The Reference Library page of Everglades Ark is an information resource indexed to the material used in the publication of our posts. It is organized by topics. It is a fixed page in the banner of this site. This was created for our friends and followers who requested a quick method to access the references used in the posts.
Thanks is extended to some contributors who lecture on specialized topics through the Florida Master Naturalists Program of Florida University. The program has inspired me to learn and discover more about the natural environments of Florida. By extension it has helped to solidify my understanding of the global interconnection of ecosystems in all of the distant places where I have traveled. I highly recommend participation and support of this program and the issues to which it is committed.
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This is a record of the observed plant life in Area #2 which is adjacent to Area #1. The purpose was to identify invasive species in a neighborhood wetland area. This allows us to compare the adjacent sites of Areas #1 and #2. The results show the unintended consequences of water managemant. The two observation sites are within ten feet from one another but are extraordinarily different.
The feature image is a view of the landscape of area #2
The observation location of Area #2 is shown in Fig 1. It is in the swamp beginning nine feet north of a junction of a cultivated butterfly garden and a wilderness swamp area. This swamp is part of the slough that runs through the community property joining Spring Creek to the Imperial River. The slough has been engineered to use this as a retention pond for excess water. Six observations were recorded because they are the sum of all the viable species in this two acre area. There were no viable native plants to be found.
Fig 1. This is a Google map illustrating the location Area #2. The black numbers indicate the observations. #22 is the site of Area #1 from the previous post.
METHOD:
Potentially invasive species were harboring in this neighborhood area. Visual observation of plant life was done. Observational data was gathered using the Epicollect5/Everglades Ark database.
Physical examination was done in a selected two acre area. It is a community property that is an extension of the swampy slough which transverses the community between the Imperial River and Spring Creek. This area was difficult to access as it required wading through the wilderness swamp area. The observations were made between the 3:00 and 5:00 PM, between rainstorms, on November 16, 2023. The water level was elevated because of the recent precipitation. The identification of plants was later confirmed by computer assisted photographic identification. The identity was confirmed by the agreement of at least three independent search results.
OBSERVATIONS:
The site #2 sample of Carolina Willow behavior.
Carolina Willow, native but spreads and alters environment
C. Willow leaves
C. Willow sprouts from deadfall
FINDINGS:
Observation data was extracted from the collection site as a cdf and placed into two “Excel” files designated as A. and B. Title numbers correlate the information from both spread sheets.
Survey and Catalogue Site #2 contains: Observation number, hyperlink of full plant image, quantity, date, time, GPS location, light exposure, environmental location, location risk level.
Plant-Identity Site #2 contains: growth levels, plant type, hyperlinks to all photographs of plant and details of flowers, fruit, stems, common and scientific names and observation notes.
Survey and Catalog File Site #2 Spread Sheet and Plant Identity Site #2 are spread sheets enclosed in the accompanying file with their respective names. Swipe laterally to see the full sheet. Click on the hyperlinks to see the plant images.
Risk level to local environment, statistical analysis:
Descriptive Level of Risk
COUNT
PERCENT of 6
Native
2
33
Non-native
4
66
Highly invasive
5
83
Rapidly spread
4
66
Non-native subject to high range change
1
17
Native subject to high range change
1
17
Non-native subject to high range change, nuisance, noxious?
1
17
Tabel 1. Listing level of risk, the number of plants in the group of six, the percentage of the the six plant types
RESULTS:
Within 100 feet of one another, multiple examples of 6 species of herbaceous plants and trees were identified. These were the only species of green plants in the area. There were no other observable viable plants.
The remainder of the vegetative remains were brown and appeared to be non-vital. This is consistent with the observations made during the year after hurricane Ian.
The relative percent of non-native to native plants is very high when compared with the distribution of plant types in the State of Florida.
It appears that the native population is less capable of regeneration when compared to the native species.
Range change represents the capability of plants to spread into neighboring areas either actively or passively. This seems to be the dominant criteria to include in the invasive status by most authorities.
One plant is native, capable of great range change, and is classified as capable of changing the environment. It is observation #401. The name is Costal Willow (). It is not classified as noxious nor invasive.
One plant is non-native, introduced, invasive, nuisance, range change capable. It is the arrowhead, observation #399
DISCUSSION:
This narrow range of species was difficult to observe in this poorly defined space. Walking into the swamp was problematic. A larger observation area resulted in very different findings. The sample was not biased. A continuing limitation in this study was to measure the percentage of the individual plant species mass relative to the totality mass of the vegetation.
Site #2 is significantly different from site #1. Site #2 has a significantly high percentage of brown and brittle plant remnants which have been unchanged in the last year. One year ago, hurricane Ian’s flood surge covered everything in site #2 with 15 feet of salty ocean water. This resulted in the death of most of the plants in this spot. The community has 24-inch deficiency of standard rainfall. The observed area #2 has not experienced a dilution of the salt because of the relative drought and the lack of water circulation. Although the native plant species are reputed to be more salt tolerant this does not appear to be seen here. The Carolina willows are 25 to 30 feet high and are therefore mature. The fallen limbs of these trees are generating new sprouts. The herbaceous plants may be spread from areas in higher ground from runoff and from wind dissemination. Contrarily, area #1 stands on higher ground, is plumbed for irrigation and is, in part, a tended garden.
There is considerable difference of opinion in assigning local environment risk levels to plants. The assignment of risk may not be current. The Carolina willow is a native plant species and is a good example of good things gone bad as a result of mismanagement by unintended consequence. Seedlings and small saplings cannot survive variable water levels in marshes with alternating conditions of dry and wet. However, once plants become larger, willows can survive droughts and tolerate floods and are very difficult to eradicate. Stable water levels created by water management projects allow the Carolina Willow to spread and thrive. As a result, the Willow thickets use tremendous amounts of water, leaving less available for wildlife. They also block out other plant species and thus by changing the environment are regionally classified an invasive species.
It was relatively difficult to observe the variety of plants in this uncontrolled area. This detailed experience helped to increase awareness of the lack of variety of plant species in a larger sample area. The numbers of invasive species in this small area were surprising. The extent of apparently dead vegetation was distressing and the fact that the only viable organisms were invasive species suggests that the future native plant population for replacement of the dead plants is not promising. These plants will continue to seed or spread to all of the surrounding local gardens. Wholesale extermination of the invasive species, removal of the non-viable plant remnants and replanting of the area with salt tolerant native species seems to be the only alternative to the existing condition.
This post describes one location in Bonita Springs, Florida, with interest in identifying native and invasive species this neighborhood area. The featured image shows Area #1. It was made November 3, 2023 at 8:30 AM. The trees variably shade the garden throughout most of the day.
Figure 1. Google map of location of observation site showing 21 observations centered in Area #1. Numbers indicate observation titles with lines leading to observation site.
The observation location is shown in Google map as the central light lavender spot in Fig 1. It is at the junction of a cultivated butterfly garden and a wilderness swamp area. Twenty-one observations were made at this point.
METHOD: Physical examination was done in a selected 40m2 area of a private easily accessible residential garden including a back yard intended to attract butterflies. This back yard also abutted a community wilderness swamp area. The identification of plants was facilitated by computer assisted-photographic identification. The identity of the plants was confirmed by the agreement of at least three independent search results. (See References)
OBSERVATIONS: Site #1, where observations were recorded, is pictured in two photographs. The first photograph is the feature image. It pictures the northward view of landscape showing the butterfly garden in the foreground. On the same day the second photo, is shown in Fig 2. This was photographed at 9:00 AM and shows that the proximating swamp area has greater light penetration. Considering the cotton mouth snake sightings, boot protection in this area is recommended.
Figure 2. Northward view of swamp wilderness in Site #1 at the terminal edge of the butterfly garden
PLANT OBSERVATIONS: Attached are two Excel pages which show two data files of the observations described in table1.
SITE SURVEY Excel file
PLANT IDENTITY Excel file
Observation #
Observation #
Cell Photo
Plant description
Camera facing direction
Site surface conditions
How many items
Site weather conditions
Date
Risk level to local environment
Time
Photo or Audio High resolution recording
GPS point
Observer name
Table 1. This summarizes the variables assembled from observations and entered into the database.
Observation data are assembled and listed into two “Numbers” files designated as A. and B. To correlate the information from both spread sheets use title numbers.
Survey and Catalogue Site #1contains: Observation number, hyperlink of full plant image, quantity, date, time, GPS location, light exposure, environmental location, location risk level.
Plant-Identity Site #1 contains: growth levels, plant type, hyperlinks to all photographs of plant and details of flowers, fruit, stems, common and scientific names, and observation notes A.
A. Survey and Catalog File Site #1 Spread Sheet. To view the full spread sheet use the slider at the bottom of the sheet to scroll laterally. To open the image file click once on the hyperlink text to choose open option; click again in the option text box to view images. For simplicity don’t click on-open-in-new-tab. To return, just click on the back button in your browser.
B. Plant-Identity Site #1 Spread Sheet. To view the full spread scroll laterally. To open the image file click once on the hyperlink text to choose open option; click again in the option text box to view images. For simplicity don’t click on view in separate tab. To return, just click on the back button in your browser.
To see the full data display follow this link: Epicollect5/Everglades Ark and view observation “Title” numbered 377 through 398.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RISK LEVEL OF OBSERVED PLANTS TO LOCAL ENVIRONMENT :
TYPE
COUNT
PERCENT of 21
Native
13
62
Non-native
8
38
Highly invasive
4
19
Rapidly spread
9
43
Non-native subject to high range change
3
63
Native subject to high range change
6
29
Native subject to high range change, nuisance, noxious?
1
5
Table 2 The percentage of the described plant type was determined relative to the total count.
RESULTS:
In Area #1, within 60 feet of one another, 21 species of herbaceous plants and trees were identified.
The relative percent of non-native to native plants is consistent with the distribution of plant types in the State of Florida.
Range change represents the capability of plants to spread into neighboring areas either actively or passively. This seems to be the dominant criteria to include in the invasive status by most authorities.
One plant is native, capable of great range change, and is classified as a nuisance. It is observation #380. The name is pepper vine (Ampelopsis arborea). It is not classified as noxious nor invasive.
DISCUSSION: The wide range of species was easy to observe in this defined space. There was sufficient space to allow for some freedom of movement. Walking into the swamp would have been more problematic. The sample is biased due to the more controlled cultivation of plants directly adjacent to the uncontrolled swamp. The cultivation of part of the study area may have selectively altered the usual development of variety in the mix of plants. A larger observation area might result in an alternative finding. Another limitation in this study was to measure the percentage of the individual plant species mass relative to the totality mass of the vegetation. There is considerable difference of opinion in assigning local environment risk levels to plants. The assignment of risk may not be current.
CONCLUSION: It was relatively easy to observe the wide variety of plants in this controlled area. This detailed experience helped to increase awareness of the variety of plant species in a very small sample area. The numbers of invasive species in this small area were surprising. Perhaps a more localized region may wish to determine the level of invasivity of local plants.
References: Some of the sources used to assist in the identification of the observed plants.
The Everglades Ark data site on Epicollect5 has been significantly upgraded. There were two objectives in this upgrade. The first is to increase the speed and efficiency of the data collection process on the site. This was in response to the request for reduction in fields viewed to allow more convenient data collection. The second is a significant expansion of the Animal Kingdom using the latest DNA method of classification of clades.
Contained in this posting is the data map of the revised site. From this you can view the content categories of topics and the data entry points. This will continue to grow as time permits.
The Data Map of the site Epicollect5 – Everglades Ark is extensive but available to you on this site. Click and scroll down to expand the following 24 pages.
As a citizen scientist you can help to build our Ark with plant and animal images and information. When you look and learn about your surroundings you can share your experience with your contribution.
Everglades Ark collects information of animal and plant observations from Southwest Florida and from other global areas for comparison using Epicollect5 freeware. The purpose of this data collection is for survey and inventory. In addition to the images our Ark relational database includes related time, date, location, identity, behavior, interactions and environmental conditions as well as cohabitation influences of species and circadian and seasonal influences. It is often supplemented by high resolution photos, audio recordings and microscopic images. This assembled data may be used by anyone to facilitate environmental management, education and understanding of environment impact. The accessable database is freely available for anyone to use. If you wish to participate as a citizen scientist in collection or analysis please contact john@evergladesark.com and link to Evergladesark.com
Observation, Data collection and Epicollet5:
All observations are made using the custom app, in the field, in an as-is unaltered state. Observations are made with minimal invasion of the area or disruption of the animals. Often the garden staff and volunteers are very helpful and facilitate cooperation. Some additional lighting is used on occasion to facilitate photography for educational purposes. Some samples of the plants and animals are collected, and further examined macron microscopically. These staged photographs allows for more detailed examinations.
The customized Epicollect5 – Everglades Arm freeware is downloaded from their website at Epicollect5/Everglades Ark . It is well explained and intuitive to use. After entry, the data may be downloaded from the data website in a comma delimited file to MS Excel. The downloaded files may be sorted for individual research without effecting the master file. In order to add information to the site, participants need to be approved and their instruments validated by Everglades Ark staff. Only the administer may edit the entries. Imbeded in the entry format the are instructions.
The data from the site is arranged into two sections. These are:
Survey collection is the data entry through the internet from cell phone observations in the field.
Recorded collection is the data entry of details of off-location high resolution records. These include the non cell phone records from the cameras, microscope and audio and video equipment and their associated sub file data such as lens type, lens settings etc. The Recorded section files are entered through hard wire or intranet connection after all of the cell phone field entries are uploaded to the Epicollect5 site via an internet connection.
Identification of species phylum, class, order and common name is done as best as possible using two or more identification resources. Experts are always welcome to recommend corrections or suggestions.
The observation number is the File Key. This sequential number entered into the data entry point is used to reference all other data such as those of the off-location files. The off-location files are located on dedicated hard drives and backed up to a secure cloud account.
Interested parties are encouraged to participate as volunteer citizen scientists at the Everglades Wonder Gardens. A training experience is required to participare as an surveyor and collector.
Look for the next posting titled Epicollect5/Everglades ark v.2 posting coming soon.
Contact john@evergladesark.com for more information.
No, it is not the rock group. Nor is it an ABBA song. It is a butterfly species related to Monarchs called Queens. As a result of the residual effects of hurricane Ian, our community butterfly garden has no surviving milkweed plants. It does, however, have other plants that attract things that flutter by. At first it looked like they were Monarchs but on closer inspection, as you can see in these photos, this species is very similar. They are Queens and they are dancing and mating.
The feature image is a male Queen with the dorsal surface pointed toward the female and us. Additionally, there is a female Queen showing the ventral surface detail. . The two dark spots on the ventral surface medial veins of the distal wings indicate a male gender.
We have discussed Monarchs on these three occasions Monarch, previous, postings. This species will be the standard for comparison for this discussion. The Queen has several markings that make it easy to distinguish. It has a darker, more red/brown coloration. The wing veins are less pronounced. It is the smaller of the two species.The Monarch is a strict milkweed feeder. The Queens feed on many plants and are not exclusive to milkweed. Also they should not be confused with other related butterflies called Viceroys or Soldiers (not shown here).
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) (male)
Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) (male)
Also not to be confused with the Gulf Fritillary which is a totally different species.
Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) (male)
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) (Male)
Watching the Queens was easy because they were very interested in pairing with one another at this time. These observations were made during the first week of October 2023 at 8:30 AM. GPS location 26.3389184, -81.8085888. There were other butterflies present including Monarchs which were very low in number as well as Polydamas swallowtails. The dozens of Queens were literally dancing around one another in what appeared to be mating preliminaries.
Queen female on flower stem waiting for the approaching male.
Queen male flying above female.
Queen male descending toward female.
Queen female wings spread open to receive male.
First contact.
I spent about an hour admiring the beauty of the butterflies and was astonished to see this “dance” exhibited by many couples. I have never seen so many Queens in one place at one time. I hope to see the eggs and caterpillars that I expect will follow during the next few weeks. I will also be on the look out for the related Soldiers and Viceroys.
A marsh is a wetland with herbaceous vegetation that does not have trees. There are freshwater and saltwater marshes and the distinguishing characteristics are plants and animals which inhabit the areas. For example, typically birds feed but do not nest in saltwater marshes. The plants in saltwater marshes are capable of tolerating episodes of salinity. The opposite is typical of freshwater marshes and swamps. Please see Florida Marsh Exploration. Part I
The featured image is an overview of the marsh as seem from the observation deck.
Trees generally do not survive in wetlands such as marshes because they are constantly wet, however, swamps generally do have trees because there are seasonal dry periods. The plants typically found in marshes are obligate water plants that depend on a long hydroperiod.
The following photographs illustrate the plants and animals which I saw during the three episodes into a saltwater marsh described in the previous publication. This marsh in the slough of Bonita Bay Community is attempting to recover from hurricane Ian in 2022. There was damage which is still unresolved. This can only be done by replacing the salt water with fresh water. This is complicated because of the greater density of the salt water which sinks to the bottom of the pond and does not freely mix with freshwater. Despite some plant’s salt tolerance they have been overburdened by more salt than they can tolerate. Mangroves thrive in these environments.
Swamp fern (Blechnum sewrrulatum)
Extensive masses of dead plants with new growth. Note the green duckweed on the water surface.
Herbaceous growth in water covered by duckweed
Duck potato (Sagittaria lancifolia)
Great White Heron (Ardea herodias occidentalis)
Saw Grass (actually a sedge) (see photomicrograph)
Extensive areas of dead grasses, reeds and sedges.
Cat-tail (Typha latifolia) Plants are all dehydrated despite growing in water. The cause is salt water.
Saw Grass (Cladium jamaicense) making a comeback in low salinity areas.
Saltmarsh Fleabane (Pluchea)
Water Hessop (Bacopa monniere)
Southern wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera)
Burhead sedge (Oxycaryum cubense)
Black mangrove (Avicinnia germians)
Pond apple (Annona glabra) This was also found in the Corkwood Swamp which is freshwater.
Duck weed.(Lemna minor)(With empty snail shell)
Duck weed showing extracted lump tangle of rootlets extending five inches from below water surface.
The very dense overgrowth of duckweed that you can see in the photographs of the surface of the ponds blocks the sunlight from the below surface water and depletes the oxygen of the pond. The oxygen depletion kills fish and without sunlight below the surface new plants can’t thrive. On the beneficial side the plants could be used for bioremediation of waterways by capturing and removing excessive amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen.
Duckweed magnified to show no vascular system and complex root anatomy on ventral surface
Sawgrass leaf magnified to show saw tooth
During and after the flood caused by hurricane Ian in 2022 the plants have been inundated for months by salt water. The salt water is drawn up into all reaches of the plant by capillary action through their vascular systems. At the cellular level, osmotic action of the semipermeable cell wall draws the non salty water out of the cell. The salt water does not enter the cell because the water is withdrawn from the cell and it becomes dehydrated and dies.
Coming later we will explore the difference between the fresh water marshes of Florida and of the Okavango delta in Botswana.
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#saltwater marsh #marsh #wetland #saw grass #heron #morning glory #fern #dehydration #duckweed #pond apple #Great White Heron #hydroperiod #obligate
This is a recounting of the first three exploratory walks into the perimeter of a Florida Marsh located in the Bonita Bay Slough.
Cover photo is a Saltmarsh Morning Glory (Ipomoea sagittat)
This is part of a series of Floridian environments and ecosystems including Wetlands.
Introduction:
The central wetland feature of the Bonita Bay Community property is a slough. It connects the Spring creek at the north end to the Imperial River to the south. I examined maps of this area that predate the roads, rail beds and towns since records were kept. The entire property including the marsh may have been tidal before the current community was built and made an east-west road across the center at the watershed divide. What remains is now a tidal marsh that appears to be otherwise unaltered for at least several hundreds of years and a wooded wetland in the developed community. The city of Bonita Springs and the highway now called Old 41 as well as the railroad bed were placed to avoid these marshes and swamps. In 1952, highway 41 was built and the marsh and lowland to the east of the highway were filled. The natural watershed to the BB community area was compromised. It is now fed primarily by the estuary of Spring Creek, the Imperial River and rainfall. The creek and river continue to accumulate water from the areas east of 41 but there is no obvious westward surface flow between these two streams. Included are some photographs of some of my observations. Irrigation water is pumped from wells east of highway 41 for community and golf course irrigation.
50 meters into the slough I met with an impenetrable wall of vegetation. I first thought that this would be a freshwater marsh, however, the flower on the left a Saltmarsh Morning Glory (Ipomoea sagittata) acknowledges this to be a saltwater marsh. It was the most beautiful find through all of the area explored.
Marsh exploration:
Visit 1.
Level 1 preparation for a walking trip: Action plan with driver drop-off and pick-up points and gear for a walk in the marsh included: bush pants, shirt, calf high waterproof swamp boots, hat, drinking water, cell phone, SLR camera, bug repellent, and sun block.
I began my walk at the south end at the center of the marsh. This was at the beginning of the artificially created east/west roadbed at the watershed divide.(See map) The vegetation was thick and dense, dominated by grasses, low shrubs and herbaceous plants. After two steps the depth of the water rapidly increased. While I was standing in eight inches of water, I probed the spot for my next step with my walking stick. It easily slipped to full 1 ½ meter length through an increasingly viscus mix of water, vegetation, and decayed plant material. I could not find any real hard bottom. I assume that the bottom is peat.
Foliage over my head as I stood in 10 inches of water.
I reported this unknown weed as a possible invasive.
Carefully using my walking stick to test for footing I treaded into the marsh. There were a few areas where the floating vegetation did support my weight. There were some spots where there was soil sufficiently high for secure standing. Avoiding the possibility of sinking into the water and muck to my chest, I cautiously advanced further in a very irregular line about 70 meters into the marsh. It all appeared to be a heterogeneous tangle of a great variety of grasses, ferns, bushes, and vines.
Visit 1.
I expected this area to be filled with wildlife and a variety of plants different from other environments in Florida. I have looked at the slough many times from a raised viewing platform and was always surprised by the sparsity of birds. I expected to see more diverse animals, however, when wading in the marsh I was again disappointed. For ninety minutes of observation, I saw only a pair of red winged blackbirds. There may be extenuating circumstances for this condition. Salt marshes are not known for bird nesting. Birds are concentrated at the Rookery Islands on the southern end of the slough, there may be predators in this northern end which the birds recognize and this results in their avoidance. The density of the dead vegetation or the deadly effects of hurricane Ian storm surge may have caused a die-off of the predated food supply.
The height of the vegetation was above my field of vision and there was no sign of an animal path or previous human activity. At one spot where the vegetation thinned, I could see the tree line which was approximately a quarter mile to my east. No other landmarks were visible. The abundant plant variety was very diverse; the animal live was not. I was surprised to find very few flying or crawling insects, no vertebrates except for a few birds. At 9:00 AM it was very quiet, no wind, no odor and very hot (38 C, 100 F) with 100% humidity. After 1 ½ hours, aided by my cell phone and dead reconning, I retreated approximately 70 meters back to my start point. I reviewed my findings overnight. The plants which I observed were more typical of a salt marsh. This deserved further investigation.
Saw grass in a salt marsh
Swamp Fern in salt marsh
Previous views during the past years from the observation deck suggested a rich variety of the marsh vegetation. Again, I was disappointed. The slough is filled with dead plant remains secondary to the saltwater infusion of hurricane Ian’s storm surge. Brush and tall grasses are grey-brown and toppled over horizontally to the water line. Some are continuing to sprout and flower but the overall color of the area is greyish brown.
Visit 2.
If the heron were not so bright I would have missed it among the grey-brown weedy background.
This great white heron carefully stalked through the grasses in the marshes. The utility of the length of its neck and legs was clearly evident. It picked up some animal wrapped in green vegetation and swallowed the sandwich without hesitation.
The following day I returned for a second look with the same prep, and made additional photos and notes. The weather was unchanged. The second trip provided additional findings. I saw more feeding birds but none nesting and very few insects. It was especially interesting to watch a great white heron hunting in the depth of the marsh. Previously I saw them only on the shores of more open spaces. In the deep marsh I could see it using all its skills of crouching, deep water wading and stealth. It did indeed catch something, however, the identity was obscured by some green vegetation surrounding the small prey. After I returned home, I ordered a handheld refractometer to check the marsh salinity.
Visit 3.
Same prep was used plus 6 specimen bottles for water sampling The weather was unchanged. The sample times were between 8:45 and 9:30 AM. Water samples were taken at three surface points at five locations using a dip cup. See map in Fig 20. The samples were brought home and their temperatures were stabilized at 72F (23C). Using the handheld refractometer I gauged the salinity of my samples. The findings are reported in table 1.
I also sampled other wetland areas in the community properties to test the salinity at various locations. See the five locations on the map (Fig. 2).
Findings:
Table 1.
The lowest salinity at 3 PPT is water exiting from the south slough into the Imperial River. There is an apparent progression of lower salinity of the system water from northeast to southwest. The salinity of the Estero Bay east littoral area is 30 PPT higher than the upper Spring Creek.
SWS its the expected average salt water salinity of local sea water in the littoral zone.
Also found were numerous plants that were thriving despite the damage caused by the hurricane of 2023. These can be seen in the next posting. Florida Marsh Exploration. Part II
Discussion:
This is a saltmarsh without a north/south flow. The north and south arms of the slough have been blocked by the Bonita Bay boulevard. The two arms were continuous prior to the property development. The obstruction of the continuity has resulted in the formation of two very different environments. The north end of the slough is wide open to the Spring creek which is estuarial. The south end is connected to water retention ponds in the community with an exit to the Imperial River. The retention ponds collect the water which has filtered through the community swamps and wooded wetland. There is a narrow one-way gate that allows a very limited inflow from the river at the south end of the slough. This does not prevent an inflow from a salt water storm surge two feet above the high tide water line. From table 1 you can see a progression of salinity changes. I also learned that trial explorations are important in determining the level of preparation for venturing deep into unknown areas.
Level 2 preparation. for exploration of the marsh
Similar to level 1 preparation but use a kayak as a vehicle and/or working platform.
Level 3 preparation. for exploration of the marsh using a Full Immersion Preparation.
Have a companion. Make an action plan with driver drop-off and pick-up points. Gear should include: Two lengths of 50ft, ½in, 4 ply, hemp rope, carabiners, gloves, drinking water, folding knife, 3-meter foldable measuring stick, containers for wet samples, waterproof cell phone or a camera with over and underwater capability. Enter wearing a full 1mm diving wetsuit, with hood, boots, and sneakers. Prepare to change to dry clothing for an after-extraction at pick-up point.
The rope and carabiners are for emergency extraction. The wet suit is for buoyancy and skin protection. Hemp rope rather than climbing rope because it is less expensive. It is impossible to remove the salt and dirt and it may be discarded after a few uses.
I learned from this experience. The next trip preparation will be different.
Map with illustrated points of interest
Conclusions:
These observations are made during a very small timeline in the marsh and may not be representative of the yearlong parade of conditions. To better understand the marsh, multiple return visits are certainly forth coming. Test other entry points with level one preparation. Test other seasons with drier or wetter conditions. If a Kayak cannot penetrate the vegetation, plan for a level 3, immersive exploration.
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#marsh #salt water #heron #saw grass #Bonita Bay #slough #Morning glory #salt marsh #salinity #wetlands #Florida
In the steamy, shadowed recesses of the Corkscrew canopy grow the dwellers of the dark. They seem oblivious of the surrounding giants. The crowns of Cyprus trees tower 10 stories overhead. They struggle for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years seeking the light. The ferns are old too but not as individuals. Their species far outstrips the antiquity of the Cyprus species. They have been around for 350 million years. They are more than twice as old as Cyprus.*
The featured image shows two fern varieties. In the dark of the swamp these are easily identified by the two types of fronds. One is the shiny surface of the Giant Leather (Acrostichum danaeifolium) and the other is the non-branching Long Strap (Campyloneyrum phyllitidis).
There are at least 25 fern varieties in Florida. What we see here is only a fraction of the diversity of the fern. It is estimated that globally there are 10500 living species. That is four times the combined number of gymnosperms and lycophytes. They are second in variety only to the angiosperms. They are important because they are very efficient at carbon fixation and soil stabilization. The carbon-based energy industry of today is based almost exclusively on the deadfall of millions of years of fern life cycles. These plants lived and died in the anoxic swamps of the Permian (250 mya) and Cretaceous (135 mya) periods. In the Cretaceous period giant, angiosperm-dominated rainforests that developed in the tropical environments. Ferns were able to successfully exploit and diversify in these new ecosystems without competing with the flowering plants. This is probably why today most species of ferns grow in the tropics. When walking through the Corkscrew Preserve in SWFL you should imagine yourself walking in a Cretaceous period swamp. The only thing missing would be the giant reptilian dinosaurs of which we have only two small versions remaining in Florida, the alligator and crocodile.
There is another more basic reason for the swamp ferns to prefer the damp environment. The gametophyte stage of their reproduction depends on water to transport the sperm to the egg to produce cells of new plants outside of the parent fern plant. The sporophyte stage part is easy to see and feel. In this essay we will pay careful attention to just sporulating portion of fern reproduction. For a reference to the full cycle please look at the illustration at the end of this posting.
In this most primitive of all plants the fern vascular system is seen in this micrograph. They have chloroplasts and functional stoma. The veins, however, have no nodes nor interconnecting networks. (~100X optical, 10x digital)
This photomicrograph shows that ferns have spores not seeds. These spores are very small (20 to 50 microns) and are haploid. They will undergo a metamorphosis in the reproduction process.
There are two commonalities running through all of the ferns. They are chlorophyl metabolism based, non-seed-bearing plants with true vascular systems and they have a two stage reproduction cycle. Ferns are very primitive plants with complex reproductive cycles. There are two methods. One is through budding and the other is through sporulating. Budding is simple asexual reproduction. Sporulating is a much more interesting method and this essay will pay some attention to the early steps of this second method.
Unlike angiosperm or gymnosperm plants, ferns do not use flowers or seeds for reproduction. As a refresher, please recall that flowering plants use sexual reproduction methods with pollen and ova. (See previous essay on Bauhinia Trees). Ferns use a two-step process for reproduction. The large green plants that are seen with fronds of leaves are the first stage of reproduction called a sporophyte. This stage has a full complement of DNA and is therefore a sporophyte diploid plant. The first stage produces spores that may be either male or female. Spores must land on a suitable surface, such as a moist protected area to germinate and grow into gametophytes. The gametophyte grows into a small plant about a half inch square area. The gametophyte makes sperm and eggs which join together on wet surfaces to generate a new sporophyte. In this essay we will pay most attention to just the sporulating portion of fern reproduction. They may be either male of female.
While walking through the understory of the Florida preserve areas one could easily see and feel many ferns of at least 24 types. Three of these are demonstrated here, the Long Strap fern, Wart fern, and the Southern Sword fern. These are not easily identifiable, however, using the University of Florida plant identification web site.*** I found the best ID match.
Long Strap Fern (Campyloneurum phyllitidis)
Long Strap fern (Campyloneurum phyllitidis). Ventral surface.
Dorsal surface of Long Strap fern
Ventral surface of Long Strap fern with hundreds of very mature sorus, holding thousands of sporangia and holding tens of thousands of spores.
Sorus (~3.5mm dia) are conglomerations of reproductive organelles containing sporangia which are starting to rupture.
Sporangia detail (~300 micron die)The annulus acts like a spring to help throw the spores away from the frond as the sporangium ruptures.
Wart fern (Microsorum scolopendrium)
Ventral surface of Wart fern frond showing the warts on the surface. Each wart corresponds to a sorus on the ventral surface.
The evenly spaced pattern of the orange sorus makes this a visually interesting frond
One well defined Sorus filled with sporangium (~4mm dia). From Wart fern.
Wart fern sporangia.
Southern Sword Fern (Nephrolepis biserrata)
Dorsal side of Southern Sword fern.
Southern Sword fern ventral side with sporangium only along the edges.
Sporangium (~300 micron dia.) filled with spores from Southern Sword fern.
Spore (~30 microns) released from sporangium of Southern Sword fern..
Spore print of Southern Sword fern frond showing adjacent spore print. Lying frond, spore side down and waiting 4 hours, results in print of spores dropped on the right side on graph paper.
Covering, over the sporangium of Southern Sword fern, called an operculum.
It is easy to recognize the similarities in these plants. They all have a chloroplasts, circulatory system, sporangium, and spores and a common two stage reproduction method.
There are parallels with other plants. The microsporangia of the angiosperm flowers develop in the anther of the stamen. For them, microspores produced within the microsporangia (stamen) of which there is usually four per anther, eventually develop into pollen grains. Fungi, horsetails, mosses, worts and ferns all produce spores. It is complicated but it works.
Ferns are beautiful and intriguing. If the ferns had been very important for food or industry, they might have been exploited like the threatened Florida bald Cyprus. Be sure to see the previous publication, Earth’s Axial Tilt Determines Forest Winners. Watch for the future posting on gametophyte portion of fern life.
As Nick, one of our followers, stated “May the Forest Be With You”. To that I add “Welcome to the Dark Side of the Forest.”
References:
“Distribution of living Cupressaceae reflects the breakup of Pangea” by Kangshan Mao, Richard I. Milne, Libing Zhang, Yanling Peng, Jianquan Liu, Philip Thomas, Robert R. Mill and Susanne S. Renner, 1 May 2012, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1114319109
The ancient giants are here and they rule their worlds. They are big and conquer their territory with power. They use so much that they choke out almost anything else. They make offspring that spread to make more giants. They become hundreds or even thousands of years old and can survive almost any natural calamities. They are of course, old growth trees.
When visiting old growth forests most people look up to see and admire the majestic canopy that shades the floor. The umbrella could be either gymnosperm (pine) or angiosperm (leaf) or some mixture of these trees. Today’s post is a comparison of two climax forests that have developed in marshy wetland areas. The Corkscrew Swamp is in SW Florida (SWFL) and Maybury State Park is in SE Michigan (SEMI). I have resided in and explored both types of forested wetlands and we can see the similarities and differences in juxtaposition.
At first look, some things were evident. The Michigan canopy is a result of the leafy foliage of angiosperm trees. There were pine trees in this forest but because of plant succession, the forest now is heavily populated with hard wood trees of hickory, four types of oak, iron wood, two types of maple, beech, birch and a scattering of others. Among the 1000 acres of parkland there were only a handful of pine trees which were obviously intentionally planted as ornaments for the holiday season.
The Floridian Corkscrew Preserve canopy is the result of needle foliage of gymnosperm trees of two types of Cyprus, slash pines mixed with some hardwood trees Red Maples, Live Oaks and Cabbage Palms and a few Royal Palms.
Another remarkable difference was the water flow. Corkscrew Preserve is 18 feet above MSL Maybury Park is 300 feet above MGLL. This is of minimal significance. Michigan is experiencing a drought. In this park area with the three creeks, some ponds and two lakes all are nearly devoid of water. What were swamps are now meadows. The soil was cool and dry. There has been little or no water inflow from creeks, springs, and no rain in two months. Weather forecast for Michigan shown no predictable relief from the drought conditions. The Florida swamp is seasonally relatively dry but it was still moist or boggy with a slow sheet water flow of the Everglades. The rainy season is just beginning.
Maybery Park understory with very little light and a leafy canopy
Corkscrew understory with substantial understory growth and a canopy of soft Cyprus needles
What was a pond with fish in Maybery Park is now a swamp with white tail deer.
Pond in Corkscrew with alligator
Cat tails in the dried lake bed of Maybury Park. No ferns were found.
Two of several varieties off ferns at Corkscrew park.
Understory of Maybury Park. Very low minimal plant growth mostly nettles, poison ivy, balsam and wood sanicle
Understory of Corkscrew Preserve. Highly varigated height and diverse varieties. Many Ferns.
I searched for several plant and animal species. The ferns in the Corkscrew were abundant. There were no ferns in the Maybury Park. This was a real surprise because they were present 5 years ago. They are probably still present in the deep swamp in areas. Flowering plants in the Corkscrew Preserve were abundant and colorful and deserve another posting. The featured image is a wild hibiscus from Corkscrew Preserve, Florida. Flowers in the Maybury Park were herbaceous, minimal, and small. The most common were fleabane, thistle, and dandelion.
These two old growth forested areas are remarkably different. The differences arise from geographic position in latitude which alters the range of temperatures, the length of the day’s sun exposure, the period of below freezing temperatures. Corkscrew is a mature cyprus forest in the tropics at the 18th parallel while Maybury is mature hardwood forest at the 44th parallel. It is only 22 degrees south of the artic polar circle. Longitudinally they nearly identical. The rotation of the earth on its axis results in two very different climates. Because of the axis of rotation of the Earth, SEMI can experience wide ranges of temperature varying in a high to low range of 125o F with months of sub-freezing temperatures. The range of high to low temperatures in SWFL is closer to 50o F with no freezing temperatures. These climatic changes result in vastly different biologizes. The summer temperatures are nearly identical with hot sultry weather. For two weeks around the 4th of July, the daily high temperature in SEMI can be higher than Florida with over 100O F .
The solar rotation of the earth and the 23.5 degree off axis tilt of the rotation of the earth results in these two very different climates. Michigan daylight hours at the summer solstice are two hours longer than Florida and at the winter solstice two hours shorter than Florida. At the 44th parallel summer solstice days are 6 hours longer than the winter days six months later. The prolific mid-summer biologic activity of the Michigan forests must compensate for the 5 months of cold weather where there is very limited or no metabolic activity. The broad leaves of the angiosperm tree leaves must manufacture all the products of growth, reproduction, and metabolism. The Floridian forest metabolism simply continues all year long.
Fig 1. Location of the two sites, Maybury and Corkscrew, on the summer solstice graphic. See how close Maybury is to the line of the Midnight sun. It is halfway to the North Pole. Only 22 degrees from the Arctic circle. Corkscrew Preserve is 18 degrees from the Equator. The dotted blue line is the axis of rotation.
The giant trees are the winners because they grow taller than all others, collect more energy by photosynthesis from the sun, store energy when the light is not available and produce more seeds for reproduction. There are alternatives to big tree success. These are the dwellers in the dark. A more extensive discussion regarding fern spore production in Corkscrew Preserve will follow.
The Floridian ecosystem has the potential for more diverse life forms. It favors plants and animals that prefer a more stability in weather and climate. Michigan ecosystems favor a tougher collection of plants and animals which can be prolific in summer climate and store reserves for surviving deep winter climate. It is very understandable to see the survival value in animal migration. Many of the animals follow the cyclical greening of America from Michigan to Florida in the winter and the reverse in the summer.
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RAINWATER DISPOSITION IN THE BONITA BAY COMMUNITY (BBC); PART OF THE WATERSHED OF THE CITY OF BONITA SPRINGS
Introduction:
Rain is the result of precipitation from cloud water droplets which condense in the atmosphere. When these water droplets get too heavy to stay suspended in the cloud they fall to Earth. Management of this precipitation is critical to survival of individuals and communities in SWFL. The example presented here is similar to most of the west coast SWFL communities except for an interesting variant called a slough. The dominant measures used in this water control are nearly 70 retention ponds, strategic use of the marsh land, and proximity of the two rivers. This monograph provides a description of a typical residence (Fig 1) in the Bonita Bay Community. Rain on the roof flows through a mandated roof line gutter system down to an underground water diversion system and then to the neighborhood community retention pond at the back of the house. Street gutters also flow to sewers that are connected to the retention pond. The pond is a constructed extension of the central slough marsh. At the northern terminis of the pond there is a weir that controls overflow from the pond to the slough. The slough is a natural part of the otherwise engineered water system of the Bonita Bay Community. In this specific neighborhood, the water in the slough flows southward 450 ft through a volume-controlled water weir to the Imperial River. This river flows west to Fish Trap Bay which in turn is part of the Estero Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The following maps show the property boundaries and water flow through the Bonita Bay community. Maps are from the EPA
The featured image is a view of a portion of the slough connecting the Imperial River and Spring creek. It is not picturesque however it is important. This is the status 10 months after the flood surge of hurricane Ian. The photo was made viewing south of the image shown in Fig 8 of this posting. It seems to show more damage than the opposite view. This may be the result of salt water standing longer in this area which is the water is very slow moving perhaps because it is trapped from flowing to the south at at the Imperial river and it is a long distance to flow to the north to Spring Creek.
Figure 1 Residence with roofline gutter system and downspouts
Cartography:
Fig 2 shows an overview of a portion of the city of Bonita Springs. This area is bounded by the Imperial River to the south, Spring creek to the north, highway 41 to the east and Estero Bay to the west.
Figure 2 Highlighted in yellow are Spring Creek to north, Imperial River to south, 41 to east and Estero bay to west. Red square is the approximate property line.
In addition to the rivers bounding the property there are additional features which are part of the water flow as seen in Fig 3. Note the centrally located non-tidal marsh slough that is oriented north to south connecting the two rivers. This slow-moving marsh water is a naturally occurring body that is an often ignored but dominant and important feature in the community.
Figure 3 Water flow system of the Bonita Bay Community. The red square is the approximate property line.
The location of the residence relative to the nearby Imperial River is seen in Fig 4. The distance of the residence to the river is 450 feet. The house is directly on the east side of the water retention pond.
Figure 4 Flow-ways proximate to the residence. Red dot is the residence location.
The water flow is shown in Fig 5 for this neighborhood portion of the BBC of the City of Bonita Springs. Note that the residence is not only near the Imperial River, but also the water retention pond. The pond is also part of the central, non-tidal, slough that transepts the whole Bonita Bay community.
Figure 5 House location relative to Imperial River. Red dot is the residence location. Blue line shows direction of water flow
The water retention pond with a weir on the northwest end is seen in Fig 6. Another weir is at the river. Water is normally lost from the retention pond through transevaporation. When water in the pond is high the overflow is directed to the slough through the overflow weir.
Figure 6 From: Lee County GIS Shows property locations. The red dot is the location of the typical residence. The elevation contour lines show that the buildings are at 10 ft +MSL Fid 7 Shows the weir at north end of retention pond. Left is slough side. Right is pond side.
The slough is a marsh with reeds and sedges compromising most of the plant life and supports birds, reptiles and mammals. The entire slough and land close to the rivers and the Estero bay were completely covered by approximately 5 feet of oceanic sea water. All of the soil is still ladened with salt residue. There has been less than 6 inches of rainfall in the last 9 months. During that time there have been only three days of rain sufficient to cause some runoff through the local weir. Hopefully the seasonal rain water will dilute some of the salt every year and it will be carried back to the ocean.
Fig 8. The slough from mid BBC property looking north. Coordinates: 26.34857° N, 81.82047° W. The main community road is roughly 500 feet to the south of this vantage point. This is the opposite view of the featured image.
The relative elevations of the Bonita Bay Community in Bonita Springs are seen in Fig 9. The legend indicates that most of the community is at 5 ft +MSL. Note the approximate watershed divide.
Figure 9 Elevation of BB community. The purple horizontal line indicates the approximate north/south property watershed divide line. This is roughly parallel to the main community road
Discussion:
The water flow is generally toward the sea. The river and creek are tidal therefore it is bi-directional depending on the tides, rainfall, storm surges and other upstream water flow. The non-engineered mean elevation of the community is 5 ft +MSL. There are four water sources for the BBC that include, freshwater brought by the city to the community, grey water brought to the Community for irrigation, and rainwater during the rainy season and salt water during storm surge. The community looses water through three methods. these include transevaporation, runoff and sewage. Sewage water from residences exits through sanitary sewage lines to the central water treatment plant. The central high ground is the location of the club house. The purple line drawn horizontally through the high ground indicates the approximate north/south watershed divide. The average elevation of the property is less than two feet above the sea level where salt water begins to invade the low-level properties or displace the less dense freshwater. The property was designed more than 35 years ago and has worked well. Since then, hydraulic pressure from the rising waters of the sea have increased. Fresh rainwater is a valuable resource. Considering our changing sea water level perhaps some questions should be addressed. Do we need to rethink the water flow design? Should we consider an alternative method for disposition of rainwater through different conservation measures? Can we conserve fresh water and delay ingress of salt water?
Conclusion:
The rainwater may be distributed up-stream and down-stream once it meets the estuary/river, but generally it flows down to the Gulf of Mexico. The low elevation of the property and other weather factors determine the rate, volume and direction of flow.
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While walking along a very low traffic area on the southern end shoreline of Fort Myers beach, turtle activity was easily seen. The nest was two meters inside of the bird restricted area. A closer investigation was ill advised. The turtle traveled about 40 meters from the shore in the early morning to lay her eggs, bury them and then returned to the sea. There was no sign of other human traffic in the area. The picture was made at approximately 9:00 AM.
The Green sea turtle in the feature image was made in the Caribbean in a reef system 5 miles off of the coast of Belize.
Path from shore to nest appears to be from a green turtle. There is no center tail track between the fin marks.
Soil temperature 26.4 C, 3 meters from nest at 20 cm depth.
Sea turtle egg nest recently buried
Green Sea Turtle 80 feet under water, in reef 5 miles off the coast of Belize.
Using my foot print in the sand as a reference you can see that the path is little wider than one meter (~120 cm). Turtle fin prints have an alternating step pattern and there is no central groove in the sand in the center of the track between the fin prints. The more common turtle here would be the Logger Head. The markings of this track suggests that this was made by a Green Sea Turtle. Considering the activity, the distance from the water, the opening a hole in the sand, the laying of estimated 80 eggs, the covering of the eggs with sand and the returning to the water, this experience must have taken at least two hours. There were no other predator foot prints on the sand.
Proposed research:
Observation: Sea turtles and apparently many reptiles exhibit temperature dependent sex determination (TDSD)*. A sufficient level of research on TDSD has been done. My recordings over the last two days in nearby sand areas at various times suggest that the sand temperature should rise from the noted 26.4 C to a higher temperature between 29 C and 31 C by mid day. If the average temperatures remain in that range or lower during the entire day, there should be significantly more than 20% male offspring. With the knowledge from previous research the more appropriate prediction would be at least 80% female hatchlings.
There is a problem with failure to have gender diversity from turtle hatchlings on the beaches of Florida***. Findings in Florida beaches show abnormally high percentage of female hatchlings. This is apparently the result of average higher temperatures. It is also projected that with rising temperatures the shortfall in the male population will result in a colony population insufficient to sustain its current level. I suggest a simple attempt to reverse the gender trend. Here is a pilot project proposal:
Purpose: Is it possible to control sand temperature thereby controling the gender of turtle hatchlings at the beach?
The null hypothesis: The sand temperature at a depth equal to or greater than 20 cm would rise to 30 C or more for a significant period during the day regardless of attempts to stabilize it.
Method: Measure the change in sand temperature in a specific location of costal beach. It should be continuously recorded relative to change in time consistent with a projected egg incubation period. Include the variables of a specified period of the year and selected location. Test an interventional variable such as application of a controlled volume of sea water to the surface of the sand in the test location. The water volume should be less than the absorptive capacity and capillary action of the sand below 10 cm.
Discussion: If the null hypothesis is disproven and data revealed a regular pattern of temperature stabilization within a specific range at a depth of 20 cm, one should be able to predict the male / female ratio of the expected hatchings**. If this research shows a favorable result there may be a remedy for the diversity shortfall. Proactively, the genetic population of the nest might be regulated by cooling the nest through the timely addition of a controlled volume of water. The effect of the water would be immediate cooling of the surface and a delayed effect resulting from water evaporation. If this is effective it would thwart the risk of having an excess of female turtles or an insufficiency of male turtles. If this pilot study shows benefit this may be applied to a larger area such as selected nests along several miles of beach. A volunteer effort could support this type of effort. Please read the thought provoking references below.
If you are interested in the effort to support gender diversity in the turtle populations please share your comments.
In a two-hour walk along the southern coast of Fort Myers Beach hundreds of birds were readily observed. The photos show just a few of the birds present and this posting doesn’t really capture a full catalogue of all of the possible birds in this group. These observations were made from 8:15 to 9:30 AM. The area is not restored after the Hurricane Ian floods. The shore was relatively flat with the sea and as I was leaving the waters were rising with the tide. Except for the Osprey, the birds in this posting belong to the Aequornitornathes as discussed in our post on Calling Birds by Clades. Shore birds seem to be a frequently undervalued group. This is somewhat understandable because they are relatively small, fast flying, limited in chroma, difficult to access and seasonal.
26.405637, -81.896622
The GPS location for these observations.
Some of the birds found in this area are at risk and some are endangered. This is a State and the Audubon Society designated sanctuary. Others birds are routinely found throughout the shore area. This is nesting, mating and hatching time for these birds and large areas are marked off-limits to all to prevent damage to the nests, eggs and mating behaviors of the birds. The photos were all made from outside of these restricted areas.
The title photo is a flock of Black Skimmers roosting on the 10 to 12 inch high dune about 200 meters from the shore line using the 400 mm lens. This is fairly representative of the terrain and accessibility for observation. All of the birds were very busy in their mating and nesting behaviors. Nearby there are numerous empty multistory condominium buildings ruined by the storm. Additionally there is considerable construction work on those damaged sites.
Nesting Black Skimmer
Black Skimmer Rynchops niger, scavenging along the shore
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres along the shore
Ruddy Turnstone in the dune area
Least Tern Sternula antillarum
Rock Sandpiper Calidris ptilocnemis
American Oystercatcher at work along the shoreBlack-Bellied Plover
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatusSand Piper along the shore.
Snowy Plover (immature)
Snowy plover almost invisable
Osprey, carrying fish captured from the Gulf of Mexico, flying to its nest on a perch on Fort Meyers Beach tree line.
Summary:
Nine bird species were identified. Here are a few important lessons to be learned from this first trip. The area is a State protected site and you cannot approach the birds closer than 100 meters. Available birds are seasonal and their activity is somewhat predictable. The birds listed here usually flock in species. The food resource comes from the sea. They mate, nest, lay eggs and hatch on the beach during spring season. For better images some combination of extra effort should be applied. This includes: patience and better understanding of the bird behaviors, more stealth and closer approach if allowed by the Audubon Bird Naturalist who is on site daily. Use a lens with focal length greater than 400 mm and a tripod.
These small shore birds are generally at risk for flock survival. Some are endangered, some are threatened. As you would expect the usual culprits are warming, environmental squeeze*, loss of habitat, and a relatively new threat. The recent increased threat is an avian viral infection N1H1 which has globally decimated the poultry and wild bird population. This variant of H1N1 is highly contagious and the domesticated populations together with the wild populations have cross contaminated one another. This cross contamination makes the control of the disease extremely difficult because the wild group is an untreatable reservoir. The hope is that, in the wild population, the disease will burn itself out by killing the susceptible animals while the resistant survivors repopulate the species. With small populations such as the snowy plover, this may result in their extinction. The domesticated population must be kept highly quarantined and a vaccination needs to be developed and deployed. Bird flu may jump species to other farm animals and to humans.
* Environmental squeeze is the loss of beach habitat from human encroachment and rising water.
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Project goal: Develop a database for data organization of observations of Coastal Ecosystem
These are the early results of a trial project for data collection by citizen scientists using a custom designed cell phone application. Look for part one of this series of postings at Costal Wetlands Part 1.
The feature image is a typical seascape of our beautiful western shore coast line of South West Florida (SWFL).
Project description and outcomes:
Sand is the foundation of our civilization. It is the most heavily mined material on Earth. This Investigation of the Costal Systems of SWFL is based on this foundational material. The null hypothesis was to refute the idea that all local beach sands were identical. The goal was two-fold. The first goal was to develop an app for data collection which would take the data from observations and submit them to a cloud-based database for later evaluation. The second goal was to use the beach sand to act as a unifying substrate upon which adjacent observations could be related. The objective was to allow investigation and comparison between and among sample locations and to a standard model. The method used included an interested but untrained group of citizen scientists to observe, collect, test, and record the beach sand and adjacent materials and its contents in a wide variety of locations. A custom designed cell phone app was made and downloaded by 5 participants. Sample bags were distributed. Observers worked at sites along 80 miles of SWFL shoreline of their own choice. All samples were examined microscopically. 16,800 data points including images were collected. Data in the relational database was sorted and correlated in IOS Numbers spread sheet. Assessment of the samples revealed a significant diversity of the beach sands. The null hypothesis was refuted. The novice team behaved in a coherent, cohesive fashion. The software was comprehensive, self-explanatory and reproducible. The data has been published and is freely available on the World Wide Web through Epicpollect5 . Analysis was easy and diverse in capability. Accomplishments: Teamwork was effective, software was the cohesive agent, early conclusions are evidence-based Analysis of information can lead to confident understanding and could lead to thoughtful decisions about SWFL costal ecosystems.
These are early reports of preliminary findings:
Area of SW Florida. 40 colored dots are observation locations
Plastic package with sand sample. Label shows observation number. Photograph shows pack placed over actual size image for scale.
These images are copied from the database and show a typical costal observation point.
Wide view of beach
Close proximity to beach
One meter square observation area
Photomicrographs show images of observation samples viewed with 5x magnification.
Transilluminated
Dark field direct illumination
Transilluminated polarized light
Sand sample stored in plastic bag. Label number attached. Photographed against background scale. Photographed. Portion of sample examined microscopically. Sample filed.
The Costal shore was examined grossly with findings and comments gathered by the application then uploaded to the database. The gross examination was gathered visually and tactilely from he beach. Additionally, near adjacent findings were recorded such as larger objects, proximity to landmarks, level and proximity to the shore, vital or devital, time and date, identity of plants and animals and any other significant details. All of these details were captured photographically and by sampling.
Details and data from the observations are available at the site epicollect5 . The site provides maps, data files and graphic files.
The data was filtered and statistically summed and averaged using MS Excel spread sheet. Correlations were not made because there is relatively little data.
Here are some of the findings. Please understand that the sample size is small. Reported results are not definitive.
Gross examination
Observations were made in daylight hours
Tides were generally rising on all observations
95% of the costal areas were sandy beaches
30% of the beaches were remediated with imported sand after storm Ian
5% was the average beach profile
Life forms were concentrated along the water line and dune/upland areas
Close examination (Typical)
Sand particle size was <3 mm
All beaches had 30% to 100% quartz
Most beach sand was an aggregate of quartz and shell or reef fragments
No other mineral was found
Plastics and salts were not identified
Microscopic sand sample composition findings summarized from excel assessment from 33/40 completed data files reported from 40 observations
Observation
Sample Ratio Aspect
Findings
Texture, Fineness
10/33 Fine and Medium fine 13/33 Medium Coarse and Coarse
50% Fine, 50% coarse
Homogeneity
20/33 Well and Very Well 4/33 Poor
Most are Highly Homogeneous
Particle shape
7/33 Well rounded and Rounded 23/33 Some what Round to Angular
All showed roundedness
Source
17/33 Quartz 9/33 Quartz and Shell
High fraction of Quartz and Shell
Ratio of Quartz to Other
11/33 80 to 100% 9/33 60 to 680%
All sand had moderate to high fraction to quartz
Quartz particle size
11/33 0.5 to 1,0 mm 7/33 0.35 to 2.0 mm
Quartz particles had a high variance in 0.25 to 2.0 mm range
Other particle size
11/33 2 to 6 8/33 0.75 to 2
Non Quartz had High variance in the 0.75 to 6.0 mm
This table summarizes the microscopic anatomy of the sand found at all complete reported sites
SWFL Costal Ecosystems are based on sand. The SWFL sand is really complex with many things still to be discovered. Plastic micro particles need further exploration, minerals from shore-side water trapped in sand should be better defined, costal areas with silt overlay has not yet been discussed. The mollusks and birds of this system have been observed and need to be further explored. The data collection and database application trial was successful in data capture and facilitation of the data analysis using spread sheet software technology.
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The temperature of the soil or water has a great influence on the behavior of the indwelling plants and animals. Florida is a great place to follow the behavior of the plants and animals that dwell in or on these substrates. As an example, the temperature of the soil determines the percentage of male/female hatchlings from eggs buried by turtles in the costal regions.
This is called temperature-dependent sex determination TSD. Researchers found that if a turtle’s eggs are incubated below 27.7° C (81.86° F), the turtle hatchling populations will be predominantly male. If the eggs incubate above 31° C (88.8° F), the hatchlings will be predominantly female.
This instrument, added to our tool kit, may disclose new findings. Questions regarding change in temperature might include: the temperature differential at various depths, how does the temperature change over time, exposure to direct sun, proximity to bodies of water, consistencies and composition of the soil. The secondary effects might show other effects on the plants and animals life, presence of species at depth, rates of growth, other gender or morphology changes. The interactions and permutations of this would be extensive.
I have devised a method of measuring temperature at depth of up to 50 mm. This could be extended to greater profundity if the results show promise. The instrument consists of three parts; an aluminum arrow shaft (8.6 mm dia.) with an aluminum field point at the down end and a wooden ball at the up end; a length thermocouple sensor wire that can be threaded through the ball end to the length of the probe and temperature can be measured with a Fluke 52 electronic thermometer with a scale -328F (-200C) to +1400F (+760C) accurate to 1/2 degrees. (John Fluke Mfg. Co. Inc. Everett, WA),
The instrument was calibrated at zero degrees C in ice water. It is pictured below. The depth of penetration was dependent upon the hard pack of the soil. Where necessary, a steel shaft of similar diameter could be driven to depth which a mallet prior to insertion of the thermometer.
The assembled thermometer showing yellow bands at 10 cm intervals.
Thermometer probe at 20 cm at 12:00 PM
Thermometer reading at 12:00 PM
Thermometer ambient air temperature at 12:00 PM
Early readings of beach sand between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM.
At water line 10 cm, 26.4 C
Mid beach 10 cm, 27.9 C
Berm 10 cm, 27.8 C
Veg line 20 cm, 27.3 C
Remed. sand 50 cm, 28.2 C
Conclusions would require much more investigation to confirm my suspicions. I found that, except for the water line reading these recordings show a remarkable similarity. The average of the last four is 27.8 (+/- 0.4 C/0.5C). It is especially notable to see that the remediation sand which is stacked to 10 ft high was easily penetrated to 50 cm depth at the 4 ft level and was only +0.4 degrees from the average temperature. All of the sand temperature readings were significantly lower than the ambient air temperature.
The implication of these finding suggests that turtle egg hatched in these samples of sand would result in a population predominantly of males. Additionally, the remediation sand behaves similar to the un-remediated beach sand in its ability to moderate the results of direct sun or ambient air temperature fluctuations. This does not consider very important variables such as time, duration, season, weather, moisture, distance away from water line and other factors.
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