Lover's Key

In our last class we went on another field trip, this time we went to Lover's Key Beach down in Bonita.  There we started the trip off by talking about the different types of industries that support Florida's economy.  The main one as everyone knows is tourism, ranging from all the parks up in Orlando to the different beaches all over its coasts.  The second industry Dr. Morris talked about was the fishing industry.  Florida has some of the best fishing spots in the world.  This is because of the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the gulf steam current only being a mile off the east coast at certain points.  Those two different attributes provide a vast array of options for commercial and recreational fishers.  After having the introduction, we then proceeded to walk towards the beach.

Mid way down the board walk we came to a stop to talk about the different Mangroves in the area and their effect on the ecosystem.  There are three types of Mangrove species: black, white, and red.  The main differences between the three species is their different rooting systems.  The Red Mangrove is the biggest out of the three reaching heights of nearly 80 ft.  Also, it has a particular root system that is called a "prop root" system. These roots support the tree by reaching out horizontally above ground in a effort to expand the base in a very wet soil.  The Black Mangrove is the in between the red and white in terms of its height, reaching 65 ft. and it also has a interesting root system.  It is a style of root that spreads itself underneath the ground but then has fingers that stick up out of the ground in an effort to collect more oxygen.  Then there's the White Mangrove, this mangrove is the smallest of the three only growing to about 50 ft. tall.  One of the more interesting facts about the mangroves was the amount of protection they provide to the community.  These trees protect against hurricane winds coming in from the water ways and erosion.  Their root systems hold all of the loose earth together so that when a big storm comes all of the sand doesn't get blown all around shifting the topography of the land.  After being taught about the different mangroves and the benefits they provide, Dr. Morris let us go to the beach for the remainder of the trip.  During my free time I went on a nice swim out into the gulf as well as walk along the beach.  During my walk I saw a variety of different types of animals ranging from Pelicans hunting bait fish to Sea Slugs that had washed ashore.