This post was contributed by science mentor and College of Marine Science graduate student, Makenzie Burrows.
Ever get your shoe stuck in the mud?
Do you know what that mud is made of?
During our field trip to Fort De Soto, the OCG girls got up-close and personal with sediments answering these sorts of mysteries.
They also learned that bacteria breaking down the dead leaves causes the sediment to smell like rotten eggs (due to sulfur). Not only did they study sediments, but they also learned about plants, fish, nutrients, and the atmosphere at three different sites across the barrier island.
First, we made at stop at the mangroves where the girls looked at the different adaptations of three species of mangroves (red, black, and white). Next, we went to the Arrowhead Picnic Ground to analyze Florida seagrasses. The girls learned that there are three types of seagrasses in our coastal Gulf of Mexico (shoal, turtle, and manatee). They also dragged a seine net through the ocean catching fish of a variety of shapes and sizes, observed cloud types, and measured the water’s chemistry. At the last site, we explored and discussed the characteristics of a low energy beach adjacent to the fishing pier.
At the end of our day, we achieved our main objective of studying the differences between three sites within a short geographical distance from one another from top to bottom. From looking towards our feet at sediments and seagrasses, in front of us at mangroves, and skyward at clouds, we got to see how habitats vary, many exhibit great stability while others are in a state of constant change.