Field Studies in Marine Biology- FIO course 2014: Week two at UWF

For the week at University of West Florida we learned an immeasurable amount of valuable information about ecosystems ranging from Long Leaf Pine forests to coastal beaches. Each day we got the amazing opportunity to visit multiple state parks and preserves, while learning from the rangers who work and manage these environments every day. It is truly an eye opener to see how so many organizations work together to try to preserve these beautiful ecosystems while providing entertainment for the people who visit these parks, which is not an easy task. On day one we first visited Blackwater Forest National Park which is the largest Long Leaf Pine forest in the world. There we learned how the rangers must burn the forests to promote healthy growth while minimizing the damage an unplanned natural forest fire can do. We also explored the beautiful Trumpet Pitcher plant bogs of the forest as well as walked a boardwalk through the property of Kruel Lake and learned how the ground water contributes to the rivers which eventually feed into the highly productive estuaries. Later that day we met with some workers of the Water management district who further talked about their controlled burnings and how difficult it is to get an area of land back to the way it should be, allowing the ground water to flow somewhat naturally. We ended this great day at Gulf Island Natural Seashore where we learned more about the difficulties of managing large properties of land. We were able to hang on the beach and have fun with each other while the great staff of UWF prepared a delicious shrimp boil for dinner. It was a great day and a bonus for me, I found two skulls to add to my collection.

On Day two we visited Opal Beach Park to learn about the issues that seabirds and sea-turtles have and how the park managers deal with helping these threatened species survive. We then migrated to Santa Rosa Island to learn how the beach and dunes form and to run the seine net in the water to see what type of species we could find. This proved difficult in the deep areas of the waves but I'm sure it was quite a sight to see for the professors and patrons of the beach to watch twelve students get beat up by waves trying to pull in one net. It sure was fun though.

On day three we were out on the pontoon boats all day in Perdido Bay taking water quality samples which isn't the most exciting work in my opinion but it is interesting how these parameters effect the dynamics of the ecosystem. It was a beautiful day and I get to spend it with my friends on the boat so no complaints here.

Day four and five of the week were spent in the labs analyzing the phytoplankton samples we got and looking at how chlorophyll levels and other water qualities effect the ecosystem. I was glad I got a nematode in the sample I looked at under the microscope along with many other cool zooplankton and phytoplankton that are the primary producers of these systems.

I want to thank the staff of UWF for this wonderful experience and all the efforts of the park rangers to help us understand these great ecosystems. Hope you enjoy these pictures.