Coastal+Ocean

__Coastal Ocean__ By: Matthew Montis & Sarah Miller



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 * The specific biome that we chose was the coastal ocean on the Southern Florida coast. There are coastal ocean biomes all over the world, as they are loacted on the coasts of every landmass. The stats of the particular area we selected are as follows:**
 * **       Location: Southern Florida        **
 * **Average Temperature: mid 70's to mid 80's**
 * **Average precipitaion: 56 in. per year**
 * **Average precipitaion: 56 in. per year**

//Southern Florida//

**Our biome is located specifically on the Southern Coast of Florida. The coast along this part of Florida has a great population of seagrass and coral reef communities. It is also a habitat for many protected species including the spiny lobster, stone crab, the bottlenosed dolphin, several species of sea turtles, manatees, and the american crocodile.**

//What to Pack//

** If someone were to go for a trip to our biome, they would need to pack summer clothes, a bathing suit, snorkel, waterproof sunblock, and a towel, to name a few items. Visitors are able to go swimming, snorkling or even diving, which are all fun activities. Snorkling and diving especially give you the advantage of seeing the different ocean animals and their communities in their daily roles, or niches, of the community.**

//Spiny Lobster//

** The spiny lobster inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the atlantic ocean. Their name originates from the forward pointing spines that cover their bodies, which help protect them from preditors. They can also vary in color from off-white to a dark, red-orange hue. **

//Bottlenosed Dolphin//

**Bottlenosed dolphins live in coastal ocean ecosystems that are less than 30 miles off of shore. Their diet consists mainly of fish and shell fish, but they themselves only have sharks as predators. The dolphin's average lifespan is about 37 years, under ideal conditions.**

//Hawksbill Sea Turtle//

**
 * [[image:http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/books/turtles/hawksbill.jpg width="410" height="283" align="left"]]Hawksbill sea turtles can grow in lengths up to about 30 to 36 inches and can weigh from 100-200 pounds. Their shells are usually a dark brown color with light and dark marks, which can range from spots to streaks. The Hawksbill is also an omnivore, meaning that it eats both plants and animals.

//Seaweed//

**

Seaweed is primarily found growing near rocks, sand, dead plants, and algae and occasionally near the ocean surface. The majority of seaweed is spawned from red algae, but due to the chlorophyll in the plant, it has a greenish color.**

// Phytoplankton //

**

Phytoplankton grows quickly due to it being a primary producer, and as such, it creates energy from the sun, of which there is an abundance in the upper layer of ocean where the plankton finds its niche. Underwater herbivores, such as zooplankton, are the natural predators of phytoplakton.**

//Kelp//


 * [[image:http://teachers.oregon.k12.wi.us/hanson/images/kelp.jpg width="412" height="435" align="left"]]

Kelp is another coastal ocean plant. While being similar to seaweed, it grows much larger; from the ocean floor to the top of the photic zone of the ocean.**

//Invasive Species//


 * [[image:http://www.beowulf99.com/Galleries/Vegas/images/LionFish.jpg width="431" height="285" align="left"]]

An invasive species in our biome is the lionfish. The lionfish is a popular salt-water aquarium fish. It has maroon and white stripes, tentacles over their eyes and spines that inject poison that causes pain, numbness, and paralysis. The species as a whole has not yet become large enough to cause harm to the ecosystem, but as they reproduce and their numbers rise, they have the potential to disrupt the balance of coastal biomes along the entire East coast of the United States.**

//Compare and Contrast//


 * [[image:coral_reef.jpg width="466" height="309" align="left"]]Our biome is like that of the coral reef biome because they are both inhabitated by similar organisms, such as the colorful fish, plants, and coral reefs themselves. The temperature is usuallly the same depending on the area. A coral reef is usually located in coastal oceans, but, unlike coastal oceans, the coral reef is inhabitated by many small organisms that can dart through the coral with ease, while the coastal ocean biome has lage fish and plants that could not survive in the small coral reef ecosystem.**

=// Bibliography //=

//The Coastal Ocean.// (n.d.) Retieved October 28, 2008, from http://mrsfishnv.tripod.com/id245.htm

//Underwater Sea Plants.// (n.d.) Retrieved October 28, 2008, from http://underwaterseaplants.awardspace.com/seaweed.htm