Overview 



Introduction 



Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) is a subtidal marine angiosperm 

 common in temperate waters in the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of 

 more than 60 species of seagrasses that grow in the worlds oceans. In 

 Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod, eelgrass beds are abundant, often forming 

 extensive underwater meadows. The areal cover of eelgrass habitat is 

 twice that of salt marshes in this region, but because these beds are 

 subtidal, they are unnoticed, except by boaters, shellf isherman and 

 divers. 



Eelgrass beds are often inconspicuous from the surface, but they 

 are productive and valuable resources. Eelgrass beds are ecologically 

 important in coastal waters because they serve as nurseries, refuge, and 

 feeding grounds for fish, waterfowl and invertebrates. Eelgrass meadows 

 also bind, stabilize, and change the chemistry of sediments. 



In Chapter 1, I describe in detail the present day distribution of 

 eelgrass in Buzzards Bay, and in Chapter 2, I estimate the contribution 

 of eelgrass growth to productivity in Buzzards Bay.+ 



The wasting disease of 1931-32 destroyed virtually all eelgrass in 

 this area, and most areas did not recover for many decades. In Chapter 

 3, I document this and other declines due to disease by analyzing 

 eelgrass seed deposition in sediment cores. I also reanalyze the causes 

 of the disease and the slow recolonization process in Chapter 4. 



