Warming seas can threaten the hidden relationship that supports seagrass meadows
By Renske Jongen, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney
Ezequiel M. Marzinelli, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney
Paul Gribben, Professor, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney
On the western side of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, sits Myuna Bay, a quiet bay with meadows of seagrass waving beneath the water. The most common marine plant species you find there is Zostera muelleri. It has long ribbon-like leaves that grow from stems (called rhizomes) buried beneath the sediment and provides important shelter for small fish, shrimp and crabs.
Although Myuna Bay looks quite normal, it is actually a bit unusual. For decades, the nearby Eraring power station released…
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Tuesday, May 5, 2026