from seagrasses is still retained. seagrass fields are coastal ecosystems with important funct...

NOAA science story tips -- AAAS 2008 edition

...ng to the study, the ecosystems most at threat are: coral reefs, which house more than 25 percent of all marine life and protect against wave erosion; seagrass beds, which help ward off coastal erosion; and mangroves, which are trees and shrubs that grow in coastal habitats. NOAA Analyzes Impacts of M...

Map is first to track global human influences on ocean ecosystems

...systems are there. Their results suggest that coral reefs are in trouble; nearly half have taken a hard human punch. Other spots of concern include seagrass beds, mangrove forests in estuaries, seamounts, rocky reefs and continental shelves. Soft-bottom shallow and deep ecosystems, as well as the open ocea...

Seagrass ecosystems at a 'global crisis'

...ciences (AIBS). The article "A Global Crisis for seagrass Ecosystems" cites the critical role seagrasses pla...t between the scientific community’s concerns over seagrass habitat and its coverage in the popular media. While recent studies rank seagrass as one of the most valuable habitat in coastal sys...

All the eggs in one basket

... in which they lived. According to the researchers, "The ecological extinction of green turtles transformed an ecosystem with diverse species of seagrass dominated by large herbivores into a detritus-based ecosystem dominated by overgrown monocultures of one species of grass." Green turtles feed mos...

UNH researcher restoring oyster reefs to Great Bay

...ch day through them, retaining particles as small as a virus. "They're marvelous filters," he says. Further, he notes that oyster reefs, much like seagrass beds or coral reefs, support a variety of marine life. "Oyster reefs provide all these nooks and crannies for other organisms," he says, including spo...