In the seagrass prairies all horses are seahorses
Marine prairies consist of vascular plants with an underground system of roots and rhizomes, which reproduce sexually by producing flowers and fruits. They evolved from terrestrial plants that returned to the seas about 100 million years ago
Seagrasses form complex, highly productive and highly biodiverse habitats that provide a multitude of highly valuable ecosystem services contributing decisively to human well-being and the security of coastal communities. Seagrasses play a key role in mitigating climate change through high rates of CO2 sequestration, 30 times higher than terrestrial forests. They also protect the coastal zone from erosion and rising sea levels, and improve water quality by filtering, recycling, and storing nutrients and pollutants. They reduce the incidence of marine pathogenic bacteria, and the disease and contamination of fish stocks. They are of fundamental importance to the world's fisheries production, functioning as true maternity farms and providing shelter and food for thousands of species, including endangered and charismatic species such as seahorses. These use the marine prairies to cling with their prehensile tails, camouflage, disguise, and capture prey.
Due to their sparse distribution, low mobility, and low fecundity, seahorses are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance of their habitat. The Ria Formosa, which once supported the largest number of seahorses in the world, is experiencing increasing disturbance leading to the decline of seagrasses and seahorses, whose numbers are now about 10% of what they once were. While habitat degradation and some evidence of illegal fishing may be causes for this decline, this is not entirely clear not known for example, how seahorse numbers vary seasonally or annually, whether there is a decline in food sources and whether they are dependent on seagrasses, or the role of habitat structure and complexity, and availability of prey and light, on the predatory success of seahorses.
Seagrasses form complex, highly productive and highly biodiverse habitats that provide a multitude of highly valuable ecosystem services contributing decisively to human well-being and the security of coastal communities. Seagrasses play a key role in mitigating climate change through high rates of CO2 sequestration, 30 times higher than terrestrial forests. They also protect the coastal zone from erosion and rising sea levels, and improve water quality by filtering, recycling, and storing nutrients and pollutants. They reduce the incidence of marine pathogenic bacteria, and the disease and contamination of fish stocks. They are of fundamental importance to the world's fisheries production, functioning as true maternity farms and providing shelter and food for thousands of species, including endangered and charismatic species such as seahorses. These use the marine prairies to cling with their prehensile tails, camouflage, disguise, and capture prey.
Due to their sparse distribution, low mobility, and low fecundity, seahorses are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance of their habitat. The Ria Formosa, which once supported the largest number of seahorses in the world, is experiencing increasing disturbance leading to the decline of seagrasses and seahorses, whose numbers are now about 10% of what they once were. While habitat degradation and some evidence of illegal fishing may be causes for this decline, this is not entirely clear not known for example, how seahorse numbers vary seasonally or annually, whether there is a decline in food sources and whether they are dependent on seagrasses, or the role of habitat structure and complexity, and availability of prey and light, on the predatory success of seahorses.
