BWB – Underwater meadows

Imagine a flowering meadow, moving grasses, grazing animals and hiding predators. You might think about the steppe or meadows in Europe, but such a world does also exists below the surface of the waves. I speak about sea grass meadows. Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which completely live submerged in the ocean. Like land plants they have roots, a stem, leaves, flowers and seeds. They live in shallow waters around the whole world, from tropical to temperate regions. These seagrasses form extensive meadows in mostly clear waters were they are grazed by herbivores like sea cows (Manatees and Dugongs), sea turtles, sea birds, sea urchins and many fish, which on the other side are food for predators like sharks, rays, but also us humans.

Apart of being habitat and nurse4ry area for many animals, seagrass meadows deliver other ecosystem services. One of these is protecting the shore from coastal erosion. The flexible leaves reduce the wave motion and thus reduce the impact on the shore. Apart of that seagrass meadows act as sediment traps and with that protecting for example corral reefs from too many sediments. This trapping is not only limited to sediments. Also heavy metals and micro plastic is so trapped. Furthermore seagrasses sequester huge amounts of carbon dioxide and stores it in their extensive root systems which helps to battle climate change.

So next time you head to the ocean look for seagrass meadows. It is one of the best feelings to glide over such a meadow teaming with life.

By Horst Schulte

Photo source:

posidonia-oceanica-the-lung-and-foundation-of-the-med-o-med-heritage-area

Manatee-Crisis

green-sea-turtle

Omnivorous-Bonnethead-Shark