Seagrass: Rainforests of the sea From the June 4, 2008 Issue SUN
PHOTO/RUSTY CHINNIS Seagrasses are vitally important for species
like this sea trout that was landed on a fly by Captain Rick
DePaiva. The seagrass meadows that surround our barrier islands
are mostly hidden from view. As magical and as mysterious as any
tropical rainforest, they harbor a tremendous array of living
creatures. And while few directly experience this web of life,
it is responsible for much of the beauty and diversity of
coastal Florida. Seagrasses are flowering plants that serve a
number of important functions to the environment. Because they
flower, they require sunlight and are limited to clear, shallow
waters. They produce oxygen, bind sediments and baffle wave
action, while cleansing coastal waters. Seagrass roots, their
leaves, and the epiphytes and micro algae that cling to them,
clean water by converting dissolved nutrients into plant matter.
Besides giving us clean and clear water, sea grasses are home to
a vast number of o