Opening Assignment
1. Put the following terms in order from largest
to smallest - ecosystem, biome, habitat,
biosphere, population, community
2. Write the following terms down, explain what
the are in your own words, and then give an
example of an organism in each category that
we have studied so far – producer, primary
consumer, secondary consumer, decomposer
Opening Assignment
ANSWERS
 Put the following terms in order from largest
to smallest - ecosystem, biome, habitat,
biosphere
 Answer: Biosphere, biome, ecosystem,
habitat, community, population
Opening Assignment
ANSWERS
 Producer – an organism that can make it’s own food
– like photosynthetic algae (Kingdom Protista)
 Primary consumer – an organism that eats producers
– like sponges who filter algae from the water
 Secondary consumer – an organism that eats
primary producers – like an octopus eating a mussel
 Decomposer – an organism that breaks down dead
organisms – like chemosynthetic bacteria
Seagrass Food Web Activity
 Use the chromebooks or your phone to
research a Seagrass Food Web.
 Draw a picture of one and label the
producers, primary consumer, secondary
consumer, and decomposers.
Opening Assignment Day 2
 List 3 reasons why plants are so important in
an ecosystem.
Unit 7: Seagrasses and
Mangroves
 Learning Goals
 Students will be able to


Explain the structure, function, and importance
of seagrasses and mangroves in ecosystems.
Describe how humans can positively and
negatively effect seagrass and mangrove
communities.
Part 1: Seagrasses
Overview
 Seagrass






Definition
Distribution
Diversity
Importance
Human Impacts
Conservation
Defining Sea grass
 Marine plants with the same basic
structure as terrestrial (land) plants.




Have tiny flowers and strap-like or oval
leaves.
Have separate roots, leaves and stems.
Have a network of veins that moves
nutrients and dissolved gases around.
Form meadows in: estuaries and shallow
coastal waters with sandy or muddy
bottoms.

Seagrass Anatomy
 Blade

Main photosynthetic organ.
 Short Shoot

Stem.
 Rhizome



Horizontal stems and root like structure
that connects adjacent short shoots
together and anchors the plant to the
substrate.
Movement of waste and nutrients.
Extension and reproduction of clones.
 Root


Anchor plant.
Absorb nutrients and excrete waste.
Copy and label this
diagram 
Distribution of Seagrasses
 Globally
Distribution of Seagrasses
 Locally

Distribution is site specific


Depends on location.
Zonation

Seagrasses are limited by
 Salinity

Species specific
 Water level

Dry out if exposed.
 Light availability

Need light photosynthesize
Diversity of Seagrasses
 Globally

~50 species
 Locally in the Indian River Lagoon
 7 species of seagrass

Shoal Grass Halodule wrightii
 Most common.

Manatee Grass Syringodium filiforme
 Most common.



Turtle Grass Thalassia testudinum
Paddle Grass Halophila decipiens
Johnson Grass Halophila johnsonii
 Endangered species.


Star Grass Halophila engelmannii
Widgeon Grass Ruppia martima
 Found in low salinities.
Seagrass Species in the IRL
Turtle Grass
Johnson Grass
Star Grass
Widgeon Grass
Shoal Grass
Manatee Grass
Paddle Grass
Importance of Seagrass
 Habitat for many organisms


Provides food and shelter
Nursery ground

(place for young animals to grow up)
Importance of Seagrass
 Produce oxygen
Importance of Seagrass
 Reduce wave energy in fragile environments.
 Trap sediments to stabilize the ocean floor.
Human Impacts on Seagrass
 In 1950, it was estimated that Florida had over 5 million acres of seagrass.
Today, approximately 2 million acres exist.3
 Worsening water quality



Pollution.
Reduced light.
Extreme salinity changes.

Freshwater input from flood gates.
 Coastal development

Loss of tidal marshes.
 Mechanical damage



Dredging and filling.
Scarring by boat propellers.
Commercial shellfish industry
Handley, L., Altsman, D., and DeMay, R., eds., 2007, Seagrass Status and Trends in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: 1940–2002:
U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5287, 267 p.
Seagrass Conservation
 Federal Laws protecting Seagrass

Endangered Species Act
 Limitations on dredging
 Boating Restriction Zones

No entry zones


Brevard County
No combustion engine zones
 Seagrass Research

Conduct surveys


Assess changes/conditions
Aquaculture

Transplantation
 Public Education
Seagrass Conservation:
What you can do
Water Quality:
Following directions on lawn and garden products. Do not over-use fertilizers, pesticides,
or herbicides.
Construction Practices:
Rainfall can erode bare earth. The sediment is carried to the bay where it may cloud the
water or cover seagrasses - reducing photosynthesis. Properly placed and maintained
sediment fences will capture the sediment before it reaches the water.
Boating:
Know the water depth requirements of your boat's design. If you observe seagrass in the
propwash, you are too shallow! Stop the motor and drift or pole into deeper water.
Dredging Activities:
Stay informed about dredging activities in your area and support measures to protect
seagrass during these operations.
Opening Assignment Day 2
1. Explain 3 things that limit where seagrass
lives.
2. List 3 things that humans are doing that
negatively affect seagrass.
3. What are 3 things that you can do to
conserve seagrasses.
Day 2 Activities
 Work on the Seagrass packet and turn in
when completed.
 Then Seagrasses and Mangroves Part 1 –
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=seagr
asses+and+mangroves+part+1&FORM=VIR
E1#view=detail&mid=C1CCE77BA1F8F35
B51B0C1CCE77BA1F8F35B51B0
Opening Assignment Day 3
1. Copy the diagram of a seagrass and label it.
1.
2.
3.
4.
More Review: Match the term with the correct function.
Write the function out (it will help you remember it )
1.
2.
3.
4.
A. Moves wastes and
Blade _______
nutrients to extensions of
main plant (asexual
Short Shoot
reprod.)
______
Rhizome ________ B. Anchors plant and absorbs
nutrients like nitrogen,
Root __________
carbon, and water
C. Main photosynthetic organ
of plant
D. The stem
Day 3 Activities
 Notes on how Seagrasses are mapped and
monitored.
 Then practice together calculating seagrass
populations.
 Then Seagrasses and Mangroves part 2
Quadrat sampling in science
 Is used to monitor
changes in seagrass
beds over time
 Scientists monitor set
locations (sites) using
transects of multiple
quadrats
 Results can be used to
produce maps of
seagrass meadows
Quadrat Monitoring
Seagrass Mapping
 Allows scientists to look at
changes in size and
composition (what species
are present) of seagrass
meadows.
 Example of a stacked bar
graph


Always put each species in
the same place
Allows comparisons of both
total amount of something
and the composition of the
total
Seagrass Mapping Results
Seagrasses and Mangroves
Part 2
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUwX_2
pDqa8
Opening Assignment
 Explain why scientists monitor the
distribution of seagrasses.
Quadrat Monitoring
Opening Assignment Day 4
 Please answer these questions based on the
seagrass mapping worksheet.
1. In what year is the seagrass meadow composed
of only one type of seagrass?
2. Which year has the largest seagrass meadow?
3. Which species of seagrass experience(s) a
decline in abundance from 1998 to 1999?
Opening Assignment
 In a 10 X 10 quadrat, what percentage does
each square represent?
 What can scientists use a quadrat to monitor?
Opening Assignment – Day 4
 In a 10 X 10 quadrat, what percentage does
each square represent?
 What can scientists use a quadrat to monitor?
Opening Assignment Day 4:
Quadrats at Work Lab
 Get ready to go outside to do “seagrass” research with
quadrats.
 EACH student needs something to write with and
something hard to write on (notebook?)
 Each group needs a calculator (a phone can be used but if
you are on any social media during the activity you will
receive a zero on the assignment.)
Quadrats at Work Lab
 Work in groups of 3 or 4
 Each person counts the quadrat
INDEPENDENTLY

A square of the quadrat can be




Empty = 0
Half covered = .5
Fully covered = 1
Once all group members have calculated the percent
coverage the group will take the mean of the quadrat
Opening Assignment Day 5
 On a blank piece of paper, please tell me (in
complete sentences):


3 things you learned doing the quadrats at work
activity and the mapping and monitoring
worksheet.
One thing that would improve the activity (either
something I could do differently or something you
could do differently)
Get your quadrat lab worksheet out of the bin so
we can review it.
Part 2: Mangroves
Assignment for today
 Please get an Oceans book out and read
pages 214-215.
 Copy and answer the following questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Explain the physical environment that
mangroves grow in.
Why do they only live in tropical areas?
List 3 organisms that live in the mangrove
community.
How do mangroves help prevent erosion?
Day 5 Assignment Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
Explain the physical environment that mangroves grow in. They
live in soft, waterlogged, oxygen poor mud with plenty of
saltwater.
Why do they only live in tropical areas? They cannot tolerate a
climate change of more than 18 degrees farenheit.
List 3 organisms that live in the mangrove community. Fiddler
crabs, crocodiles, mud lobsters, window oyster . . .and MANY
more 
How do mangroves help prevent erosion? Their root systems
hold the mud in place to prevent erosion.
Defining Mangroves
 A woody plant or plant community which
lives between the sea and the land in
areas which are inundated by tides.



A species as well as a community.
Ability to live in salt water.
Occur in sheltered coastline areas in the
tropical and subtropical inter-tidal
regions.

Bays, estuaries, lagoons, and creeks.
 This is a challenging environment due
to low oxygen, high salt levels, and soft
sediment.
Diversity of Mangroves in IRL
 Globally: ~65 species
 Locally in the Indian River Lagoon:
3 species of mangroves
 Red Mangrove
 Rhizophora mangle
 Most recognized.
 Black Mangrove
 Avicennia germinans
 Tolerates colder
temperatures.
 White Mangrove
 Laguncularia racemosa
 Furthest up shoreline.
Diversity of Mangroves in IRL
Red Mangrove
Black Mangrove
White Mangrove
Mangrove Anatomy




Trunk
Branch
Leaf
Prop Root
 Above ground roots that provide
mechanical support to the plant.
 Pneumatophore (a.k.a snorkel roots)
 A root often functioning as a
respiratory organ in a wetland
plant.
 Propagule/Seed
 The fertilized seed of a mangrove
plant containing an embryo and
capable of germination to produce
a new plant.
Propagules
Leaf
Prop Roots
Seed
Trunk
Pneumatophores
Branch
Distribution of Mangroves
 Globally
What about local distribution?
 In the Indian River Lagoon each species of
mangrove has its own niche, based on its
unique adaptations.
 One species is located at the waters edge, one
slightly inland, and the third highest upland.
Distribution of Mangroves
 Local Zonation
 Typical pattern from water
to land
 Red Black  White
 Mangroves are limited by:
 Temperature
 Salinity
 Wave energy
 Soil oxygen levels
 Drainage
 Differing nutrient levels
Importance of Mangroves
 Habitat for diversity of organisms

Provides food and shelter


Leaf litter nutrients 1kg/m2/year
Nursery ground
Importance of Mangroves
 Producer of oxygen and filter water
Importance of Mangroves
 Reduce wave energy in fragile environments.
 Trap sediments to stabilize the shoreline.
Human Impacts on Mangroves
 Mosquito Control Impoundments alter water
flow.

Since 1950 more than 75% of the marsh and
mangrove wetlands bordering the IRL have been
destroyed.

> 40,000 acres have been turned into mosquito
impoundments.
 Coastal development

Residential and commercial.


Cut back mangroves
Siltation due to bare earth
 Aquaculture & Agriculture


Shrimp farms.
Fertilizer and pesticide run-off.
 Dredging/Industrialization

Ports and harbor development.
Conservation of Mangroves
 Environmental Protection Act, 1986
 Reconnecting mosquito
impoundments to lagoon.

Mimic tidal flow
 Laws restricting mangrove
trimming.
 Mangrove replenishment

Plant mangroves in areas suitable
for development.

Help to cement the roots by pvc
housing.
 Public education
 Research
Conservation of Mangroves:
What you can do
Water Quality:
Following directions on lawn and garden products.
Do not over-use fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
Do not pollute.
Construction Practices:
Cutting down mangroves is illegal and can lead to
erosion. Report mangrove removal to the proper
authorities.
Dredging Activities:
Stay informed about dredging activities in your area
and support measures to protect mangroves during
these operations.
What are the challenges for
mangroves? Copy this chart
Low oxygen
High salt levels
Soft sediment
Red
Prop roots absorb
oxygen through
lenticels
Salt is excluded by
the prop roots
Prop roots
Black
Pneumatophores
Excrete salt at the
surface of the
leaves
Not an issue
because they are
found further from
the water
White
Not an issue
because they are
found further from
the water
Salt glands at the
base of leaves
Not an issue
because they are
found further from
the water
Mangroves – Guardians of the
Coast
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SY7X9
zdZ-U
 As you are watching this take some notes on
why mangrove forest ecosystems are so
essential to this Indian village. After the
video you will write a summary on this topic.
Opening Assignment
1. List 3 reasons why mangroves are important
components of marine ecosystems.
2. What are the 3 challenges that mangroves
must be adapted to in order to survive?
Mangrove Creature Feature
Worksheet
 Finish your creature feature worksheet and
be ready to explain what you have created. 
 If it is already completed look over your
mangrove and seagrass notes and make up 10
questions and answers to use for our unit
review game for Monday. Unit quiz will be
on Tuesday 
Opening Assignment
 How are prop roots and pneumatophores
similar and different?
 How are the three types of mangroves
situated from the land out to the water?
Opening Assignment Due at
2:08
1. Where do Mangroves live?
2. Where do seagrasses live?
1.
3. Without looking at
your notes identify
the numbered items.
2.
3.
4.
Mangroves video
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SMM7
x7qKE4
Unit 8: Seagrasses and
Mangroves Review Game
 Get into groups of 2-3
 Grab a dry erase board and a marker
Question #1
 List the 3 types of mangroves that live in the
Indian River Lagoon and where they live in
relation to the water.
Question #2
 Which type of mangrove lives closest to the
water?
Question #3
 What is the name of the root that functions as
a respiratory organ for Black mangroves?
Question #4
 List one adaptation that mangroves have that
enables them to survive the high salinity
level of the water.
Question #5
 The fertilized seed of a mangrove plant that
contains an embryo and is capable of
germination to produce a new plant is called
a _______________________.
Question #6
 Which type of mangrove has more of the
prop roots due to where it lives in relation to
the water
Question #7
 The horizontal stem on a seagrass that is
responsible for transporting nutrients across
to seagrass extensions is called
_______________.
Question #8
 Which type of marine flowering plant can
live completely submerged?
Question #9
 List 3 organisms that live in the Mangrove
communities.
Question #10
 Explain what type of marine flowering
plant(s) helps to prevent erosion and how
they do this.
Question #11
 What 3 things limit where seagrasses can
grow?
Question #12
 True or False
 Cutting down Mangroves is not illegal in
Indian River County.
Question #13
 What 3 things are challenges that Mangroves
must be able to adapt to in their
environment?
Question #14
 What are the closest relatives of seagrasses?
Hint: it helps provide evidence that they
evolved from land plants.
Question #15
 How do seagrasses reproduce sexually?
Opening Assignment
 Study for your quiz today on Seagrasses and
Mangroves 
 There are 5 multiple choice and 10 short
answer so review the notes for Seagrasses
and Mangroves and also the Marine
Flowering Plants questions.
Question #1
 DNA is made of series of nucleotides.
 What are the 3 components of a nucleotide?
Question #2
 DNA is made of series of nucleotides.
 What are the 3 components of a nucleotide?