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Morphological And Physiological Responses Of Seagrasses (Alismatales) To Grazers (Testudines: Cheloniidae) And The Role Of These Responses As Grazing Patch Abandonment Cues, Elizabeth A. Lacey, Ligia Collado-Vides, James W. Fourqurean

Department of Biological Sciences

Green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, are grazers influencing the distribution of seagrass within shallow coastal ecosystems, yet the drivers behind C. mydas patch use within seagrass beds are largely unknown. Current theories center on food quality (nutrient content) as the plant responds to grazing disturbances; however, no study has monitored these parameters in a natural setting without grazer manipulation. To determine the morphological and physiological responses potentially influencing seagrass recovery from grazing disturbances, seagrasses were monitored for one year under three different gazing scenarios (turtle grazed, fish grazed and ungrazed) in a tropical ecosystem in Alcumal Bay, Quintana Roo, Mexico. …