An Underwater Meadow

When seagrass covered the lagoon: Before development, the Indian River Lagoon had some of the most extensive seagrass meadows in Florida. In some areas, seagrass covered nearly the entire shallow bottom — an underwater prairie. What seagrass is: Seagrass isn't seaweed (algae). It's a true flowering plant — with roots, leaves, flowers, and seeds — that has adapted to live underwater in salt water. It grows in clear, shallow water where sunlight can reach it. The meadows: The pre-development lagoon had several species of seagrass — shoal grass, turtle grass, manatee grass, and others — forming vast interconnected meadows. These meadows acted like the grasslands of the Great Plains, but underwater: feeding grazers, sheltering young animals, and holding the whole system together. A foundation species: Biologists call seagrass a 'foundation species' — meaning the whole ecosystem is built on it. Take away the seagrass, and the fish, the manatees, the clear water, and much else disappears with it. When we talk about the lagoon being healthy, we're really talking about seagrass being healthy.