Do herbicides affect seagrasses and corals?
Herbicides such as Diuron are lost from Great Barrier Reef Catchments during rainfall events. The chemicals are washed down rivers and out into the nearshore waters of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. When this happens, they can affect photosynthesis in seagrass (and possibly other marine algae) and in the zooxanthellae of coral polyps.
