Submerged Aquatic Vegetation and Habitat : Survey and Mapping Methodologies Review
Date
2021-07
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Publisher
Trenton, N.J. : Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science and Research
Abstract
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), consisting of approximately 60 species worldwide (Green & Short 2007), is found in marine, estuarine, and freshwater ecosystems. SAV populations are composed of rooted, vascular, flowering plants that live and grow primarily below the water surface and include seagrass species found globally in shallow marine and estuarine environments. These submerged communities contribute to one of the most productive ecosystems in the world (Havel 2018), supporting biogeochemical cycling, physical stabilization of sediments, and life cycle habitat needs of multiple aquatic species (Green & Short 2007). SAV provides a nutrient source, nursery area, and critical habitat for commercially and recreationally important fish, benthic, and marine mammal populations (de Boer 2007), including threatened and endangered species.
Description
Keywords
New Jersey, New Jersey - Aquatic vegetation