Seagrass fact file

Are you ready to dive into the enchanting world of seagrass? 

As part of our ‘Tails’ of UK Wildlife campaign, we’re partnering with Project Seagrass to bring you this fun fact file all about an unsung hero of our seas. 

Let’s splash into this fact file to explore the magical tale of these mystical, underwater plants...

What is seagrass? 

The only marine flowering plant.

Scientific names for types of seagrasses found in British waters:

• Zostera marina (a.k.a. ‘eelgrass’).
• Nanozostera noltei (a.k.a. ‘dwarf eelgrass’).
• Ruppia maritima (a.k.a. ‘tasselweed’).
• Ruppise cirrhosa (a.k.a. ‘tasselweed’).

Where is seagrass located? 

Seagrass usually grows in shallow, sheltered areas of coastline.

What does seagrass need to survive?

Just like flowering plants above the surface, seagrass needs access to the sun for photosynthesis. The stem of a seagrass plant transports nutrients and water around it, while its roots absorb nutrients and stabilise seagrass within the seabed.  

To reproduce, seagrasses have flowers that can pollinate and disperse seeds, or their root system spreads out under the seabed to allow new seagrass plants to shoot up. 

Why is seagrass important?

There are so many reasons seagrass meadows are important, for example:

• Communities around the world rely on seagrass for healthy fishing grounds.
• The leaves of seagrass plants can filter pathogens, bacteria, and pollution out of seawater – cleaning our oceans and creating a safer environment.
• Biodiverse meadows provide shelter for an array of species, including crabs, fish, and manatees. 
• They can be interconnected with other coastal ecosystems, like coral reefs in the tropics or oyster reefs in the UK, and work together with them to cultivate healthy ocean habitats.
• Over 30 times more animals live in seagrass meadows compared to neighbouring bare sand habitats.

Three fun facts about seagrass

Fact 1 – Seagrass is the world’s only flowering plant capable of surviving in the sea! 

Fact 2 – Even though seagrasses only cover 0.1% of the seafloor, they’re responsible for locking away up to 18% of the organic carbon buried in the ocean.

Fact 3 – Adult green sea turtles graze seagrass meadows and get their name from the colour of their fat, which turns green due to all the leaves they eat.

Actions you can take to help seagrass conservation

Supporting charities who work tirelessly to restore seagrass meadows, like Project Seagrass, is an amazing first step on the journey towards a seagrass-friendly future. Here are a few additional ways you can make a difference to the health of our seas:

• Log all your seagrass sightings via SeagrassSpotter (we need to know where seagrass is to be able to protect it!).
• Find strategies for conserving water at home.
• Get involved with projects that protect the biodiversity of waterways.
• Make simple swaps to products that are kinder to the environment.
• Check out our guide to beach cleans.

Learn more about Project Seagrass 

But, before we delve deeper into the significance of seagrass, let us introduce you to an incredible charity championing the biodiversity-balancing power of seagrass:

• Project Seagrass is a global facing marine conservation organisation working to save the world’s seagrass.
• They seek science-based, sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by seagrass globally.
• In their quest to secure a positive future for seagrass, the charity believes that through community, research, and action we’ll reach a world where seagrass meadows are thriving, abundant and well managed for people and planet.
• Alongside their important activities, Project Seagrass also supports a network of citizen scientists via their SeagrassSpotter site.