Around the Bend, Volume 3, Number 3, Summer 1997 Page: TITLE PAGE
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N 33o.0
4OUND
News of the
Coastal Bend's Bays and Estuaries
Vol. 3, No. 3 - Summer 1997ESTUAR'1
W s 2t7
Seagrasses - A Forest Beneath the Waves
"Seagrass beds are the cornerstone of a healthy bay system",
Dr. Kenneth Dunton, University ofTexas Marine Science Institute.Seagrasses form some of the
most biologically productive
submerged habitats in the
CCBNEP study area.
They perform a vital func-
tion in the physical and bio-
logical relationships be-
tween plants and animals in
our bays and estuaries.
Fish, waterfowl, and other
wildlife depend directly on
healthy seagrass meadows
for food. The tiny plants
and animals living on and
around seagrass communi-
ties provide a rich source of
food for larger animals. As
nursery areas, seagrass meadows also pro-
vide protection from predators for juve-
nile fish, shrimp, crab, and other animals.
Seagrass Characteristics
Seagrasses are unique plants, adapted to
live entirely beneath the water surface.
Even so, they share many characteristics
with their terrestrial cousins - grasses and
flowers. For example, they are plants and
utilize nutrients in the soil and sunlight for
growth; they flower and reproduce sexu-
ally, and; they modify the physical, bio-
logical, and chemical environment of their
surroundings.
Over the past two decades, awareness
and understanding of the role seagrasses
play in the estuarine ecosystem has in-
creased dramatically. Seagrass communi-ties perform the following important func-
tions:
* Serve as food source for game fish,
migratory waterfowl, and sea turtles;
* Provide a nursery area for fish, crabs,
and shrimp;
* Serve as a major contributor of
organic material for nutrient recycling in
estuarine waters;
* Stabilize sediment and reduce
erosion by establishing root systems; and
* Improve water quality through
sediment trapping and uptake of toxic
substances.'Seagrasses' next page
Seagrass in Texas
CCBNEPstudy area
43% 57%
Other Texas bays
Over40percent of the seagrass acreage in Texas is
foundwithin the CCBNEP study area.ON THE
INSIDE
Seagrasses of the Coastal Bend
Page 2
Keep Seagrass Out of Your
Propwash Page 3
Red Tide - Unwelcome Visitor to
the Coastal Bend Page 4
Neighborhood News -Aransas Pass
'ASAP' Page 5
ageo
Bee
Corpus~~~ Chi ti y aioa
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Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program. Around the Bend, Volume 3, Number 3, Summer 1997, periodical, Summer 1997; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1622964/m1/1/?q=%221997~%22: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.