Cooper's Bayou

Cooper’s Bayou

Safety Harbor, Florida

September 30, 2016

Cooper’s bayou in Safety Harbor is where we learned about estuaries and the importance of mangroves in Florida’s ecosystem. Estuaries are not always found at the mouth of a river, in Florida, they are often found where salt and freshwater meet. The brackish water creates an environment that allows for many different plants and animals to live together in a unique environment. There could be a hard substrate or a soft substrate. The hard substrate would be more difficult for organisms to live on while the softer substrates serve as a better living surface. Cooper’s bayou had a very soft substrate which would increase the diversity of the ecosystem. There were also many mangroves present that lined the coastline of the waterway. Red, Black, and White mangroves could be identified from the kayaks. The Red mangrove is characterized by its prop roots that support it in the water along with propagules that are live young seeds. The prop roots serve as a nursery for fish and also help prevent erosion of the coastline. Red mangroves can be identified by their dark green leaves that have a more pointed leaf tip. The Black mangroves could be identified by their more olive green leaf color and their lime bean looking seeds. Surrounding the Black mangroves are pneumatophores that allow for oxygen exchange when the tide is high. The White mangroves have a more lime green color leaves. if the leaves are held up to the light, salt pores lining the leaves can be seen. These salt pores are also very characteristic of White mangroves.

Many things are threatening the health of mangroves. The most detrimental being development. Another threat to the mangroves are the introduction to invasive species. When the invasive species can occupy the space faster to the mangrove then the mangrove is slowly pushed out of the area. Efforts are being made to protect mangroves from development by deeming them a protective species and preventing their removal. There are human efforts being made to remove invasive species to help combat against their growth and invasion.

Juvenile yellow crowned night heron

Red mangrove