Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria
Info
Zostera nigricaulis forms large and dense seagrass beds in soft sediments in tidal pools and shallow subtidal waters, and in sheltered sandy bottoms.
Zostera nigricaulis flowers regularly and grows rapidly, but also reproduces by rhizomes, and the beds of this seagrass species support diverse communities of fish and invertebrates.
Seagrasses are important:
- Food for animals such as dugongs, turtles and fish
- Hiding places and spawning grounds for fish and invertebrates
- Habitat for small crustaceans, shrimps and fish larvae
- Cohesion of the sandy bottom through a network of roots and rhizomes
- Production of oxygen through photosynthesis
- Consumption and binding of CO2
Like mangroves, seagrass beds are nurseries for many marine animals, but these biotopes, like almost everything else, are under threat from humans:
- water pollution
- mechanical damage caused by boats and trawls,
- changes in coastal development
- Discharge of fertilizers for excessive algae growth and the death of aquatic plants
In addition to man-made problems, nature also has an unpleasant surprise in store for seagrasses:
- Sedimentation caused by strong currents or storms
The grass forms long, round, wiry, dark stems with a cluster (5-12) of leaves. The leaves are flat and long, with three longitudinal ribs and a rounded, blunt tip; the leaves are green with a dark brown, wiry stalk.
The bladder snail Papawera maugeansis is often found on the seagrass.
Synonymised names
Heterozostera chilensis J.Kuo, 2005 · unaccepted > junior objective synonym
Heterozostera nigricaulis J.Kuo, 2005 · unaccepted > junior objective synonym
Zostera chilensis (J.Kuo) S.W.L.Jacobs & D.H.Les, 2009 · unaccepted
Zostera nigricaulis flowers regularly and grows rapidly, but also reproduces by rhizomes, and the beds of this seagrass species support diverse communities of fish and invertebrates.
Seagrasses are important:
- Food for animals such as dugongs, turtles and fish
- Hiding places and spawning grounds for fish and invertebrates
- Habitat for small crustaceans, shrimps and fish larvae
- Cohesion of the sandy bottom through a network of roots and rhizomes
- Production of oxygen through photosynthesis
- Consumption and binding of CO2
Like mangroves, seagrass beds are nurseries for many marine animals, but these biotopes, like almost everything else, are under threat from humans:
- water pollution
- mechanical damage caused by boats and trawls,
- changes in coastal development
- Discharge of fertilizers for excessive algae growth and the death of aquatic plants
In addition to man-made problems, nature also has an unpleasant surprise in store for seagrasses:
- Sedimentation caused by strong currents or storms
The grass forms long, round, wiry, dark stems with a cluster (5-12) of leaves. The leaves are flat and long, with three longitudinal ribs and a rounded, blunt tip; the leaves are green with a dark brown, wiry stalk.
The bladder snail Papawera maugeansis is often found on the seagrass.
Synonymised names
Heterozostera chilensis J.Kuo, 2005 · unaccepted > junior objective synonym
Heterozostera nigricaulis J.Kuo, 2005 · unaccepted > junior objective synonym
Zostera chilensis (J.Kuo) S.W.L.Jacobs & D.H.Les, 2009 · unaccepted
