Seagrasses are a group of flowering plants that live underwater; the only angiosperms to do so. Despite their name (arising from their grass-like, long leaves), seagrasses are more closely related to lillies and orchids. However, the taxonomy of the members of this ecological group is not yet completely resolved and remains a matter of scientific debate.
Seagrasses are of great ecological importance, forming large “meadows” in all continents except Antarctica which provide vital ecosystem services, including carbon uptake, habitats, and nutrient cycling. Seagrasses also provide shelter for commercially important small fish and invertebrates, and help to reduce coastal erosion. The broad genetic background of this ecological group and its physiological adaptations to various kinds of stress also make it a valuable source of secondary metabolites with, for example, antimicrobial activities.
Human activity is having profound impacts on marine ecosystems, including seagrass communities. Over the last few decades, anthropogenic changes including reduced water quality, ocean acidification, and increased temperature, have caused global declines in seagrass populations and the area of seagrass beds. Due to the valuable ecosystem services that seagrass beds provide at coastlines all over the world, strategies to recover seagrass meadows are being developed. However, further information on seagrasses is required to support these strategies. For many regions, the exact coverage areas of seagrass are not well known, and simple methods to reliably detect changes in seagrass coverage need to be established for the development of locally successful conservation methods. These are dependent on the full clarification of taxonomic issues, due to the high plasticity and adaptation of local populations.
This Research Topic therefore aims to bring together different perspectives on seagrass that highlight its ecological importance and the effects of anthropogenic pressures, as well as the potential for its recovery.
We welcome all article types covering the following topics, among others:
- Evolutionary history of seagrass;
- Further approaches to clarify taxonomy;
- Genetics and physiology of populations;
- Ecophysiology: response to abiotic and biotic stress;
- Identification of valuable secondary metabolites;
- Further development of non-invasive methods for the spatial and temporal decline or recovery of seagrass meadows;
- Functioning and resilience of seagrass ecosystems and trophic interactions under global change;
- Methods of seagrass restoration and implications for nature-based solutions.
Seagrasses are a group of flowering plants that live underwater; the only angiosperms to do so. Despite their name (arising from their grass-like, long leaves), seagrasses are more closely related to lillies and orchids. However, the taxonomy of the members of this ecological group is not yet completely resolved and remains a matter of scientific debate.
Seagrasses are of great ecological importance, forming large “meadows” in all continents except Antarctica which provide vital ecosystem services, including carbon uptake, habitats, and nutrient cycling. Seagrasses also provide shelter for commercially important small fish and invertebrates, and help to reduce coastal erosion. The broad genetic background of this ecological group and its physiological adaptations to various kinds of stress also make it a valuable source of secondary metabolites with, for example, antimicrobial activities.
Human activity is having profound impacts on marine ecosystems, including seagrass communities. Over the last few decades, anthropogenic changes including reduced water quality, ocean acidification, and increased temperature, have caused global declines in seagrass populations and the area of seagrass beds. Due to the valuable ecosystem services that seagrass beds provide at coastlines all over the world, strategies to recover seagrass meadows are being developed. However, further information on seagrasses is required to support these strategies. For many regions, the exact coverage areas of seagrass are not well known, and simple methods to reliably detect changes in seagrass coverage need to be established for the development of locally successful conservation methods. These are dependent on the full clarification of taxonomic issues, due to the high plasticity and adaptation of local populations.
This Research Topic therefore aims to bring together different perspectives on seagrass that highlight its ecological importance and the effects of anthropogenic pressures, as well as the potential for its recovery.
We welcome all article types covering the following topics, among others:
- Evolutionary history of seagrass;
- Further approaches to clarify taxonomy;
- Genetics and physiology of populations;
- Ecophysiology: response to abiotic and biotic stress;
- Identification of valuable secondary metabolites;
- Further development of non-invasive methods for the spatial and temporal decline or recovery of seagrass meadows;
- Functioning and resilience of seagrass ecosystems and trophic interactions under global change;
- Methods of seagrass restoration and implications for nature-based solutions.