UF/IFAS GLOBAL BLOGS
Most ecosystems are named for the dominate plant in the system – marsh, meadow, swamp, forest, etc. But reefs are typically named by the dominate animal – coral, oyster, etc. Everyone knows the oyster. You either first met… Read More
In the last lesson we discussed the ecology of the emergent grass community the salt marsh. This lesson we go beneath the waves to the submerged community of the seagrass meadow. But, like the salt marsh, these are… Read More
In our first lesson in ecology we mentioned that the type of sediment plays a big role in determining which plants will live in a particular community. If you visit a local salt marsh you find a lot… Read More
Some basics on ecology Let’s begin this unit by defining ecology. Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment and with each other. For example, you can take the ecological community in your front… Read More
The history of life on our planet is divided into “Ages”. There was the “Age of Fish” and the “Age of Reptiles”, and they say we are now in the “Age of Mammals” – actually more currently the… Read More
In Lesson 2 we discussed how amphibians and reptiles modified the fish body design to live on dry ground. We also explained how the reptiles did a much better job of it. But there are some limits to… Read More
When you think of reptiles, the ocean is the not the first thing that comes to mind. Swamps, jungles, and deserts maybe, but not the ocean. This makes sense though being that reptiles are more terrestrial than they… Read More
Vertebrates are animals that have backbones and are the ones most familiar to everyone. They include the fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. But there are a couple of creatures that are not truly vertebrates but are not… Read More
Echinoderm means “spiny skin” and some members of this phylum are very spiny. The sea urchin is almost like a round shaped roaming cactus on the seafloor. Many think the spines are venomous, and some are, but not… Read More
Based on diversity and species richness, at 80,000 species (maybe more) mollusk are one of the most successful animal phyla on the planet. These creatures are bilateral/coelomates meaning they have a distinct head region and a coelomic cavity. … Read More
