Seagrasses are underwater flowering plants that form dense meadows in shallow coastal waters, providing important habitat for fish and other marine life. They also help to stabilize coastlines and reduce erosion.
However, seagrasses are facing a number of threats from human activities, including climate change, pollution, and overfishing.
The new study, published in the journal _Nature Ecology & Evolution_, found that seagrasses that evolved during the last ice age are more tolerant of environmental stress than seagrasses that evolved during warmer periods.
The researchers studied seagrass populations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, which were both covered in ice during the last ice age. They found that seagrasses that evolved in these areas were more tolerant of high temperatures, low light levels, and nutrient pollution than seagrasses that evolved in warmer climates.
The researchers believe that this is because seagrasses that evolved during the ice age were exposed to more extreme environmental conditions, which forced them to adapt to survive.
"Our findings suggest that seagrasses that evolved during ice ages may be more resilient to future environmental changes," said study lead author Dr. Brian Silliman, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy. "This is important information for conservation planning, as we can focus on protecting the seagrass populations that are most likely to survive in the face of climate change and other human-caused threats."
The study also has implications for understanding how other marine organisms will respond to climate change.
"Our findings suggest that species that evolved during ice ages may be more tolerant of environmental stress in general," said Silliman. "This is important information for ecologists and conservation biologists, as it can help us to predict how marine ecosystems will respond to future environmental changes."
