Biodiversity in Seagrass Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Seagrasses are flowering plants living in marine environments with a long evolutionary history and a global distribution. They are found in a variety of habitats including estuaries, coastal embayments, tropical reef-tops and deep-water environments. Yet, they have a surprisingly low taxonomic diversity of ca. 60–70 species worldwide. Notwithstanding this, seagrasses are foundation species that can greatly enhance biodiversity in marine systems through the provision of food and habitat for other organisms. Seagrass communities include species from all of life’s broad taxonomic groups from bacteria, through algae, invertebrates, fish, birds, reptiles and mammals, often in numbers orders of magnitude greater than in adjacent bare habitats. The increased biodiversity of seagrass systems generally has a positive influence on important ecosystem functions through improvements in productivity, resilience and resource use, and is likely to maintain the greatest number and diversity of ecosystem services. The enhancement and preservation of biodiversity are becoming principles guiding conservation and restoration efforts in seagrass ecosystems. 

We now stand at the forefront of a new era where novel techniques and technologies in sampling, identifying and analysing biodiversity patterns will lead to new discoveries and a greater understanding of the complexity of seagrass systems. For this Special Issue, we invite submissions that address all aspects of seagrass biodiversity, from genetic and genotypic diversity through taxonomic and species diversity, including the plants themselves and associated organisms they support, the diversity of functional traits among these species and the effects of landscape and ecosystem diversity and connectivity. We are interested in studies from the local to the global scale and papers that highlight new methods, technologies and analyses that aid in the discovery and understanding of seagrass biodiversity.

Dr. Paul York
Assoc. Prof. Randall Hughes
Prof. Rod Connolly
Dr. Richard Unsworth
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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