Summary
This webinar will be delivered by Lorna Bointon an avid botanist and biological recorder. Join her to discover some coastal plant species and how the marine environment can support biodiversity, carbon capture and climate regulation.
Description
The key areas to be covered during this webinar include the recognition of common UK coastal plant species, and the different habitats in which they grow best (shingle, saltmarsh, dunes, cliffs etc) and also an understanding of adaptations used by halophytes to cope with the marine environment. We will also look at non-native, invasive plant species and the threat they pose to native biodiversity.
The webinar will also cover the importance of seagrasses as the ‘lungs of the sea’, and also seaweeds and phytoplankton in terms of climate regulation, carbon capture and oxygen production. We will look at how primary production drives the complex marine food chain and how energy is cycled through primary consumers up to apex predators.
About the Presenter
Lorna is a Vice County Recorder for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) and an avid botanist and biological recorder. Keen to promote the importance of botany in terms of climate regulation, clean air and water, Lorna has many years’ experience in recording and surveying a wide range of habitats. As a CIEEM trainer for a wide range of courses spanning botanical identification skills to NVC surveys, peatlands and phytoremediation, Lorna is particularly passionate about the marine environment and the importance of recording primary producers as the vital first link within a functioning food chain.
Who Should Attend?
This webinar is suitable for beginners and will help professional ecologists or those just starting out to identify halophytes (salt tolerant plants) and the specific habitats and conditions some species require. It will also help participants recognise the importance of the marine environment in supporting biodiversity and for carbon capture and climate regulation.
