Background Information for the Seagrass Activity Kit

1. Background Information for the Seagrass Activity Kit

2. Background Information for the Seagrass Activity Kit is provided to offer information about the organisms and habitats used in the educational activities found in the Seagrass Activity Kit. A glossary of terms is provided at the end of the presentation for reference purposes. The Seagrass Activity Kit was developed for educators and their students by Nancy Diersing and Joy Tatgenhorst, Education Specialists from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. For more information or to provide input, please contact: Mary Tagliareni, Education Coordinator, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, (305) 852-7717 x 30 or Mary.Tagliareni@noaa.gov or Nancy Diersing, (305) 852-7717 x 26 or Nancy.Diersing@noaa.gov We acknowledge the artists, M. Gill and D. Peebles, who created some of the artwork contained in this educational package.

3. An Overview of the Seagrass Activity Kit

4. Table of Contents • Introduction • Habitats • Coral Reef • Seagrass Meadow • Mangrove Forest • Animal Kingdom--Background Information • Invertebrates • Sponges (Phylum Porifera) • Corals, anemones, jellyfish (Phylum Cnidaria) • Mollusks (Phylum Mollusca) • Annelids (Phylum Annelida) • Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda) • Echinoderms “Spiny-skinned” (Phylum Echinodermata) • Vertebrates (Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata) • Fish (Class Pisces) • Amphibians (Class Amphibia) (*not represented in this activity kit) • Reptiles (Class Reptilia) • Birds (Class Aves) • Mammals (Class Mammalia) • Glossary-definition of some ecological terms Note: This is not meant to be a complete taxonomic representation of the Kingdom Animalia. Not all animals in the background material are part of the Seagrass Activity Kit.

5. Rock beauty fish with grunt, blue chromis, and other marine life Hogfish with red sponges and corals Coral reefs contain more varieties of life than any other marine environment. They exist as part of a complex ecosystem that includes mangroves, seagrass meadows and hardbottom habitats. Corals are colonial animals composed of thousands of tiny slow-growing animals called polyps. Each polyp in a colony secretes a calcareous exoskeleton around its base, forming the characteristic skeleton of that species. Colonies of thousands of coral polyps form massive reef formations. It can take years for some corals to grow one inch. Close-up of coral polyps with tentacles and mouths

6. Mixed grassbed with conch Turtle grass--close-up Seagrassesare flowering marine plants that are an important part of the food web. They provide food for turtles, manatees, pink shrimp, and queen conch. Seagrass meadows serve as feeding grounds for spiny lobsters, wading birds, and many predatory fish. They also function as a nursery grounds for pink shrimp, lobster, snapper, and other marine animals. Seagrasses keep the water clear by by trapping sediments between the grass blades. With their roots and rhizomes, they stablize the bottom sediments. Like all plants, they produce oxygen that is available for animals to use.

7. Mangrove Island Mangrove Shoreline Mangrove roots under water Mangrovesare salt-tolerant trees that provide a nesting area for a variety of birds. The submerged roots are a nursery and breeding ground for most of the marine life that migrates to the reef. Mangroves trap and produce nutrients for food and habitat, stabilize the shoreline by trapping debris and silt, and filter land-based pollutants. In some areas, many mangroves grow together on shallow banks, forming mangrove islands.

8. Animal Kingdom Invertebrates Vertebrates Fish Amphibians Mollusks AnemonesCorals Sponges Reptiles Birds Mammals Arthropods Echinoderms Annelids Note: This representation is not meant to be a taxonomic one, but rather a conceptual representation of two main groups within the Animal Kingdom. Some of the subgroups of organisms within the Invertebrate or the Vertebrate category are not represented in the seagrass activities.

9. Excurrent pores • Spongesare simple “porous” animals that live attachedto the seafloor. Sponges draw water through the many “incurrent” pores that cover their bodies. • Waste leaves the sponge through the “excurrent” pores (usually on top). Sponges are filter-feeders, obtaining tiny bits of food and oxygen as the water circulates through the sponge’s body. • Tube sponges are tube-shaped. They live attached to a hard surface and serve as a home for small crustaceans, brittle starfish and other small invertebrates. • Vase Sponges are shaped like a vase. They are commonly found in hardbottom areas near shore. Incurrent pores Water is drawn into the incurrent pores, oxygen and food are removed by cells in the sponge, water is expelled through excurrent pores (top) along with waste products of the sponge. Tube Sponge Vase Sponge

10. Corals, anemones, & jellyfishare hollow-bodied animals characterized by a single mouth and gut. They capture food using tiny stinging cells located on the tentacles that surround their mouths. Some animals in this group are free-floating (jellyfish), others are free-living(anemones) and some are sessile (corals). (Corals/anemones have bodies called polyps with tentacles that face “up” while jellyfish(usually) have medusas or bell-shaped bodies with tentacles that face “down”.) • Anemones are animals that live on the bottom, but can move about freely. They usually consist of a single polyp that functions to capture food. The pink-tipped anemone is often found living in the seagrass beds. • Rose corals are found on the seafloor. This hard coral colony shaped like a flower consists of several polyps surrounded by a hard limestone skeleton. The polyps in the same colony share the food (zooplankton) captured with their stinging tentacles. • Jellyfish live a free-floating lifestyle with their stinging tentacles pointing down from the bell-shaped animal. Most jellyfish are also part of the zooplankton--free-floating animals. Anemone Rose Coral

11. Annelidsare marine worms with bodies that are divided into a series of segments. This segmentation allows these worms to burrow more efficiently, although not all annelids are burrowing worms. Some annelids are carnivorous, others are filter-feeders, and others feed food deposited on the surface of the sand. • Medusa worms live in semi-permanent burrows on mudflats and in sandy areas near grassbeds. They feed on organic material deposited on the surface of the sand using tentacles that extend outward and move food particles into the mouth. The gills of the medusa worm are located at the base of the tentacles. Other marine annelids include the filter-feeding fan worms and the “fire” or “bristle” worms, which feed on polyps of sea fans and other soft corals. Medusa worm

12. Molluskshave soft bodies that may or may not be covered with an external hard shell made of limestone. The body of a mollusk, usually known as a “foot”, contains the animals vital organs and is used in locomotion. Some mollusks have a two-part hinged shell covering their foot (bivalves such as clams, oysters) while others have a single shell that spirals when it grows (univalves such as snails, conch.) In univalves and bivalves, the mantle tissue, which lines the inside of the shell, secretes new shell material as the animal grows. Octopi and squid are mollusks that do not have any external shells at all. They protect themselves by inking the water, finding shelter, and blending in with their environment. • Octopi are very intelligent mollusks that can change their body color to blend in with their environment. They have suction cups on their 8 tentacles and a mouth with a sharp beak for feeding on smaller mollusks and crustaceans. Mollusks Univalves Snails/Conch Octopi Squid Bivalves (clams, oysters, scallops) Common Octopus

13. Mollusks (continued) • Queen or Pink Conchs are snails with a heavy shell with a smooth pink lining. Conchs are found in herds, moving through an area, grazing on the plant life growing on rocks and seagrass blades. • Banded Tulip Snail are snails that feed on small clams and other snails. They are carnivorous predators. • Bay Scallops are bivalves (two-part shell) and soft body. A “tube” draws the water into its body and removes food and oxygen (known as a filter-feeding). Unlike most bivalves that burrow, bay scallops can propel themselves through the water. Queen Conch Tulip Snail Bay Scallop

14. Arthropods Crustaceans Spiders Horse Shoe “Crabs” Insects • Arthropodsare jointed-legged animals and two major body segments: a head/thorax segment and a tail segment. Arthropods have an exoskeleton made of a thin chitinous material. The exoskeleton must be shed (or molted) in order for the animal to grow larger. The arthropod has “breaks” or joints in the shell covering its body and legs. These joints enable the animal to move. Insects and spiders are terrestrial (land-based) arthropods. Horseshoe “crabs” (not true crabs) and crustaceans are groups of marine arthropods. • Horseshoe crab are not true crabs, but are more closely related to spiders and scorpions. Fossils of horseshoe crabs indicate that these creatures inhabited the shallow ancient seas over 1 million years ago. Horseshoe crabs live on the sandy, muddy bottom and often bury themselves partially in the sand; they use the tiny pair of “pinchers” near their mouth (located underneath) to feed themselves. They have “book” gills that fan the water to keep themselves oxygenated. Horseshoe crabs lay their eggs on shore just above the high tide line Horseshoe Crab

15. Arthropods Crustaceans Spiders Horse Shoe “Crabs” Insects • Arthropods(Crustaceans) • Crustaceans are a group of Arthropods that have two pairs of antennae for sensing the environment. Their eyes are almost always on stalks. Examples of crustaceans include: lobsters, crabs, shrimp and copepods. • Spiny lobsters have two large antennae with many sensory hairs and large black eyes located on stalks. The lobster’s tail wraps under its body. Spiny lobster live in crevasses at the reef or rocky outcroppings. Young spinys live at the base of loggerhead sponges and in algae patches. These crustaceans feed at night in the grassbeds on clams, small queen conch, and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates. • Pink Shrimp live in the grassbeds, feeding on decaying plant material. They are a commercially valuable species. They also are food for snapper and other fish. Spiny Lobster Pink Shrimp

16. Arthropods Crustaceans Spiders Horse Shoe “Crabs” Insects • Arthropods(Crustaceans) • Mantis shrimp live in holes in the sand /grass. These predatory crustaceans feed on smaller crustaceans and small fish and are food for larger animals, including fish. They are sometimes called “thumb-splitters” –since they stun their prey with sharp claws. • Blue crabs have two sharp claws for feeding. They filter water through their mouthparts to obtain oxygen. Blue crabs have two paddle-like legs for swimming and burying in the sand. Blue crabs are a commercially valuable species in some areas. • Hermit crabs are not considered “true” crabs. They live in discarded snail shells that they find in nature and carry on their backs. When a hermit crab outgrows its shell, it discards the old one and finds a new shell to inhabit. The shell offers protection because the hermit can pull itself into the shell completely. Mantis Shrimp Hermit Crabs Blue Crabs

17. Echinoderms • Echinoderms are“spiny-skinned” animals usually with a five-part body plan. They have a complete digestive system consisting of a mouth and anus. Echinoderms use “tube” feet filled with water to suction onto surfaces and move. They have very good powers of regeneration and grow back missing legs or spines. Sea stars are echinoderms well-known for growing their arms back. • Grassbed urchins are covered with spines they use for protection and movement. They can be a variety of colors. They use their suction-cup tube feet to stick onto surfaces and to hold onto pieces of grass and shell for camouflage. The five-part body plan is mostly evident in the pattern of the internal “shell” which is covered with spines. Sea cucumbers Urchins Sea stars “starfish” Brittle stars Grassbed Urchin

18. Echinoderms (continued) • Sea cucumbers are spiny-skinned animals that also do not readily show the five-part body plan or spines. They are elongated in shape and live on the bottom where they feed on organic material they “filter” out of the sand as they eat it. When disturbed, sea cucumbers can “spit out” their guts which will regrow in time. • Cushion sea stars (also called Bahama stars) are large sea stars that live in the grassbeds. They feed on the algae and other living things that encrust the grass blades of seagrass. Sea Cucumber Cushion sea star

19. Fish Cartilaginous fish Boney fish Fishare cold-blooded vertebrates that have bodies covered with scales, fins for locomotion and gills for breathing underwater. Fish fall into two basic groups based on their skeletal structure. Cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays, and skates have an internal skeleton made of a softer substance, cartilage. Bony fish have skeletons made of bone and make up the largest group. • Southern Stingrays are cartilaginous fish that have a flattened body shape with a mouth underneath and gill slits on top. They have a long tail with a sharp retractable barb. They can swim through the water or bury themselves beneath the sand. If pinned down, they will use the barb for defense. • Nurse sharks are cartilaginous fish that feed onmollusks, crustaceans, and marine worms that live on the bottom. They sense their prey using barbels or “whiskers”. Nurse sharks are often found resting in under ledges on the bottom. Stingray Nurse sharks

20. Fish Boney fish Fish (continued) • Gray snapperare bony fish that are also common food fish for people. They are predators that feed on shrimp and other crustaceans found in the grassbeds. Gray snappers are also called mangrove snappers because they sometimes hide up in the mangrove tree roots that dangle in the water along the shoreline. Gray snappers have a gray stripe through their eyes to help conceal the eye from predators. • Barracuda are bony fish that prey primarily on other smaller fish. Barracuda often float motionlessly over the grassbeds until they spot their prey. Their streamlined body shape and fins enables them to swim quickly forward to capture prey. They readily fade their colors to match the background. Young barracuda are able to blend in with the seagrass using a pattern of vertical stripes across their bodies. Cartilaginous fish Barracuda

21. Fish (continued) • Bonefish are bony fish that commonly inhabit the shallow sandy and grassy flats. They are predators that will eat just about everything they can find on the bottom including small crabs, shrimp and worms. They are highly sought after by recreational anglers who like their fighting spirit when hooked. Most bonefish fishing is “catch and release” since they are not valued as a food item in this country. Bonefish have a torpedo shaped body for moving fast through the water. • Pinfishare bony fish commonly seen in the grassbeds where they feed on plants,crustaceans and worms. Pinfish are favorite food of many larger predatory fish including snook and tarpon. • Seahorsesare bony fish that swim upright in the water. Seahorses use their tales to wrap around plants and soft corals to stabilize themselves. They use their elongated mouths to suck in tiny floating animals (zooplankton) such as brine shrimp, crab larvae, and other small crustaceans for food. In seahorses, the male carries the young in a pouch on the front of his body until they are ready to be released into the water to fend for themselves. Bonefish Pinfish Seahorse

22. Animal Kingdom • Reptilesare four-legged cold-blooded vertebrates that have scaley skin and lay their air-breathing eggs on land. Sea turtles are a major group of marine reptiles. They dig holes on sandy beaches above the high tide mark, deposit their eggs in the hole, cover them up, and swim back out to sea. Sea turtles have been sought after for their meat and shell for many years. Their populations have dropped because of over-hunting and loss of nesting habitat along sandy beaches. • Loggerhead sea turtlesare known for their large heads which are used in crushing hard-shelled conch and other mollusks for food. They also like to feed on spiny lobsters and other invertebrates found on the bottom. Like all sea turtles, they spend most of their lives at sea, away from land, except when nesting. Vertebrates Reptiles Loggerhead Sea Turtle

23. Animal Kingdom • Birdsare warm-blooded vertebrates that are adapted for flight. They have hollow bones and wings with feathers to offer resistance against the air during flight. Birds have beaks and a gizzard for grinding food (instead of teeth). • Brown pelicansare commonly found along coastal shorelines where they dive head first in the water to capture fish for food using their large pouch beaks. Pelicans spot their prey during flight. Vertebrates Birds Brown Pelican

24. Animal Kingdom • Mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates that have fur or hair (reduced in some) and feed their young milk from mammary glands. • Bottle-nose dolphins are marine mammals that spend their entire lives at sea. Dolphins must surface for air and breath through the blow-hole located on the top of the animal. They exhibit live birth and parental care. Bottle nose dolphins are very intelligent mammals that have been known to hunt cooperatively. Dolphins use echolocation (send out sound waves to sense the distance of objects in the environment) when locating prey items. Vertebrates Mammals Bottle-nose Dolphin

25. Zooplanktonis the term given to the collection of animals that float or drift in the ocean currents. Some animals are planktonic only in the larval stages of life. As they grow, they assume a bottom-dwelling existence or swimming existence. Lobster and crab larvae are part of the zooplankton when young, but as juveniles and adults, they are bottom-dwelling. Copepods are crustaceans that spend their entire lives as part of zooplankton. Most jellyfish are also considered zooplankton since they are carried along by the ocean currents. Phytoplanktonis the term given to collection of plants that drift or float freely in the ocean’s currents. Most phytoplankton are very small, but some seaweeds, like gulfweed, are also planktonic. Phytoplankton, like all plants, are producers--they convert the sun’s energy into sugars in the process of photosynthesis. These sugars are consumed by animals that are in turn consumed by other animals. In the process of photosynthesis, phytoplankton also release oxygen into the surrounding water. Marine animals depend upon this dissolved oxygen to survive. Plankton is the collective term that includes both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Zooplankton Phytoplankton

26. Glossary Abiotic environment--the non-living or physical factors that affect an organism; exs. seawater, oxygen, sunlight, etc. Biotic environment--the living part of the environment Biological community--a naturally occurring group of organisms that live in the same area, exs. pine forest, rocky shoreline, coral reef, seagrass meadow, etc. Consumers--organisms that are unable to produce their own food, ex. animalsEnergy--the ability to do work or cause motion Decomposers--organisms that cause decay, exs. bacteria and fungi Ecosystem--the interaction of a biological community with its environment; made up of all populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact Ecology--the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment Food chain--a representation of the passage of energy from plants through a series of animals; ex. Seagrass--conch--loggerhead turtle Food web--interconnected food chains in a community Habitat--a place where an animal or plant normally lives, usually characterized by a dominant plant form or physical characteristics (exs. Sand beach, mangrove forest, seagrass meadow) Population-- consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time Photosynthesis--the process in which producers use sunlight (energy) to manufacture food; in photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water are combined to make simple sugars; plants may convert sugars to other starches for storage purposes Plankton--organisms that drift in the ocean because they either do not swim or are too small to resist the currents; animals that are planktonic are called zooplankton collectively; plants that are planktonic are called phytoplankton Predators--animals that prey on other animals, ex. stingray, gray snapper, spiny lobster Producers--organisms that can use the sun’s energy directly to make their own food for growth and other life processes (reproduction, etc.), ex. plants