Image: Brigitta van Tussenbroek

We try to learn something new each day, and when we do, we pass it along here. Thanks to Conservation magazine for this one:

THE NEW UNDERWATER WORLD OF POLLINATION

Even at this relatively late stage in Earth’s exploration, it’s still possible to discover phenomena that are widespread, ecologically important, and—frankly—beautiful.

To wit: underwater pollination, specifically by animals. Until just a few years ago, this wasn’t thought to happen. Unlike on land, where most flowering plants rely on creatures to carry pollen to stigma, plant reproduction in a submerged world was thought to rely exclusively on currents and tides…

…The findings have obvious practical implications. Seagrass meadows are foundational to many shallow-water habitats; they’re “amongst the world’s most productive ecosystems,” writes van Tussenbroek and colleagues, and “improve water transparency, stabilize coastlines and store carbon, and also provide food and shelter to a diverse faunal community.” Understanding the role of crustaceans in maintaining these meadows should help people to protect them. Scientists could also be inspired to look for evidence of animal pollination in other aquatic plants…

Read the whole item here.