Resilient seagrass offers new hope for restoring damaged ecosystems

Ruppia maritima, a native seagrass species, survives severe environmental disruption by persisting as a 'seed bank' in sediment and regenerating when conditions improve. A three-year study at FAU Harbor Branch found the plant establishes self-sustaining populations in aquaculture tanks and could pioneer habitat recovery in degraded estuaries globally.

The approach uses R. maritima as a 'first rung' to restore conditions for other species, not as a replacement for fully mature seagrass meadows. Field trials across the lagoon are still planned.