Browsing injuries to blades of Halophila decipiens within a deep seagrass meadow

Abstract

Detailed photographic sampling within a seagrass meadow > 20 m deep illustrated frequencies and distributions of wounds on blades of Halophila decipiens Ostenfeld. About 10% of the blades were missing tissue, and wounds were rarely over a major portion of the blade. Although spatial distribution of all blades was patchy, injured blades within patches were uniformly distributed. Herbivory appears to be the major source of wounds, with herbivores ‘browsing’ blades rather than consuming entire blades. Blade injury associated with conch ( Strombus gigas (L.)) suggests that conch very rarely consume Halophila. Low overall levels of widely dispersed injury support current explanations for limited herbivory on seagrasses.