Coopers Bayou

Last friday, the class went out to Cooper's Bayou in Safety Harbor/ Clearwater area. We took out kayaks so we could get a better up close view of the shoreline and plants that surrounded it. It was definitely entertaining seeing some people kayak for their first time :) This area is great for observing mangroves, since it is an estuary and contains brackish water. There are 4 different species of mangroves, I learned: black, white, red and buttonwood. Each is adapted to survive in a different way surrounding the estruary. The red mangrove, living closest to the water, has prop roots to stabilize the mangrove. Red mangroves seeds are long rod-shaped and are able to survive for an extended amount of time until it is able to plant itself in the earth and sprout up. They also are able to deal with high salt concentrations in water by using the method of excluding the salt with roots that have almost a water proof seal. Black mangroves, I learned, are the tallest and second closest to the water. They deal with the salty waters by extruding the salt, or filtering it from the water. Their roots are nomadophores and stick straight out of the water. their seeds are bean like and have trichomes on the leaves. The white mangrove is third away from the water with pores in the leaves that let in oxygen to the mangrove. They also survive by extruding the salt. Furthest from the water are the buttonwood mangroves. They grow white puffy flowers which is the reason for their name. They have soft velvety glands and also extrude salt through glands.

Here are some pictures I took of my classmates and I kayaking, as well as the mangroves in this area...