Coastal/Marine Environment

Geographical Area: 

• Specific features of a coastal environment include caves, beaches, shallow waters, and/or estuaries or deltas. All of these are shaped by the tides, waves, and water currents of the ocean, forming these coastal features (Davis, R., 2021).

• The landforms that constitute the coastal/marine environment are the result of sediments and rocks in these coastal regions that are moved around due to the waves and currents of the ocean (Davis, R., 2021). 

The Coastal Plains: 

• Geographic section that covers all of Florida, eastern Texas, the Atlantic seaboard from Florida to New Jersey, the Mississippi Delta, and the Gulf Coast. 

Organisms Present: 

• Karenia brevis 

  • This is a type of harmful algae bloom (HAB) that is prominent in Florida and Gulf coasts. This species negatively affects both sealife and the human population through airborne and water transmission (Steindinger, K., n.d.). 

• Glomus spp.

  • A fungi found in plant roots in nearly all terrestrial environments. Glomus spp.  has symbiotic relationships with plants that can be mutualistic benefitting both the plant and fungi, or antagonistic where one organism benefits and the second organism is negatively affected.  ("Glomus", n.d.)

• Daphnia spp.

  • Commonly known as a water flea, this organism inhabits the majority of freshwater ecosystems and quickly adapts to its environment (Ebert 2005).

• Littorina Littorea 

  • This herbivorous sea snail is abundant on rocky shores and in marshes, and is invasive to the coasts of North America (Brawley 2009). 

• Spartina alterniflora

  • More commonly known as saltmarsh cordgrass, this organism is a coastal grass that can grow from 2 to 8 feet tall. It is often found in Atlantic and Gulf Coast salt marshes and has naturally colonized to become invasive.