Species: Zostera japonica

Dwarf Eel-grass
Species

    Articles:

    Ocean acidification may be twice as extreme in Puget Sound’s seagrass habitats, threatening Dungeness crabs

    Ocean acidification could be up to twice as severe in fragile seagrass habitats as it is in the open ocean, according to a study published last April in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The conditions may threaten Dungeness crabs by 2050 and will be especially pronounced in the winter, the study says.

    An eelgrass bed in Puget Sound. Photo courtesy of Oregon State University.
    Diving deeper to understand eelgrass wasting disease

    New studies show that eelgrass wasting disease is more common in warmer waters, leading to concerns over the future effects of climate change on eelgrass populations in Puget Sound. We continue our series on science findings from the 2018 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference.  

    Eelgrass at low tide. Photo by Olivia Graham.
    Puget Sound Eelgrass Monitoring Data Viewer
    An interactive map created by the Washington Department of Natural Resources provides access to eelgrass monitoring data collected between 2000 and 2015 at selected sites in Puget Sound. 
    Eelgrass Data Viewer
    Status and trends for seagrasses in Puget Sound from 2010-2013

    A 2015 report from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources summarizes the status and trends for native eelgrass and other seagrasses in Puget Sound from 2010-2013.

    Report cover
    Top–down control by great blue herons regulates seagrass-associated epifauna

    A 2015 paper in Oikos Journal examines the impacts of great blue heron predation on species diversity in eelgrass meadows in British Columbia. 

    A great blue heron catching a fish in an estuary. Photo courtesy of NOAA
    Kingdom
    Plantae
    Phylum
    Anthophyta
    Class

    Monocotyledoneae

    Order

    Najadales

    Family

    Zosteraceae

    Genus

    Zostera

    Classification
    Informal Taxonomy
    Plants, Vascular - Flowering Plants - Other flowering plants
    Formal Taxonomy
    Plantae - Anthophyta - Monocotyledoneae - Najadales - Zosteraceae - Zostera
    NatureServe Global Status Rank
    GNR
    Conservation Status Map
    <img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=SE&US.WA=SE" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.159683