The sea grass disappeared from this vast area, surviving only in some brackish-water habitats. The animals that relied on sea grass — everything from crabs, sea urchins and marine snails to young fish — had to find other places to live and eat. The sea grass eventually came back, presumably re-populating the marine mudflats from the brackish refugia. We used genetics to see whether limpets from sea grass were the same as those attached to shells, stones and rocks. In fact, there were two further species, with shells almost identical to those of Notoacmea scapha from stones and cockle shells.

Source: Otago Daily Times May 09, 2021 16:30 UTC