Everyone has heard of sponges, and many know they grow in the ocean. But fewer are aware that sponges are actually animals. When we think of animals, we think of something that crawls around seeking food and laying eggs periodically. Sponges ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesAs we mentioned when we began writing about seaweed, seaweed and seagrass are very different. Seagrasses are true plants in the sense that they have an internal vascular system that runs water and other material throughout the plant. Like ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
It’s spring break season, and area beaches are loaded up with students and families taking advantage of the beautiful sunshine and water along our coasts. Tucked among the full parking lots, restaurants, and entertainment venues on the ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, WildlifeMembers of the seaweed group Rhodophyta – the red algae – prefer warmer marine waters. Though the diversity and abundance of seaweeds in the northern Gulf is low due to unsuitable substrate for them to attach to, the red algae may be the ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesIf green algae are difficult to find in the northern Gulf because most prefer freshwater, and rocky shorelines, brown are difficult because the group prefers colder water, as well as rocky shorelines – but we do have some here. Brown ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
As temperatures drop precipitously this week, I know most of us are digging out those gloves and hats we needed last month. The record-breaking snowfall we experienced along the Gulf Coast in late January was nothing short of surreal. While ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
They say life began in the oceans. We know that the lithosphere is cracked, adding new land, subducting land over time. But much of the lithosphere is covered with water – and here life began. Initially it had to begin on either rock ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
According to Conservation International, there are 36 biodiversity hotspots worldwide. These are defined as areas with “at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics — which is to say, it must have a high percentage of plant life found ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Water, WildlifeWith this article we will shift from the microscopic creatures of the Gulf of Mexico to the macroscopic ones – ones you can see without a microscope. We will begin with the simplest and most primitive of macroscopic creatures – the seaweeds. Many ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
If you’re a regular reader, you probably know this blog started as a way to address the many emails and texts I receive, asking, “What IS this?” On a semi-regular basis, these questions also come from professional colleagues. All of ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife