Seagrass meadows grow on the seabed and provide shelter for young fish and small crustaceans.

The longer version

Flowering plants returned to the sea and spread through soft sediment with creeping rhizomes that anchor against wave and current. Leaves absorb nutrients directly from surrounding water, so growth continues even where the seabed itself is poor.

Dense blades slow the flow, letting suspended particles settle and clearing the water, while roots bind sediment that would otherwise swirl away. That calm tangle hides juvenile fish and small crustaceans from hunters, and many move onward to reefs or open water once grown. Comparatively few animals eat the leaves fresh; most of the production enters food webs as decaying fragments.

Where this entry sits

Oceans and Sea Life looks at the salt water that covers most of the planet, from crashing waves and tides to the darkest deep-sea trenches. Expect notes on coral, fish, whales, sharks, jellyfish, shells, and the strange creatures that live far below the surface. The full list sits on the Oceans and Sea Life page, where every entry is listed in order.