Kessler, Andrew

Seagrasses are fully submersed, marine angiosperms that provide crucial ecological functions. Yet, seagrass communities in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, and elsewhere have been in decline as a result of point and non-point source pollution The major factor in seagrass decline in the IRL can be associated with the degradation of water quality, which has been influenced by human urbanization. Monitoring projects, restoration, and inquiries into the resilience of these declining seagrass communities have been initiated due to the detrimental effects of human-caused and environmental sources. Therefore, a small-scale monitoring project was conducted throughout the central IRL, using traditional transect method'i in order to observe trends based on spatial gradients, water depth, seagrass bed length, sparseness, and abundance, and any factor that might be affecting the growth and distribution of these seagrasses. A second component of the study incorporates obsen,ations on seagrass reproduction and recovery potential from environmental stressors via seed development and germination. In terms of percent coverage, shoot counts, canopy height, and overall transect length, the Southern sites had higher averages for almost every species of seagrass and for totals of all species compared to the Northern sites. Throughout the ten sites that were monitored, a seed bank was identified as being present. However, the abundance of seeds found was smaller than that found according to many other studies dealing with seed banks. Further inquiries into both aspects of the study would allow for a better understanding of the distribution, abundance, and relationships between seagrass beds, seed bank characteristics, and the surrounding environment.