There are multiple reasons seagrass habitat is important to our coastal ecosystems. They act as
nurseries for productive fisheries, sequester carbon and filter nutrients, and help stabilize the sediments. Now, researchers have found one additional benefit for both humans and sea-life. Published in a recent edition of Science, a group of international collaborators investigated the distribution and abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria in four Indonesian islands. By sequencing 16S ribosomal RNA, the authors could trace where the populations of disease-causing bacteria are above the recommended standards for exposure in recreational waters. They found that these levels were significantly lower in sites where seagrasses were present compared to sites where they were absent. Although they only focused on one human pathogen (Enterecoccus) as an indicator, this study was the first to show similar results for other bacteria that can infect marine fishes and invertebrates. The authors concluded that this could not only aid in the conservation of seagrass ecosystems worldwide, but also in the restoration of nearby coral reefs, which are increasingly threatened by the combined effects of disease, human development, and climate change.
nurseries for productive fisheries, sequester carbon and filter nutrients, and help stabilize the sediments. Now, researchers have found one additional benefit for both humans and sea-life. Published in a recent edition of Science, a group of international collaborators investigated the distribution and abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria in four Indonesian islands. By sequencing 16S ribosomal RNA, the authors could trace where the populations of disease-causing bacteria are above the recommended standards for exposure in recreational waters. They found that these levels were significantly lower in sites where seagrasses were present compared to sites where they were absent. Although they only focused on one human pathogen (Enterecoccus) as an indicator, this study was the first to show similar results for other bacteria that can infect marine fishes and invertebrates. The authors concluded that this could not only aid in the conservation of seagrass ecosystems worldwide, but also in the restoration of nearby coral reefs, which are increasingly threatened by the combined effects of disease, human development, and climate change.