Great for ages 4-18!

What are our 3 habitats found offshore of Florida? Mangrove (islands), sea grass beds, and coral reefs.

Mangroves

Mangroves are a special type of tree that can withstand saltwater and wave action. They are found directly on the shoreline and because of their unique root system, serve as a nursery ground, protective habitat, and provide food for other organisms. There are 3 basic types of mangroves: white (you will find nearest to the dry land) have salt glands at the base of their leaf that exude salt they intake from the water; black (you will find between the drier land and in the water) have pneumatophores that stick up out of the water like little snorkels, they aid in obtaining oxygen, their method of exuding salt is on the back of their leaves (very salty to the taste); red (you will find in the water) are the mangroves you will most often recognize because of their unique root system, instead of having roots that spread across the ground, they have prop roots that stabilize the tree from wave action – these prop roots come off the trunk and heavy branches, drop into the water, and sometimes eventually become part of the trunk system. Notice how easy it is for a smaller organism (fish especially) to live within the roots but it is difficult for a larger organism (predators) to get in. This root system is an important habitat for fish and other organisms to grow large enough to become predators themselves, it is also valuable for nesting birds, crabs, raccoons, etc.

       Black Mangrove                  White Mangrove                    Red Mangrove

Sea Grasses

The second habitat is the sea grass bed. There are many (8) different species (kinds) of sea grass that other animals use for food, protection and reproduction found in Florida. One kind of grass is turtle grass – green sea turtles love this particular kind of sea grass. Another is manatee grass – yep, you guessed it, and manatees like to eat this special sea grass. Besides food, it too is a nursery! Often you will find baby barracuda, shrimp, crabs, seahorses, etc. Both mangroves and sea grasses are very important for land formation. The roots of both help hold sediments (sand, mud, and detritus) in place to form islands. Without their roots, the wave action would just continue to wash the sediments away and land would never form!

                                                    Turtle Grass

Coral Reefs

The third habitat is coral reefs. Coral reefs used to be found throughout Florida waters. However, due to them dying, we have very little coral reefs left, but we do have coral communities. Coral is very unique in that one polyp (teeny tiny) is it’s own animal. A coral head is made up of 1000s of polyps together in a community. A coral reef is made up of different corals all around each other. Because of the death of corals, scientists have found a way to start up coral communities. Scientists make what are called artificial reefs – cement shaped in different formations. Depending on what the exact purpose of that coral community will dictate the shape. What is shown below is an example of a reef ball. It looks like a cross between swiss cheese and a ball cut in half! How does it work? Scientists place the reef balls on the bottom of the ocean anywhere from 5 feet deep to maybe a 100 feet deep. Algae will grow on it and polyps from reproducing corals near by will land on the reef ball (the reef ball acts as a structure for life to begin instead of trying to beat the odds by landing on plain sand). Once a single polyp lands on the ball, it will reproduce until it becomes a community. What is super cool is that there is another organism called zooxanthellae. Huh? Zooxanthellae are microscopic dynoflagellate – algae- that live symbiotically with the coral. Symbiotic means they live together and are advantageous to each other. The algae provide photosynthetic food for the coral and a protective cover from sunlight and temperatures; in turn the coral provides protection and a structure for the zooxanthellae to live. Now that the reef ball has algae and corals growing on it, to make it a habitat, there has to be more organisms living there. The holes in the structure make great hiding places for small fish, crabs, shrimp, etc. Many fish and crabs can eat algae that grow on it – so it attracts even more animals. Once you look at the whole thing, you will see that a coral reef community has a high diversity of organisms – comparable to a rain forest!

Brown zooxanthellae inside                    Brain Coral                                      Reef Ball

the tentacles of a coral polyp

Do you know???

What is an ecosystem/habitat?
Where are some places that fish and other organisms live?
How do animals depend on plants?
How do animals obtain the energy they need for survival?
What special features of plants and animals help them succeed in their environment?
What are some of the major characteristics of some of the habitats where plants and animals live?

This activity meets the following Florida Sunshine State Standards:

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IGFA

Attn: Education Department

300 Gulf Stream Way

Dania Beach, FL 33004

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