Seagrass communities are known to be highly productive systems and are found throughout the world. They serve as nursery grounds for fish and various invertebrates. In addition, they trap soil particles thereby stabilizing bottom sediments. Laguna Madre is a negative estuary dominated by low annual rainfall, runoff and high evaporation. In this hypersaline environment, primary production is predominantly from seagrasses.
Marshes are also highly productive systems.
They act to stabilize coastal sediments and provide habitat and nursery grounds for a variety of organisms. Last week we studied the Nueces Delta, a high saline marsh system. Its primary production is derived mainly from emergent vascular marsh plants. We will make in situ measurements of various physical and chemical parameters, collect water samples for subsequent laboratory analysis, and collect organisms for laboratory isotopic analysis with the mass spectrometer for the Lower Laguna Madre seagrass system. These measurements will be compared to equivalent measurements taken from the Nueces Delta marsh system last week.