Researchers in Plymouth have spotted seagrass flowering in their lab for the first time.
“After holding plants in the aquarium for four years, this is the first time this has happened,” says Mark Parry, head of ocean habitat restoration at the Ocean Conservation Trust, in a video shared on Instagram.
The NGO’s Blue Meadows team has been growing seagrass at the National Marine Aquarium for four years. Usually, the plants are used for restoration efforts, “but this year, we’re holding onto the plants for a little bit longer,” he says.
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After reducing the temperature in their tanks – to control a regular mould infection – they noticed reproductive shoots forming. “It’s starting to flower,” Parry says, “and once that flower’s been pollinated, it will produce seeds.”
“This is what the divers look for in the summer off the coast of the south of England,” he explains. The divers collect seeds from the wild and use them to grow seagrass in the lab. “To be able to produce seeds within closed conditions is really exciting for us and it’s the first time that it’s ever happened.”
The experts were particularly surprised to see their plants flowering as the seagrass is just six months old. “Much of the literature states plants need to be two years old to flower,” Parry adds in a comment on the video.
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Seagrass is the ocean’s only flowering plant and it plays an important role in the ecosystem. Seagrass meadows "are one of the most valuable and biodiverse habitats on the planet,” says the Ocean Conservation Trust.
“Since the 1930s, up to 90% of Zostera marina seagrass beds have been lost, largely through physical disturbance, pollution and disease. When seagrass meadows are damaged or degraded, they capture less carbon and release significant amounts of greenhouse gases that might have been stored for thousands of years.”
Understanding how to encourage seagrass to flower in the lab could help future restoration efforts.
Main image: seagrass growing in lab/Credit: Ocean Conservation Trust and National Marine Aquarium
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