Why is seagrass important?
Seagrasses are only lightly grazed in temperate waters, and the organic matter produced by them enters a detrital food chain.
The most obvious role of seagrasses is as part of a structural habitat. The seagrass blades protect juvenile and small adult fish, and invertebrates such as prawns and crabs, from predators such as large fish.
The leaves and upright stems of seagrasses also act as baffles to water currents; this can cause suspended particles to be deposited.
To summarise, seagrasses can:
be a food source for a limited number of
organisms
provide material for the detrital food chain
act as host for epiphytes that may be heavily grazed
act in nutrient cycling
bind the sediment and encourange accretion
be an important shelter for fish and
crustaceans.
What is seagrass?
Causes of seagrass Loss.
Seagrass in Hervey Bay.
