Nature of the Study

[Nucleus]

Seagrasses are flowering plants that live in submerged shallow marine and estuarine environments. They possess leaves, stems and roots. Leaves of seagrass have cuticle for gas and nutrient exchange. Leaves have aerenchyma for water and nutrient transport throughout the plant. Aerenchyma consists of lacunae that provide buoyancy and allow gas exchange to the plant. Their leaves also have chloroplasts which is essential for photosynthesis, to convert carbon dioxide and water to oxygen and sugar (McKenzie, 2008). In this manner, it converts light energy to chemical energy which can be used by the plant or other organisms that feed on the plant.

Seagrass stems and roots are attached to the substrate. They anchor the plant, store food and absorb nutrients for the plant. Roots and rhizomes also have aerenchyma and lacunae for oxygen transport (McKenzie, 2008).

Seagrasses are adapted to marine existence by having high salt tolerance, ability to grow when fully submerged, well-developed rhizomes, hydrophilic pollination, and sufficient competitive power in the marine environment (den Hartog, 1967).

Seagrasses form seagrass meadows if the environmental conditions for a given species is met, which makes the seagrasses abundant in the marine coastal environment (Larkum et,al, 2006).They can be found on all of the world’s continents except Antarctica. They cover around 0.1-0.2 percent of the global ocean (Di Carlo and McKenzie, 2011).

Seagrass meadows are one of the critical components (along with coral reefs, mangrove forests, and algae beds) of tropical coastal marine environments (Waycott et al., 2009). They provide habitat for diverse groups of other marine organisms, including more than 360 species of fish, and are an important source of food for numerous charismatic animals including turtles, dugongs and seahorses.

Sea grasses also play an important role in fisheries production as well as sediment stabilization and protection from coastal erosion, making them one of the most important coastal marine ecosystems for humans (Di Carlo and McKenzie, 2011). Aside from that, sea grasses are considered coastal canaries because they are being monitored to detect human influences on coastal ecosystems (Orth et al., 2006), since they are sensitive to environmental changes and can be monitored to detect human influences to coastal ecosystems through measurable changes in seagrass abundance, distribution and condition provide resource managers with advance signs of deteriorating ecological conditions caused by poor water quality (McKenzieet al., 2012).

The intertidal area of Loay, Bohol grows a wide cover of seagrass in some areas especially on areas where mangroves are present but some has minimal seagrass cover because some of the barangays are being developed as beach spots. Intertidal areas of Loay also have different substrate types and have mangrove are which may affect species composition, relative abundance and percent cover of seagrass. Salinity may also be a factor because there is a river that supplies freshwater to some coastal barangays which may bear an effect on their salinity.Seagrasses are flowering plants that live in submerged shallow marine and estuarine environments. They possess leaves, stems and roots. Leaves of seagrass have cuticle for gas and nutrient exchange. Leaves have aerenchyma for water and nutrient transport throughout the plant. Aerenchyma consists of lacunae that provide buoyancy and allow gas exchange to the plant. Their leaves also have chloroplasts which is essential for photosynthesis, to convert carbon dioxide and water to oxygen and sugar (McKenzie, 2008). In this manner, it converts light energy to chemical energy which can be used by the plant or other organisms that feed on the plant.

Seagrass stems and roots are attached to the substrate. They anchor the plant, store food and absorb nutrients for the plant. Roots and rhizomes also have aerenchyma and lacunae for oxygen transport (McKenzie, 2008).

Seagrasses are adapted to marine existence by having high salt tolerance, ability to grow when fully submerged, well-developed rhizomes, hydrophilic pollination, and sufficient competitive power in the marine environment (den Hartog, 1967).

Seagrasses form seagrass meadows if the environmental conditions for a given species is met, which makes the seagrasses abundant in the marine coastal environment (Larkum et,al, 2006).They can be found on all of the world’s continents except Antarctica. They cover around 0.1-0.2 percent of the global ocean (Di Carlo and McKenzie, 2011).

Seagrass meadows are one of the critical components (along with coral reefs, mangrove forests, and algae beds) of tropical coastal marine environments (Waycott et al., 2009). They provide habitat for diverse groups of other marine organisms, including more than 360 species of fish, and are an important source of food for numerous charismatic animals including turtles, dugongs and seahorses.

Sea grasses also play an important role in fisheries production as well as sediment stabilization and protection from coastal erosion, making them one of the most important coastal marine ecosystems for humans (Di Carlo and McKenzie, 2011). Aside from that, sea grasses are considered coastal canaries because they are being monitored to detect human influences on coastal ecosystems (Orth et al., 2006), since they are sensitive to environmental changes and can be monitored to detect human influences to coastal ecosystems through measurable changes in seagrass abundance, distribution and condition provide resource managers with advance signs of deteriorating ecological conditions caused by poor water quality (McKenzieet al., 2012).

The intertidal area of Loay, Bohol grows a wide cover of seagrass in some areas especially on areas where mangroves are present but some has minimal seagrass cover because some of the barangays are being developed as beach spots. Intertidal areas of Loay also have different substrate types and have mangrove are which may affect species composition, relative abundance and percent cover of seagrass. Salinity may also be a factor because there is a river that supplies freshwater to some coastal barangays which may bear an effect on their salinity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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