Epiphtyes on Sea Grass

Sea grasses are vital to the marine community because they help produce oxygen and offer shelter for juvenile fishes. The three types of sea grass that we saw in Ft Myers are shoal grass, turtle grass, and manatee grass. When the sea grass is covered in any organism that doesn't move it is covered in epiphytes. Epiphytes can include algae, bacteria, fungi, hydroids, crustaceans and molluscs. The presence of algal epiphyte coverage (the most common), can be influenced by sunlight, nutrients and predation. Grazers such as snails work to keep the sea grass clean of algae as soon as coverage begins. Algal epiphyte coverage can be the most important primary producers in the sea grass habitat but it is unclear to what degree is too much. If there is too much epiphytic coverage, it can prevent photosynthesis of the sea grass from taking place. Algal epiphytes prefer to cover the blades of sea grass where the sunlight reaches the most. Upon decomposition, the algae becomes a part of the detritus after the sea grass blades die. Epiphytes exist in low numbers where the nutrient levels are unaffected by added rates. As the sea grasses grow, they allow for the epiphytes to exist in greater numbers, which then in turn limits the overall growth of the grasses. We saw a graduate students study on epiphytes and sea grass and if a certain species of snail that lives on the sea grass blades could keep it clean of algae under certain conditions. These studies are important because the sea grass communities are so important to juvenile organisms that need time to grow.