new seedlings because uprooted plants float and tend to be cast ashore 

 or washed out to sea. 



Eelgrass aboveground production typically ranges 200-500 g C m ^ 

 y"^ (Jacobs, 1979; Kentula and Mclntire, 1986; Robertson and Mann, 1984; 

 Thayer et. al, 1984; McRoy and McMillan, 1977) and may locally exceed 

 production by phytoplankton and macroalgae in shallow bays (Sand-Jensen 

 and Borum, 1983) . Epiphytic algae often contribute sizably to the 

 productivity of these communities (Penhale, 1977; Penhale and Smith, 

 1977; Mazella and Alberte, 1986) . Most eelgrass production enters a 

 detritus based food web (Harrison and Mann, 1975; Kenworthy and Thayer, 

 1984; Mann, 1972; Thayer et al., 1975), but direct consumption by 

 herbivores such as waterfowl and isopod crustaceans may be locally 

 significant (Nienhuis and Van Ireland, 1978; Nienhuis and Groenendijk, 

 1986). 



Carbon fixation is just one role of eelgrass beds in coastal 

 waters. Eelgrass meadows act as a nursery, feeding ground, and refuge 

 for numerous animals (Adams, 1976; Heck and Orth, 1980a+b; Kickuchi, 

 1980; Lewis, 1931; Thayer and Stuart, 1974; Thayer et al., 1984;). When 

 eelgrass colonizes an area, it changes the physical, chemical, and 

 biotic properties of sediments (Kenworthy et al., 1982; Marshall and 

 Lukas, 1970). As eelgrass biomass increases, so does organic matter, 

 fine sediment fractions, and infaunal invertebrate diversity (Orth, 

 1973, 1977) . 



Eelgrass beds, like other seagrasses, bind, baffle, and stabilize 

 sediments and may also influence coastal erosion (Burrell and Schubel, 

 1977; Churchill et al., 1978; Fonseca et al., 1982a, 1983; Fonseca and 



