CONTENTS (continued) 



Page 



CHAPTER 5. THE SEAGRASS COMMUNITY - COMPONENTS, STRUCTURE, AND FUNCTION .... 41 



5.1 Associated Algae 42 



Benthic Algae 42 



Epiphytic Algae 44 



5.2 Invertebrates 45 



Composition 45 



Structure and Function 46 



5.3 Fishes 49 



Composition 49 



Structure and Function 51 



5.4 Reptiles 53 



5.5 Birds 54 



5.6 Manmals 56 



CHAPTER 6. TROPHIC RELATIONSHIPS IN SEAGRASS SYSTEMS 57 



6.1 General Trophic Structure 57 



6.2 Direct Herbivory 59 



6.3 Detrital Processing 69 



Physical Breakdown 70 



Microbial Colonization and Activities 71 



Microflora in Detritivore Nutrition 72 



Chemical Changes During Decomposition 73 



Chemical Changes as Indicators of Food Value 73 



Release of Dissolved Organic Matter 74 



Role of the Detrital Food Web 74 



CHAPTER 7. INTERFACES WITH OTHER SYSTEMS 75 



7.1 Mangrove 75 



7.2 Coral Reef 75 



7.3 Continental Shelf 78 



7.4 Export of Seagrass 78 



7.5 Nursery Grounds 80 



Shrimp 80 



Spiny Lobster 81 



Fish 82 



CHAPTER 8. HUMAN IMPACTS AND APPLIED ECOLOGY 84 



8.1 Dredging and Filling 84 



8.2 Eutrophication and Sewage 86 



8.3 Oil 87 



8.4 Temperature and Salinity 88 



8.5 Disturbance and Recolonization 91 



8.6 The Lesson of the Wasting Disease 93 



8.7 Present, Past, and Future 93 



REFERENCES 96 



APPENDIX A-1 



Key to Fish Surveys in South Florida A-1 



List of Fishes and their Diets from Collections in South Florida A-2 



V 



