seagrass – Seabed Habitats

Seagrass: The forgotten posterchild of UK marine life by Georgie Bull

The fourth seabed habitats seminar took place today by Georgie Bull, Underwater photographer, commercial and recreational diver, and student of Marine Biology and Ecology at University of Plymouth. Georgie recently won the award as the British and Irish Underwater champion in 2020. Seagrasses are complex and valuable ecosystems and are true plants, differing from algae in the tree of life. These flowering plants are important habitats in the UK for seahorses, nursery areas for species of fish including the Atlantic cod and invertebrates (as well as manatees, dugongs and sea turtles internationally). Seagrasses have an ecosystem services importance. What do seagrass offer us as humans?

“Personal experience of marine environments has been found to be important for developing interest and supporting conservation.”
-Georgie Bull

Georgie then discussed the public perception of seagrass meadows and marine species in UK shores- and the public perception of the “seabed” and the importance of having a personal connection to marine habitats for effective conservation and their protection. A big thank you to Georgie for helping us build this connection to seagrass as a marine habitat in this wonderful and insightful seminar as part of Seagrass Awareness Month!

Seagrasses Seminar by Georgie Bull

This march is Seagrass Awareness Month so am pleased to announce the next seminar on Tuesday 30th March at 1300 BST on Seagrasses by Georgie Bull, an Underwater photographer and Diver and Marine Biology and Coastal Ecologist studying at University of Plymouth. Georgie has recently won the award- the British and Irish Underwater Photography Champion for 2020. Georgie is very passionate about marine conservation and a seagrass enthusiast. Note the time is now in British Summer Time (BST) in the UK and may affect the time zone differences for international participants.

Register to sign up for the webinar below and to receive occasional updates about the seminar series. Your email will only be used for this purpose.

Science

Seagrasses

They are an ancient species of flowering plants that grow submerged in all of the world’s oceans. Seagrasses link offshore coral reefs with coastal mangrove forests. Today, these “prairies of the sea,” along with mangroves, are on the decline globally. Scientists fear the diminishing vegetation could result in an ecosystem collapse from the bottom of the food chain all the way to the top.

Known as “hotspots of biodiversity,” seagrasses and mangroves attract and support a variety of marine life. However, worldwide damage and removal of these plants continue at a rapid pace. Changing Seas travels along Florida’s coastline to get a better understanding of the significant roles mangroves and seagrass play within the state. Can biologists prevent a negative ripple-effect throughout the marine food web before it’s too late? How will rising sea levels impact these plants as well at the communities that depend on them?

via “Seagrasses & Mangroves”.

For further information on the Seagrass Watch program, please see the link and also “Ancient seagrass” for an article about seagrasses over 200, 000 years old.