Light availability is often the most important factor controlling
seagrass productivity, distribution and survival (Longstaff
et al., 1999; Carruthers et al., 2002; Biber et al., 2005), yet
other factors such as nutrient availability and physical disturbance
from terrigenous runoff also influence seagrass survival.
Fluctuations in seasonal turbidity and light availability due to
pulsed river flow inputs and wind driven re-suspension impose
strong selective pressures on seagrasses, which undergo ecophysiological
acclimation to cope with changing light climates
(Waycott et al., 2005).