Eelgrass

Sombrio beach has several fresh-water tributaries, the largest one being Sombrio creek. This creates an environment of brackish waters, which eelgrass thrives in. Eelgrass meadows can be seen inundated between the intertidal and subtidal zone during low tide, in between the rocky headland called Sombrio point and minute creek. Eelgrass is dependant on water clarity, temperature, light attenuation, salinity, and pH (Wright, 2002).

Eelgrass are home to many microbes that break down dead plant matter that create primary nutrients for many species that exist in these communities. This flourishing ecosystem creates a sheltered habitat for many organisms at different crucial times in their life cycle, such as juvenile Pacific salmon, herring, pipefish and smelt. It is also home to many kinds of invertebrates including sea stars, clams, sea urchins, crabs and snails (What is eelgrass? 2015). There are also mammals that are part of the eelgrass communities like harbor seals and river otters, as well as epiphytes that depend on the eelgrass for habitat.

Eelgrass at sombrio is threatened by heavy storms that can pull the eelgrass from its substrate, and sediment runoff from natural sources and deforestation that reduce clarity in the water (What is eelgrass? 2015). Eelgrass is not only important for biological communities but for human activities as well, as eelgrass prevents beach erosion, and is a carbon sequester. It is important that eelgrass meadows are conserved, as they are a center of biodiversity and fundamental to many organisms (Wright, 2002).