James P. Mullahoo
Most carbon sinks, or ways in which the environment removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, are large entities, such as forests, soil, and oceans. However, seagrass is a small but mighty hero against a warming climate.
Seagrass is considered a blue carbon ecosystem, which is any carbon sink in the oceanic and coastal systems. Seagrass is a type of grass that grows in the mud of the ocean, and seagrass is being examined all over the world for its amazing carbon absorption properties. Seagrass absorbs carbon from the ocean, which was originally taken up from the atmosphere. The seagrass then transfers that carbon into the sediment in the surrounding mud.
Even though seagrass is small in number, James says that it is one of the most effective carbon sinks, sequestering carbon much more efficiently than most other carbon sinks. Although seagrass only accounts for about 0.1% of the area of the ocean, it is responsible for sequestering about 10% of the carbon that is absorbed within the ocean.
Seagrass is a lesser known plant compared to its other leafy counterpart, kelp. However, it's a common misconception that these two plants are closely related, which they are not. To put this into perspective, James says that seagrass is a "true flowering plant," as it possesses a root system, unlike kelp, which only latches onto stones with strong holdfasts. In fact, James points out that seagrass is actually more like the grass we see on land than it is similar to kelp.
James notes that seagrass has many beneficial attributes, but it has been in decline recently. It is imperative that we preserve the existing seagrass and help restore seagrass ecosystems that are currently endangered. James says that the microbes inside this biome are critical to the ability of seagrass to adapt to climate change. Therefore it is critical that we find ways to introduce microbes that may be helpful for seagrass meadow restoration efforts.
"Understanding both how the microbiome might be changing, or from my perspective, what we can do to figure out what an ideal microbiome is, can potentially aid the planting effort." — James Mullahoo
The sediment that seagrass grows in can be high in sulfur, which can be extremely harmful to seagrass plants. One microbe in particular, the cable bacteria, may be especially beneficial as it converts this sulfur content into sulfate, which is harmless to seagrass. This microbe has the ability to create a zone around the seagrass plant to shield it from sulfur, protecting the seagrass from harm. Fun fact - the cable bacteria is the longest known bacteria due to its ability to create chain links of itself, and these links can get up to one centimeter long, which is extremely long for a microbe!
James says that activities like the seagrass restoration efforts in Chesapeake Bay give him hope for the future of the seagrass plant. He hopes to learn more about the cable bacteria so that it can be utilized to protect seagrass and expedite seagrass restoration efforts.
In his free time, James is active in outreach organizations like Caltech's GO-Outdoors GPS Outreach program, and participates in Caltech's wind orchestra and choir. He also participates in scuba-diving for both research and recreational purposes, plays Dungeons and Dragons with friends, and enjoys the great outdoors.
WRITTEN BY: Audrey Ma (Polytechnic School)
Links to previous Linde Center Bios: Ryan X. Ward