Seagrass
Hello my dear Steemians,
This is the new account “Planetwild” by @stef1 and @myskye. This account is about collecting Steem for the PlanetWild project. Everything we get together here (Steem, SBD, SP) goes to the project. Then let's see what we can do here...
When discussing ocean ecosystems, the example that’s often used are coral reefs. Healthy reefs are rich with biodiversity, and their decline is having an unprecedented impact on our planet. However, another ocean ecosystem is under threat, and is far less talked about than corals—and that’s seagrass.
Seagrass only covers roughly 0.1% of the ocean floor, but these meadows provide shelter and feeding grounds for countless fish, turtles, seahorses, and other marine species. Seagrasses are also responsible for capturing and storing huge amounts of excess carbon from the atmosphere—35x more than the Amazon rainforest! Yet despite being one of the most important coastal habitats on Earth, it is one of the most threatened. Over the last 300 years, seagrasses have declined 29%.
Seagrasses are marine flowering plants found in shallow, coastal waters all over the world. Often covering vast areas, seagrass meadows are complex and biologically rich habitats. Seagrasses belong to a group of plants called monocotyledons, which is the same family as their relatives on dry land.
Around 100 million years ago, terrestrial grasses took a U-turn and began to adapt to salt water, expanding into coastal shallows. This evolution means that seagrass has a lot more in common with grasslands than they do with seaweed. Seagrass also behaves like grass, with roots and leaves, photosynthesizing sunlight. They spread by releasing pollen and seeds into the water which drift along the currents.
Even more fascinating, some species of seagrass have the ability to clone itself over and over. Poseidon's ribbon weed (Posidonia australis) in Australia’s Shark Bay is one such plant. The entire 180 square kilometer meadow is a single organism, and as a result has been named the world’s largest plant. This is just one example of how diverse seagrasses around the world are, with around 72 different species on every continent except Antarctica.
Seagrass beds are vital shelter for mollusks, fish, squid, and other small crustaceans, and often serve as foraging grounds for sea turtles. Seagrasses have a number of important functions in ocean ecosystems.
Seagrasses biggest superpower is its ability to store enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, making them critical in the fight against climate change. In fact, seagrass meadows are 35x faster than tropical rainforests when it comes to absorbing carbon, despite covering just 0.2% of the ocean floor. Seagrass meadows can then store that carbon in underwater sediment for hundreds of years. In total, seagrasses are responsible for roughly 10% of the ocean’s global carbon storage, which is roughly 27.4 million tons of CO2 annually.
Seagrass is often referred to as ‘nature’s water filter,’ because it traps sediment and absorbs pathogens from the water. Seagrass-dominated ecosystems also oxygenate water through photosynthesis which improves water quality. In fact, they produce around 100,000 liters per hectare, per day!
Seagrass meadows are important habitats for many species of marine life, including fish, crustaceans, and sea turtles. They provide vital shelter, breeding grounds, and nursery habitats for young marine species. Seagrass meadows support high levels of biodiversity and are crucial for the survival of endangered species like dugongs and manatees—a single acre alone can support a million unique species!
The vast root systems of seagrasses help to stabilize the seafloor. This prevents erosion and protects coastlines from storm surges and the impact of waves. They are ecosystem engineers that bring stability to coastal waters. They also help reduce flooding from storm surges and hurricanes by dissipating wave energy.
Seagrass is an indicator species, which means it acts like a health check for marine ecosystems. When seagrass beds are abundant and thriving, it’s usually a sign that the water is clean and the ecosystem is in good balance. When the seabeds start to die or shrink, it’s usually a sign that something is wrong.
This is a very good initiative to keep yourself busy and help around with nature by also not being shellfish I am thinking that that's such a wonderful thing to do..
Felicitaciones por esta iniciativa. Interesante información sobre los pastos marinos. Creía que eran algas, pero son plantas adaptadas a vivir bajo el agua.
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