Particulate Matter in Mangrove Forests and Seagrass Beds as a Nitrogen Source in Tropical Coastal Ecosystems

We show in laboratory and field investigations that in the short-term seagrasses obtain most of their required nitrogen from the degradation of seagrass leaves, rather than degradation of leaves exported from adjacent mangroves. Mangrove forests at our Thailand site retain the majority of their nutrients, and therefore potentially buffer seagrasses from nutrients.