Aspects of the ecology of Indo-Pacific seagrass systems: A PhD Thesis of the University of Essex, U.K

There exists a lack of information about many of the ecological structuring processes within Indo-Pacific seagrass ecosystems; such knowledge is pertinent to the future sustainable exploitation and management of these systems. This thesis considers aspects of the functions of seagrass ecosystems in supporting the faunal productivity of Indo-Pacific coastal marine systems. The Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia is used as an example of seagrass habitats throughout the Indo-Pacific bioregion. Research is split into three separate major aims; this firstly considered the major environmental influences on seagrass primary production, and investigated how the seagrass is utilised as habitat and as a direct food resource. The second half of the thesis considers the role and extent of the impacts of habitat connectivity on seagrass fauna by considering how tidal and diel cycles, and the availability of mangrove and reef, influence seagrass fish assemblages.