Sea Grasses

Adaptations: 

• Sea grasses are equipped with complex root-like structures called rhizomes, which spread under the sand and send up new shoots. Rhizomes help keep the sea grass anchored underwater.

• Sea grasses are flowering plants that reproduce via hydrochory; currents carry pollen and disperse their seeds.

Food:

• Most animals cannot feed directly on the sea grass and rely on detritus formed from decomposed sea grass leaves. However, animals such as manatees and sea turtles eat the sea grass directly.

Residents, Migrants, and Travelers:

• Permanent residents such as crustaceans and epiphytes are small organisms that live in or on the sea grass for their entire lives.

• Migrants, including a multitude of fish, migrate daily from the mangroves or reef to the sea grass beds.

• Travelers, also known as visitors, are larger animals like sea turtles, dolphins, and manatees that only visit the sea grass beds every once in a while.