ABSTRACT
The seagrass ecosystem present in nearshore waters of the Florida Big Bend coast is the second largest in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, covering about 3,000 km
. This area (from the St. Marks to the Anclote River) generally receives less research and management attention compared to other seagrass areas in Florida (i.e., Florida Bay, Indian River Lagoon). It represents the northern distributional limit of American tropical seagrasses. The major seagrass species are
Thalassia testudinum
,
Syringodium filiforme
, and
Halodule wrightii
.
