Marine and coastal plant biology

Marine and coastal plant biology examines how photosynthetic organisms — seagrasses, kelp, and macroalgae — structure life along the world's shorelines and shallow seafloors, shaping habitats that support fish, invertebrates, and the communities that depend on them. As ocean temperatures rise and seawater grows more acidic from absorbed carbon dioxide, researchers are working to understand how these foundation species respond, and whether some populations are resilient enough to persist or adapt under sustained stress. A central open question is how much coastal vegetation can buffer shorelines against erosion and storm surge as conditions shift — and which species or genetic lineages are best positioned to anchor those protections. Mapping the global distribution of seaweed diversity and tracing how human pressures interact with climate-driven change are among the most active directions in the field right now.

Works

127,852

Total citations

1,720,024

Keywords

SeagrassesKelp ForestsMarine BiodiversityOcean AcidificationEcosystem ResilienceCoastal Protection