Tape seagrass, which is recorded throughout the Indo-Pacific region can grow up to 150 cm. It provides refuge and acts as a feeding area for more than 1,000 species of fish, including this pufferfish. Photo: Vardhan Patankar/WCS-IndiaThe grass can bury carbon in underwater sediments 40 times faster than tropical forests bury it in the soil. This is a rocky outcrop near the Henry Lawrence island in the Andamans and Nicobars. Photo: Vardhan Patankar/WCS-IndiaA recent study by a team of researchers from WCS-India, Dakshin Foundation and Andaman Nicobar Environment Team has made observations on the flowering and fruiting of tape seagrass. This is the female flower of the grass. Photo: Vardhan Patankar/WCS-IndiaResearchers counted shoots, fruits, female flowers and the density per square meter was calculated. Observations from the study of fruiting and flowering establish an important reproductive stage in the life-cycle of the species and open avenues for further seagrass research. Photo: Vardhan Patankar/WCS-IndiaA mixed meadow. The researchers recommend that extensive surveys should be carried out in all potential seagrass meadows of the Andaman & Nicobar Archipelago to understand the phenology of all 11 seagrass species. Photo: Vardhan Patankar/WCS-IndiaThe seagrass ecosystem is threatened by trawl fishing, sand mining, coastal construction, sewage and other pollutants. The study findings can be used to protect and conserve the unique system. Photo: Vardhan Patankar/WCS-India