Tiny snails keep seas beautiful
The study revealed that, on average, marine herbivores remove almost 70% of the plant material on the sea floor - a far greater effect than land grazers have. Image: vilainecrevette/iStockphoto Coral reefs and seashores largely look the way they do because large fish and urchins eat most of the seaweed that might otherwise cover them, but a major new study has found that the greatest impact of all comes from an unexpected quarter – small marine snails.The study published in the journal Ecology Letters is the largest of its kind ever undertaken into the ecological impacts of marine grazing animals: it was led by Associate Professor Alistair Poore, of the UNSW Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, who worked with an international team of 10 researchers.It found that, on average, marine herbivores remove almost 70% of the plant material growing on the sea floor – an effect far greater than grazing animals have...