Seagrass meadows are rapidly vanishing across the world, threatening animal species that rely on this vital coastal ecosystem for survival.
Two 麻豆原创 biology graduate students are leading projects developing innovative solutions for conserving seagrass species in Florida, with support from Pegasus Professor of Biology Linda Walters and Assistant Professor of Biology and Genomics and Bioinformatics鈥�faculty cluster member Robert Fitak. Their projects are among eight selected for funding through the Seagrass Restoration Technology Development Initiative.
The initiative was created in 2023 by the Florida Legislature and governor through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, with Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium leading the effort. It aims to support restoration technologies and approaches that address seagrass loss and its widespread ecological and economic impacts on communities across Florida.
鈥淪eagrasses around the globe, including in Florida鈥檚 Indian River Lagoon, have been decimated in recent decades,鈥� says Walters, who is also director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab (CEELAB). 鈥淭he effects rippled through the ecosystem and are tragically evidenced by the large number of manatees that died of starvation when no seagrass was present.鈥�
In partnership with Brevard Zoo, Florida Institute of Technology, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Aquatic Biogeochemistry lab led by biology professor Lisa Chambers and under Walters鈥� guidance, 麻豆原创 biology student Luciana Banquero 鈥�22 is examining how sediment quality, nutrient levels, and interspecies competition influence the success of shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) restoration.
鈥淲ith colleagues at the Florida Institute of Technology and the University of Lausanne, this project is sequencing genomic DNA of seagrass-associated microbes, comparing how these communities differ between nursery-grown shoal grass and the natural population in the Indian River Lagoon,鈥� Banquero says.
Banquero, who is in her second year on the project, says seagrass meadows provide essential habitat and food for countless marine species and are critical not just in Florida but wherever seagrass is found.
鈥淏y combining field trials and laboratory experiments, I aim to identify the conditions that promote seagrass establishment and long-term survival, improve restoration outcomes, and better understand how planted seagrass interacts with other macroalgal communities,鈥� Banquero says. 鈥淎dditionally, my collaborators are contributing samples to Mote Marine Laboratory鈥檚 seagrass genetic library, which will be used to study seagrass resilience and diversity at the molecular level.鈥�
Her research, inspired by recent algal bloom events in Florida, analyzes the sediment quality at shoal grass planting sites in Brevard County鈥檚 Indian River Lagoon and Banana River.
鈥淎lgal bloom events can trigger changes in these macroalgal communities, causing native seaweed (Caulerpa prolifera) to dominate the sediment floor and prevent seagrass growth,鈥� Banquero says. 鈥淏y studying sediment quality and the conditions in which seagrass is planted, we can better understand the complexity of coastal ecosystems and support successful plantings and conservation of these species.鈥�
According to Banquero, researchers have long suspected a competitive dynamic between Caulerpa algae and shoal grass, suggesting that shoal grass tends to perform poorly when the alga is growing nearby. However, no large-scale empirical studies across multiple sites or controlled laboratory trials have been conducted to challenge those long-held assumptions that have guided conservation efforts. Her research aims to fill that gap.
Walters, who has studied the seaweed genus Caulerpa on and off for more than 20 years, notes that members of this genus can be highly invasive and produce noxious secondary chemicals.
鈥淚nteractions occur at many levels 鈥� from chemicals released by roots to damage from herbivorous fish or boats 鈥� and we need to consider all of these factors to get the full story,鈥� Walters says. 鈥淭his project will study those interactions and clarify whether Caulerpa is harmful and should be removed or avoided when planting seagrass for restoration.鈥�
In collaboration with Fitak, Mote, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), St. John鈥檚 River Water Management District and Bethune-Cookman College, the team will identify heat resilience mechanisms at the molecular level and develop practical guidance for restoration in heat-prone environments.
鈥淥ur goal is to understand how rising seawater temperatures cause these plants to decline and identify adaptation mechanisms that can help make them more resilient,鈥� Perscky says.
Her work tests whether exposing seagrass to heat stress in a controlled environment can help plants adapt and pass resilience on to future generations.
鈥淲e are using novel technologies, including molecular tools such as transcriptomics, which help identify biomarkers linked to stress memory,鈥� she says. 鈥淎s well as satellite data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), combined with on-site field data, to track seawater temperatures and detect marine heatwave trends that inform the experimental design.鈥�
To test their hypothesis, Perscky鈥檚 team will conduct aquarium experiments that replicate ocean extremes at Mote鈥檚 state-of-the-art facility, where plants will be exposed to artificial marine heatwaves to prime them for survival, while open-source data models analyze decades of environmental trends to predict seagrass survival under future climate conditions.
鈥淭hermal priming is not a new technique,鈥� Perscky says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been used in crops like corn and in coral reefs. When plants and organisms face a second heat event, they remember the first exposure and adapt.鈥�
Fitak, who specializes in genomics, compared the adaptation process to vaccination.
鈥淵ou expose a young plant to a mini version of marine heat and its system remembers the trigger,鈥� Fitak says. 鈥淎s adult plants, they become more tolerant for when the real exposure occurs.鈥�
If successful, the approach could be applied not only in Florida but to other seagrasses around the world.
鈥淭his knowledge could guide how seagrass is planted in nurseries across the state and beyond,鈥� Perscky says. 鈥淚n places like Mosquito Lagoon and Banana River, where water stays warmer because it鈥檚 regulated by wind rather than tide, seagrass planted there could be more tolerant.鈥�
Walters adds more insight on this approach, which is currently undergoing testing on corals with success in some species in some locations.
鈥淚f we can restore areas with native, thermally primed seagrass, it should be more resilient to future heat events,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e are aiming to create 鈥榮uper seagrass,鈥� similar to efforts with 鈥榮uper corals鈥� that can tolerate higher temperatures than they currently do.鈥�
Perscky and Banquero cited the importance of partnerships in making their work possible.
鈥淪eagrass restoration is highly experimental and requires significant resources,鈥� Banquero says. 鈥淐ollaborating with scientists with different expertise and leveraging their long-term knowledge of Florida鈥檚 coastal ecosystems has enabled me to carry out my project.鈥�
Fitak also noted the multidisciplinary nature of the projects.
鈥淭his project is a great example of how science is done in an interdisciplinary way,鈥� he says. 鈥淐arla is collaborating with researchers from Mote, FWC, and other agencies, along with Dr. Walters and me, because no one is an expert of everything.鈥�
Beyond environmental impacts, student and community involvement is key to the success of these projects. Banquero has been planting seagrass in macroalgal beds in Brevard County, with local volunteers helping monitor the sites.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been rewarding to hear their perspectives on why protecting these ecosystems matters and to connect with people directly impacted by our work,鈥� she says.
Similarly, Perscky says partnering with Mote has given students and volunteers hands-on opportunities in seagrass monitoring.
Both projects highlight the challenges facing coastal environments and provide tools to help conserve seagrass beds now and in the future with Fitak emphasizing the importance of community support.
鈥淧eople love seeing healthy seagrass beds and the biodiversity they support, like manatees,鈥� he says. 鈥淐ommunities want to support restoration, but failed plantings can be discouraging. Our goal is to make restoration effective and resilient so these vital ecosystems thrive.鈥�
While the projects are focused in Florida, Walters points to the broader significance of the work.
鈥淭he outcomes of these projects will not only help improve the health of the Indian River Lagoon, but also build on current knowledge and provide practical methods for restoration practitioners to conserve and protect estuaries around the globe,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 deeply care about this lagoon, and all our efforts aim to improve restoration and resilience so it remains the magical place we know it is well into the future.鈥�
Researchers鈥� Credentials
Fitak is an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Biology in the College of Sciences. He received his doctorate in genetics from the University of Arizona and his bachelor鈥檚 in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University. Before joining 麻豆原创 in 2019, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Population Genetics in Vienna, Austria, and at Duke University. He is a member of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Genomics and Bioinformatics research cluster.
Walters joined 麻豆原创 in 1997 and was named Pegasus Professor in 2012. She is part of the coastal cluster and leads CEELAB. CEELAB鈥檚 work connects 麻豆原创 biology students with firsthand experience, putting classroom learning into practice. Walters has received more than $19.7 million in grant funding, published more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and authored 11 children鈥檚 story books about marine conservation.
