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ADAPTATIONS
Florida Seagrass
courtesy South Florida Water Management District
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Seagrass have evolved adaptations to:
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Descending from terrestrial plants, seagrasses have evolved adaptations to survive in marine environments.
Seagrasses are well adapted to saltwater
courtesy NOAA
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Saltwater
- Salinity tolerance differs among seagrass species and is responsible for zonation patterns
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The adaptation to saltwater is most important since most land plants cannot tolerate even small amounts of salt. This salinity tolerance differs among species of seagrasses, resulting in zonation patterns.
Seagrasses have flexible blades that bend with little resistance to water movement
courtesy NOAA
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Wave Energy
- Rhizomes and roots firmly anchor seagrasses to the sediments
- Flexible blades offer little resistance to water movement
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In response to high wave energy environments, seagrasses evolved well-developed horizontal stems, referred to as rhizomes. Blades grow directly from the rhizome or from branches originating at the rhizome. Roots extending from the rhizome also assist in anchoring and taking up dissolved nutrients.
The ribbon-shaped grass blades are flexible, bending with any water movement. Air spaces extending through the blades, rhizomes, and roots provide flotation and repiration mechanisms.
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