CLINTON J. DAWES August 2004 RONALD C. PHILLIPS GEROLD MORRISON CLINTON J. DAWES University of South Florida Tampa, Florida, USA RONALD C. PHILLIPS Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine GEROLD MORRISON Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County Tampa, Florida, USA August 2004 COPIES This document may be obtained from the following agencies: Tampa Bay Estuary Program FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 100 8th Avenue SE 100 8th Avenue SE Mail Station I-1/NEP ATTN: Librarian St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5020 St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5020 Tel 727-893-2765 Fax 727-893-2767 Tel 727-896-8626 Fax 727-823-0166 www.tbep.org http://research.MyFWC.com CITATION Dawes, C.J., R.C. Phillips, and G. Morrison. 2004. Seagrass Communities of the Gulf Coast of Florida: Status and Ecology. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. St. Petersburg, FL. iv + 74 pp. AUTHORS Clinton J. Dawes, Ph.D. Distinguished University Research Professor University of South Florida Department of Biology Tampa, FL 33620
[email protected] Ronald C. Phillips, Ph.D. Associate Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas 2, Nakhimov Ave. Sevastopol 99011 Crimea, Ukraine
[email protected] Gerold Morrison, Ph.D. Director, Environmental Resource Management Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County 3629 Queen Palm Drive Tampa, FL 33619 813-272-5960 ext 1025
[email protected] ii TABLE of CONTENTS iv Foreword and Acknowledgements 1 Introduction 6 Distribution, Status, and Trends 15 Autecology and Population Genetics 28 Ecological Roles 42 Natural and Anthropogenic Effects 49 Appendix: Taxonomy of Florida Seagrasses 55 References iii FOREWORD The waters along Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coastline, which stretches from the tropical Florida Keys in the south to the temperate Panhandle in the north, contain the most extensive and diverse seagrass meadows in the United States.