Our research suggests that M. latisulcatus may not be as affected by seagrass loss due to coastal development as it would if it depended on seagrass for habitat, although there are still several important life history aspects that need to be addressed before we can firmly conclude this.
While seagrasses may not provide habitat, they may still be a primary source of food if prawns rely on exports from seagrass areas to their habitat.
Many juvenile penaeids feed primarily on benthic diatoms, etc. (Da et al., 1990), which can be highly productive on intertidal soft sediments.
To fully understand the consequences of seagrass loss, we need to determine to what extent M. latisulcatus relies on in situ production vs. production exported from nearby seagrass beds.
While detritus is not a major food source for penaeids (Dall et al., 1990), it may still be the basis for the food chain involving juveniles.
Seagrasses might also modify the intertidal environment by trapping sediment and reducing water motion and turbidity, with possible consequences for organisms living inshore of them.