A MarineGEO initiative, the Thalassia Experimental Network (TEN) has established monitoring and parallel experiments in beds of turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum), the dominant seagrass found throughout south Florida and the Caribbean. Based at the Smithsonian Marine Station (SMS) at Ft. Pierce, Florida, TEN is replicating these experiments at a Smithsonian field site in the Florida Keys as well as at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) at Bocas del Toro, Panama, and the Smithsonian’s Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Program (CCRE) at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. The goal of TEN is to understand vulnerability of seagrasses to nutrient pollution (eutrophication) and decline of grazing animals, and to investigate how those mechanisms vary among locations. This issue is important for coastal systems worldwide, where fertilizer and septic runoff are common contributors to altered ecosystems. Results from this project will provide scientists with a wealth of data on how human impacts affect vegetated near-shore ecosystems and, by extension, the species that depend on them for shelter and sustenance.
LOCATION(S): Belize | Panama
Topics: Ecosystems
