Great radio from the Apalachicola Bay in North Florida
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Understanding the Ecological Importance of Florida's Seagrasses
The Florida State University Coastal & Marine Laboratory Conservation Lecture Series
Understanding the Ecological Importance of Florida's Seagrasses
by Jonathan Brucker
Florida's seagrass beds are an extremely valuable resource;approximately 2,000,000 acres of seagrass in Florida provide critical habitat for many fish, crustaceans, and shellfish, including many recreationally and economically important species; help stabilize the bottom sediments, which in turn improves water quality; and are a source of food for many marine animals. Found in shallow coastal marine and estuarine waters, seagrasses are "grass-like" flowering plants. Seagrasses are typically found as small, patchy beds; however, these small patches can join to form large, continuous beds known as seagrass meadows. Seven species of seagrass are found off of Florida's coasts and each has unique physical requirements for survival, such as light, salinity, and nutrient availability. Understanding trends in species composition, abundance, and distribution of seagrasses, in conjunction with water quality monitoring efforts, aids researchers in determining the overall health of highly diverse ecosystems.
Jonathan Brucker(Florida Department of Environmental Protection) is the manager of the Central Panhandle Aquatic Preserves. He has a bachelor's degree in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina, and he has been working for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection since 2003. Jonathan has a strong background in water quality and biological monitoring, as well as many other resource management activities, which has made him a valuable asset to the Aquatic Preserve program.
approximately 2,000,000 acres of seagrass in Florida provide critical habitat for many fish, crustaceans, and shellfish, including many recreationally and economically important species; help stabilize the bottom sediments, which in turn improves water quality; and are a source of food for many marine animals. Found in shallow coastal marine and estuarine waters, seagrasses are "grass-like" flowering plants. Seagrasses are typically found as small, patchy beds; however, these small patches can join to form large, continuous beds known as seagrass meadows. Seven species of seagrass are found off of Florida's coasts and each has unique physical requirements for survival, such as light, salinity, and nutrient availability. Understanding trends in species composition, abundance, and distribution of seagrasses, in conjunction with water quality monitoring efforts, aids researchers in determining the overall health of highly diverse ecosystems.
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