Indian River Lagoon
The Indian River Lagoon is an estuary, one of the most diverse estuaries in North America no less. Inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon are two-thousand one-hundred different species of plants, three-hundred and seventy different species of birds, two-thousand two-hundred different species of animals, and six-hundred and eighty-five different species of fish. An estuary is an enclosed body of water with both fresh and saltwater, this particular estuary spans over Brevard, Volusia, and Indian River Counties in Central Florida. The Indian River Lagoon also serves as a nursery for various aquatic species ranging from manatees to shellfish.
The Indian River Lagoon plays a critical role in the communities that surround it. It is a fishing area supporting most of east Florida and serves as a major waterway for boats and boat salesmen. The Indian River Lagoon also accounts for one-seventh of the region’s economy. The Indian River Lagoon also helps protect the mainland from stormy waters and provides a recreational area in the form of parks and islands that people can camp or play on. Another major feature is the federal wildlife refuges and numerous educational enrichment programs and buildings that are connected to the Indian River Lagoon.
Because it is an estuary, the salinity levels vary upon location of the lagoon. It is estimated that the lower salinity levels are found between Melbourne and Vero Beach, getting higher heading north or south. All in all, the actual salinity level changes constantly due to several factors. These factors include the location of the inlets and the current water circulations. There is no set tide in the lagoon, it changes constantly. The Indian River Lagoon is surprisingly shallow with an average depth of four feet. Not surprisingly, it varies in width from five miles to one-half mile. Because the lagoon is so shallow, specific boating paths had to be cut so the boats would not get stuck on the shallow bottom.
Sea grass beds are currently in decent shape having expanded dramatically since the 1980s. There are a lot of ways to damage the sea grass beds; one of these ways is through driving a boat carelessly over them without realizing the effects they are having on the Indian River Lagoon. The boat’s propellers tear up the sea grass, cutting them in half. Even though boaters’ propellers contribute to the destruction of sea grass beds, a more specific negative factor is that there is not enough light to reach the sea grass beds due to an increase in water murkiness. The other factors that contribute to the destruction of sea grass beds are the salinity of the lagoon, solid water surface blockage like algae that cause less light to come through, and the stability of the sediment the sea grass beds attach to. This is bad because many life forms use the sea grass beds as a habitat, nursery ground, and feeding ground. Decreasing and destroying the sea grass beds are like cutting down a forest, because of the destruction of habitats.
Because of the increase in nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, there has been an increase in algae. With the increase in algae, there is a decrease in sea grass beds because less light can get to them. Waste water and storm water also discharge into the Indian River Lagoon bringing with them many pollutants. The waste water and storm water also bring with them many enriched nutrients that also feed the algae and increase the numbers in the Indian River Lagoon.
Mangrove
Mangroves are among those plant species that are actually native to Florida. There are many different types of mangroves, but the most common mangrove species found in the Indian River Lagoon are: the red mangrove, the black mangrove, and the white mangrove. The red mangrove (scientific name Rhizophora mangle) is identifiable from its prop roots, roots that make it appear to be standing, giving it the nickname it is known by, the “walking tree.” It is found more at the water’s edge than on higher drier ground. The leaf is oval and has smooth edges. It can grow as tall as twenty feet in Florida, higher in more tropical climates, and the flowers are pale yellow in color. The fruit of the red mangrove is rusty brown and the bark is thick, ridged, and scaly with grayish to grayish-brown coloring. The black mangrove (scientific name Avicennia germinans) has roots that appear as finger-like projections coming out of the ground, unlike the red mangrove. It is found between the red and white mangroves, out of the water, but not completely on land. The finger-like projections are called pneumatophores, or as they are also known as, air-filled roots. The plant leaf is oblong and hairy on the bottom, but it is shiny on the top of the leaf. The excess salt that it does not use during its processes is excreted on the top shiny part of the leaf. This is also a defense mechanism against the salt. The sides of the leaves are smooth, not jagged. The fruit of the black mangrove is green and has slits along the edges with one seed. The bark has furrows in it and is dark-brown in color. The white mangrove (scientific name Laguncularia racemosa) may be found on higher, and slightly drier grounds than the two previous mangroves. Unlike the other two, the white mangrove’s roots are not as visible. The fruit is reddish brown and houses a dark red seed. The leaves are also oblong and green, but possess small glands near the stem called nectaries. The bark is thick, ridged, and scaly and reddish-brown in color.
Mangroves are part of the rather small salt tolerant plant group, there are very few salt tolerant plants. There are many ways the mangroves deal with the salt in the Indian River Lagoon that helps them survive. Some mangroves block the salt straight in the roots while others have glands on their leaves, like the white mangrove and the black mangrove, that secrete the salt onto the leaf’s surface.
Mangroves are the key ingredient in the Indian River Lagoon. They help filter the water with the organisms that attach to them, help the clarity in the lagoon increase, protect the mainland against floods, and play the actual role of buffering against wind and erosion by holding the soil together with their roots. Mangroves are highly susceptible and sensitive to major temperature fluctuations and human impacts. In the past, many buildings have been built along the water’s edge. Unfortunately, this meant that many mangrove forests were cut down in the process of the construction, which had a remarkable effect on the lagoon as a whole. Erosion was obvious along the banks of the river with the beach disappearing or moving back, and many ridges being hacked away. Water clarity also became an issue due to the fact that there were fewer mangroves to filter the lagoon and more sediment in the lagoon due to the erosion. Currently, it is estimated that there are four-hundred sixty-nine thousand acres of mangrove forests in Florida as a whole and now thanks to the awareness of the residents of those who live along the lagoon, more is being done to help keep it from decreasing. Programs have been added to recreate the mangrove forests, and fines have been placed on those who damage the mangrove trees, accidentally or purposefully. Additionally, fines have also been placed on picking up the mangrove’s propagules or seeds. Part of some of the programs used to restore the mangrove forests is educating school students about the importance of mangroves. This is significant because the school students will learn that mangroves need to be saved and restored, and they will help participate in the restoration efforts, and hopefully stop future construction along the shore.
Brazilian Pepper-Tree
The Brazilian pepper tree is an invasive species to Florida. The scientific name for the Brazilian pepper-tree is Schinus terebinthifolius. They are part of the family Anacardiaceae, which also contains poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Brazilian pepper-trees also can cause major and minor respiratory problems if burned. Many people confuse brazilin pepper-trees with burnable wood when they camp out on the islands, so it is easy to accidentally inhale the smoke from the Brazilian pepper-trees. This is a problem because there is an abundance of Brazilian pepper-trees all over the Indian River Lagoon. They are a major problem in Indian River Lagoon because they are so dangerous and invasive. The branches can easily snap. When the branches snap, sap bubbles out and spreads along the branch. People who camp on the islands often take walks along the island, and the broken branches makes it easier to come in contact with the sap. The person will develop a rash that may blister and itch. It is also possible to get a rash by coming in contact with the oil secreted from the leaves on the Brazilian pepper-tree.
Brazilian pepper-trees look remarkably similar to mangroves. An easy way to distinguish them from mangroves is by looking at their leaves, or seeing if you get a rash after coming in contact with them. Unlike the mangrove trees, the Brazilian pepper-tree has fine-toothed edges along the side of the elliptical green leaf, compared to the mangroves smooth edges. Another difference is the reddish mid-rib on the leaf compared to being completely or almost completely green. The flowers are white in color and form in clusters with five flower petals each. They produce both female and male flowers and the female and male flowers are extremely similar to each other. The fruit of the Brazilian pepper-tree first appear green, but turn bright red when ripe. The Brazilian pepper-tree’s seeds are dark brown in color. They flower from September to November, and the fruits mature in December.
Ecosystem/Community
According to the Princeton word net, an ecosystem is defined as, a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment. This correlates with the Indian River Lagoon, because the Indian River Lagoon in itself is an ecosystem. The sea grass beds interact with their physical environment by relying on the light to get their nutrients and by relying on the sediment to stay stable so the sea grass beds will not shift in the water currents. Algae uses the nutrients brought in from the storm water, waste water, and fresh water systems to survive and block out the light for the other sea plants.
According to the Princeton word net, a community is defined as a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other. The Indian River Lagoon functions as a nursery grounds and can be thought of as a community. Many fish and crustaceans rely upon the mangrove roots as both protection and food. Without the mangroves, there would be fewer habitats for these fish and crustaceans to use for their nursery grounds. Sea grass beds are also important in the interaction of the living organisms of the lagoon. Many organisms, like fish and crustaceans, use the sea grass beds as a habitat and food source. Manatees eat the sea grass for food consumption.
T-Test
T-Tests are used when the standard deviation of the population is unknown. The two different types of T-Tests are between and within. Within tests a specific data point against the sample. The degrees of freedom are calculated as N, or the trials, minus one. Within is generally used when you want to test whether the data point is reliable or not. Between tests two different samples. The degrees of freedom are calculated as (Nfirst sample plus Nsecond sample) minus two. Two is used instead of one because there is more than one group.
For a T-Test there can be a one-tailed or a two-tailed. A one-tailed looks to see if there is either an increase or a decrease. A two-tailed looks to see if there is both an increase and a decrease.
There are two different types of errors, Type I and Type II. Type I is falsely saying the statistics are significant when they really aren’t. Type II is falsely saying the statistics are not significant when they really are. The alpha level is used to help eliminate the chances for these errors. The smaller the alpha level, the more chance there is that a Type II error will be made. The larger the alpha level, the more chance there is that a Type I error will be made. Generally, 0.05 and 0.01 are used for the alpha levels. The alpha level for 0.05 means that there will be a five-percent chance that a Type II error will be made. In medicine 0.01 is used.
Statistics are used to measure the reliability of the data required. This is important because without reliable data, there wouldn’t be a way to say this actually works.
