The Vital Role of Seagrass in Marine Ecosystems

Contemporary Science Issues and Innovations
January 10, 2017, Belmont Media Center, Belmont MA

Barnabas Daru, Ph.D., Research Fellow in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.

Correction:: at approximately 4:01 in video, Dr. Daru meant 100 million, not 100. Seagrasses are fundamental to the health of marine ecosystems, providing food and shelter to many organisms. Because of the dual impact of climate change and ocean pollution, many seagrass varieties are dying off. This loss in turn affects the many marine species that depend on the grasses. Dr. Daru explains the vital role of seagrasses in maintaining marine life, and how different seagrass varieties vary in the ability to adapt to changing ocean environments around the world. This area of research is very important in the urgent effort today to save marine biodiversity.

Harvard Gazette article on Dr. Daru's research