In spite of their low species diversity, seagrasses have succeeded in colonising the continental shelves of all continents except Antarctica. and Waycott, M. (1997) "Phylogenetic studies in Alismatidae, II: evolution of marine angiosperms (seagrasses) and hydrophily". Historically, seagrasses were collected as fertilizer for sandy soil. [54][55] Some fish species utilize seagrass meadows and various stages of the life cycle. Seagrass Biology: A Treatise. Many endangered and rare species, such as the Florida manatee use seagrass beds as one of their primary sources of food. Trapping sediment benefits coral by reducing sediment loads, improving photosynthesis for both coral and seagrass. In various locations, communities are attempting to restore seagrass beds that were lost to human action, including in the US states of Virginia, Florida and Hawaii, as well as the United Kingdom. A primary consumer is an organism that feeds on primary producers.Organisms of this type make up the second trophic level and are consumed or predated by secondary consumers, tertiary consumers or apex predators.. Trophic levels. [56] Sexual reproduction is extremely energetically expensive to be completed with stored energy; therefore, they require seagrass meadows in close proximity to complete reproduction. A primary ecological function of seagrass beds is to provide nursery areas for a variety of fish and crustaceans that migrate to other habitats as adults. They are called primary consumers. [67], For the seagrass used in furnishing, boxmaking, and upholstery, see, Morphological and photoacclimatory responses. The amount of production by various primary producers differs spatially and seasonally [10, 11]. Duarte, Carlos M. and Carina L. Chiscano “Seagrass biomass and production: a reassessment” Aquatic Botany Volume 65, Issues 1–4, November 1999, Pages 159–174. Tarquinio, F., Hyndes, G.A., Laverock, B., Koenders, A. and Säwström, C. (2019) "The seagrass holobiont: understanding seagrass-bacteria interactions and their role in seagrass ecosystem functioning". United Nations Environment Programme (2020). [52] Seagrass meadows also provide physical habitat in areas that would otherwise be bare of any vegetation. Seagrasses are major structuring components of some of the most productive marine ecosystems. In contrast, seagrasses in the subtidal zone adapt to reduced light conditions caused by light attenuation and scattering due to the overlaying water column and suspended particles. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the order Alismatales (in the class of monocotyledons). The most-used methods to protect and restore seagrass meadows include nutrient and pollution reduction, marine protected areas and restoration using seagrass transplanting. They function as important carbon sinks and provide habitats and food for a diversity of marine life comparable to that of coral reefs. ; Dheilly, N.M.; Klassen, J.L. Because stable carbon isotope ratios of plant tissues change based on the inorganic carbon sources for photosynthesis,[34][35] seagrasses in the intertidal and subtidal zones may have different stable carbon isotope ratio ranges. The Citizen Scientist Project falls under the charitable umbrella of the Key Biscayne Community Foundation whose mission is to enable, facilitate, and empower residents to make a positive difference in the local, greater, and global community through programs, grant making, fiscal scholarship, and community leadership. Duarte (eds). 20.2 Overview. 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