Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS01 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation and the Water Column (Environmental Connections)

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 11:45:00 AM

Location: Galisteo

Duarte, C, M, IMEDEA, Esporles (Mallorca), Spain, cduarte@uib.es

Agawin, N, , IMEDEA, Esporles (Mallorca), Spain, ieanar@clust.uib.es

Gacia, E, , CEAB, Blanes, Spain, gacia@ceab.csic.es

FEEDBACKS BETWEEN SEAGRASS AND SESTON

Conventional wisdom assigns seagrass with the capacity to affect seston in the overlying water column. However, direct quantitative evidence of these effects, and the specific processes involved, are still few. Here I provide quantitative estimates of the effects of seagrasses on suspended sediments through (1) examination of seston concentration across seagrass canopies, (2) examination of the extent and mechanisms for enhanced sediment retention within seagrass beds, and (3) evidence for a direct filtration of planktonic particles by seagrass canopies. The consequences of these processes for our perception of the roles of seagrass ecosystems and their conservation are discussed.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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