Sea grasses

Along with the green, brown, and red macroalgae, another type of plant grows in the intertidal zone several species of 

The seashore is a harsh environment where inhabitants are exposed to extremes in temperature and salinity, as well as alternating periods of drying and flooding. During a period of just a few hours, conditions such as the water level can fluctuate widely. The temperature in a small pool of intertidal water can vary as much as 86°F (30°C) or suffer a 50 percent change in salinity. 

Despite these problems, the intertidal zone is rich in nutrients and able to support more living things than most other parts of the ocean. Every nook and cranny, even the spaces between the sand grains, brim with communities of organisms. 

Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi are critical to the intertidal zone because they break down the dead or decaying matter that accumulates there. The activities of heterotrophic bacteria return nutrients to the system, making it possible for the producers to thrive. Fungi and heterotrophic bacteria are also important members of the food chain, sustaining other protists as well as small animals such as worms and copepods. 

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Ward, T.J., R.L. Correll, and R.B. Anderson. 1986. Distribution of cadmium, lead and zinc amongst the marine sediments, sea grasses and fauna, and the selection of sentinel accumulators, near a lead smelter in South Australia. Austral. Jour. Mar. Freshwater Res. 37 567-585. 

Jenkins KM, Jensen PR, Fenical W (1998) Bioassays with marine microorganisms. In Haynes KF, Millar JG (eds) Methods in chemical ecology bioassay methods. Kluwer Academic, pp 1-37 Jensen PR, Jenkins KM, Porter D, Fenical W (1998) Evidence that a new antibiotic flavone glycoside chemically defends the sea grass Thalassia testudinum against zoosporic fungi. Appl Environ Microb 64 1490-1496... 

Ktlsel K, Karnholz A, Trinkwalter T, et al. 2001. Physiological ecology of Clostridium glycolicum RD-1, an aerotolerant acetogen isolated from sea grass roots. Appl Environ Microbiol 67 4737 1. 

Takagi, M. et al., Flavonoids in the sea-grass, Phyllospadix japonica, Agric. Biol Chem., 43, 2417, 1979. 

Jensen, P.R. et al.. Evidence that a new antibiotic flavone glycoside chemically defends the sea grass Thalassia testudinum against zoosporic fungi, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 64, 1490, 1999. 

The marine environments around Malaysia are rich in natural resources including fisheries, coral reefs, sea-grass beds, and mangroves, lining the coastlines. Petroleum and natural gas resources are quite abundant in the South China Sea where offshore mining and oil prospecting activities predominate significantly. 

Ferrat L., C. Pergent-Martini, and M. Romeo. 2003. Assessment of the use of biomarkers in aquatic plants for the evaluation of environmental quality Application to sea grasses. Aquat. Toxicol. 65 187-204. 

Stoner, A.W. and Lewis, F.G., The influence of quantitative and qualitative aspects of habitat complexity in tropical sea-grass meadows, J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 94, 19, 1985. 

Avoiding consumption involves being where and/or when consumers are rare or inactive. Seaweeds and sessile invertebrates can avoid predators spatially, by growing in habitats with low densities of predators, such as reef flats, sand plains, sea grass beds, and mangroves,20-23 or temporally, by growing when predation pressures are low.24-26... 

In the benthic realm, working in the framework of the ENCORE coral reef research program in Austraha, Koop et al. (2001) reported stimulation of lagoon sediment N2 fixation by additions of phosphate suggesting sediment N2 fixation in carbonate systems may also be Hmited by phosphorus as earher observed for sea-grasses (Short et al, 1990). 

Jonkers H. M., vanBergeijk S. A., and vanGemerden H. (2000) Microbial production and consumption of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in a sea grass (Zostera no/fti)-dominated marine intertidal sediment ecosystem (Bassin d Arcachon, France). FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 31, 163-172. 

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