UF/IFAS GLOBAL BLOGS
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
There are an estimated 2 million species of animals on our planet. 1.3 million (65%) are invertebrates – animals that lack backbones – 1 million (50%) are insects. These animals cover all parts of the Earth. From the… Read More
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)… This is the “fuel” molecule for life. Both plants and animals need it to sustain their existence. However, ATP cannot be acquired from the environment. It must be synthesized within the cells. To synthesize it,… Read More
You may have noticed that the term algae and plant are separate in the title. Let’s begin our lesson there. Are algae plants? No… When I was in school (a long time ago) they did list them as… Read More
To our knowledge, Earth is the only planet with life forms. Many believe there must be other locations in the universe that support life, but we have not found them yet. Of course, they could look completely different… Read More
The terms conservation and preservation are used interchangeably, but they actually mean different things. With preservation your goal is to keep the resource in a pristine state – as if humans were not in the picture. This would… Read More
The term environment is defined as a location, or set of conditions, in which people and creatures exist. The term marine pertains to saline aquatic conditions. Within the saltwater world there are many environments. They differ in what… Read More
For this month, the topic is energy in the ocean. We will start with the term energy. When the term is mentioned several things come to mind, but most will focus on a source of power that provides… Read More
Climate… This is a word we have heard many times over the last decades. Climate change, increased wildfires, more hurricane landfalls, Mississippi River flooding, warmest months on record, and more. For some, these are controversially linked, for others… Read More
