Sea Grass

• Sea grasses are (angiosperms) marine flowering plants that resemble grass in appearance.
• They produce flowers; have strap-like or oval leaves and a root system.
• They grow in shallow coastal waters with sandy or muddy bottoms & require comparatively calm areas.
• They are adapted to life in the salt water.
• Major Sea grass meadows in India occur along the south east coast of Tamil Nadu and in the lagoons of a few Lakshadweep Islands. There are few grass beds around Andaman and Nicobar islands also. The rich growth of seagrasses along the Tamil Nadu coast and Lakshadweep islands is mainly due to high salinity, clarity of the water and sandy substratum.
  

• Sea grass beds physically help:
• to reduce wave and current energy,
• to filter suspended sediments from the water and
• stabilize bottom sediments to control erosion.
• Provides habitat for marine invertebrates and fishes.
• Seagrass beds are widespread in lagoon & in such areas, the population of fish and migratory birds are also higher due to the availability of food and shelter.
• Sea grasses on reef flats and near estuaries are also nutrient sinks, buffering or filtering nutrient and chemical inputs to the marine environment.

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