Tourism takes toll on ancient seagrass
Few holidaymakers are aware that the lush underwater meadows they swim above are formed not by algae, but by posidonia oceanica, an endemic plant unique to the Mediterranean and essential to the survival of many of its species. In its meadows life thrives: a nursery for animals such as octopusses, sea stars, seahorses, shrimps, crabs, sea urchins, yet still at the mercy of careless visitors who might not know that turtles rest on posidonia and dolphins feed on animals that live there.SunlightCov...