Life in Sea Grass Beds

Asif Jamil Toby Matthews

Introduction
Sea grass beds are members of the subtidal benthic environments Serve as important primary producers and contribute greatly to the overall biodiversity and environmental stability of other organisms in the sea

Sea Grass Beds

Found in shallow water (< 3m) of tropical and temperate oceans Only flowering plants which have ability to live under water Long, narrow structure of grasses provide meadow like appearance Major foundation species Grow best in conditions of relatively high light and modest current flow Colonize sediment after a successional sequence

Sea Grass Beds

High Primary Production Colonized by hydroids, sponges, bryozoans, and seaweeds Can harbor huge variety of associated species from all phyla (fish, algae, mollusks, nematodes, etc.)

Types of Sea Grass

Either monospecific (composed of one species) or multispecific (multiple species) Temperate Climates: usually monospecific (Zostera marina (eelgrass) dominate) Tropical Climates: usually more diverse beds with multiple species associated.

Formation of Sea Grass Beds

Follow a scheme of succession Begin on bare sand
Usually low in nutrients Rhizome system aids in nutrient transport Seaweeds also help stabilize the sediments and add nutrients (NH4)

Formation of Sea Grass Beds (contd)

Bare sand sea grass via succession Maturation of Sea Grass
Alga contribute to stimulation of grass growth CO2 production by Halimeda mounds also stimulate grass growth

Formation of Sea Grass Beds (contd)

Finally, colonization of diverse species
Species begin to occupy a habitat and contribute to primary and secondary productivity

Role of Sea Grasses on Biodiversity

Enhance total productivity
Become a major source of food, oxygen
Sea Turtles, Dugongs all feed off of sea grasses 1m2 of sea grass meadow can produce up to 10 liters of oxygen per day

Role of Sea Grasses on Biodiversity

Provide shelter for many species
Variety of fouling organisms such as hydroids, sponges, bryozoans and seaweeds Reduction of predation

Become nursery areas for many fisheries

Role of Sea Grasses on Environment

Can stop beach erosion by stabilizing sediments Prevents land based pollution from reaching coral reefs and other species Alteration of current flow

Overview of Organisms Associated with Sea Grass Beds

Sea Turtles

Scallops (Argopecten irradians)

Coral Reefs

Sponges

Seagrass as a Protective Habitat

Many fish, molluscs, crabs, and shrimp occupy seagrass during their juvenile stage
High productivity Safe from predators

Very important for fisheries

Bay scallops on Z. marina

http://coz.southernfriedscience.com/?p=652

Dense Seagrass Bed

http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/htm/c_sea.html

Juvenile Halibut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVfqa5nhhl4

Seagrass as a Protective Habitat

Seagrasses are also home to many burrowing and suspension-feeding many burrowing and susinvertebrates
Reduced flow encourages settlement and limits scouring Rhizomes deter predators from infaunal organisms

Pen Shell
http://users.hartwick.edu/kuhlmannm/Images/SJB.html

Effects on Water Flow

Figure 15.4

Grazing and Grazers

Grazers of seagrass include sea urchins, green turtles, manatees, and dugongs

http://www.flickr.com/photos/littoraria/2529729291/sizes/o/in/photostream/

http://antiguaseaturtles.blogspot.com/

http://www.savethemanatee.org/news_feature_global_warming.html

http://weblog.greenpeace.org/makingwaves/archives/2007/09/s top_the_airbase_save_the_dugo.html

Grazing and Grazers

Green turtle grazing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-N97Ptg_lI

Grazing and Grazers

Sea urchins and green turtles preferentially consume leaf tips, encouraging the growth of new (and more easily digestible) seagrass Dugongs graze Z. marina, allowing Halophila ovalis (paddle weed) to compete

Halos resulting from sea urchin grazing

Figure 15.5

Grazing and Grazers

Seagrass meadows at high latitudes typically contain only a single species (Z. marina), as compared to >10 at lower latitudes Grazing is more prevalent at lower latitudesWhy?

Biological Threats to Seagrass

Seaweed can outcompete seagrass unless kept in check by herbivores Epiphytic algae grows on seagrass blades, limiting photosynthesis by the seagrass

Seaweed and seagrass

http://chaitt.blogspot.com/2008/01/sea-weeds-andsea-grasses-at-mettams.html

Green algae growing on sea grass

http://chaitt.blogspot.com/2008/04/seagrass-andseaweed-at-south-cottesloe.html

Trophic Cascades in a Temperate Seagrass Community

Per-Olav Moksnes, Martin Gullstrm, Kentaroo Tryman and Susanne Baden

Z. marina community in Sweden 58% of seagrass lost since 1980s Human impact in the form of eutrophication and overfishing of top predators Looked at the importance of bottom-up and top-down regulation

Zostera marina
http://klissurov.dir.bg/black_sea/index.htm

Trophic Cascade
Macroalgae Small Grazers Small Predators Large Predators

Amphipod Gammarus locusta

http://relakjack.com/media/marine-plants/

Cod Gadus morhua

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Gadus_morh ua-Cod-2-Atlanterhavsparken-Norway.JPG

Green Algae Ulva

http://relakjack.com/media/marine-plants/

Goby Gobius niger

http://www.fiskbasen.se/images/gobius_niger.jpg

Experimental Design
Set up experimental cages in bay to exclude large grazers and predators Algae and small grazers could naturally settle Cages differed in presence of small predators and nutrient concentration Experiment carried out for six weeks, measuring abundance of algae and small grazers

Results
Strong top-down regulation
One G. niger reduced the abundance of G. locusta by over 90% Also increased the biomass of algae by 3-6x Increased small predators magnified these trends

Amphipod Gammarus locusta Goby Gobius niger

http://www.maretarium.fi/mare/4_8_uk.php http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/4196/Amphipod

Green Algae Ulva

http://www.marinelifephotography.com/ma rine/seaweeds/ulva-fasciata.htm

Results
Unclear bottom-up regulation
Increased nutrients resulted in a bloom of Ulva about 3 weeks in However, the only lasting effect was an increase in G. locusta, and only when G. niger was absent

Overall, there is evidence that both eutrophication and overfishing of large predators are affecting seagrass beds in Sweden

Human Threats to Seagrass

Eutrophication
Seaweeds Epiphytic algae Phytoplankton

Overfishing
Top predators trophic cascade Suspension feeders increased phytoplankton

Phytoplankton Bloom
http://www.evergladesplan.org/pm/ssr_2009/hc_lake_ o_phyto_results.aspx

Human Threats to Seagrass

Dredging and boats
Increases turbidity and suspended particles Can permanently affect hydrodynamic properties, inhibiting seagrass recovery
Seagrass Propeller Scar
http://www.conservation.bm/habitat-photogalleries/seagrass-habitat-photo-gallery/8006580

A Reminder of How Cool Seagrass Beds are

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVfqa5nh hl4

Conclusion

Literature Cited
Levinton, J. S. (2009). Marine biology. New York: Oxford University Press. Moksnes, P.-O., Gullstrm, M., Tryman, K., & Baden, S. (2008). Trophic cascades in a temperate seagrass community. Oikos, 117(5). Retrieved from http://ca.umces.edu/president/se-pubs/Moksnes%20et%20al.%202008.pdf http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/seagrass_habitat.htm http://www.nps.gov/guis/naturescience/seagrass-beds.htm http://www.seagrasswatch.org/seagrass.html http://www.chucksaddiction.com/seagrass.html http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=4363