The Grass in your Class
What is a watershed?
an area of land and water that drains to a common point.
What is salinity? *
What do we use to measure salinity?
Salinity is the measurement of salt in a solution and is measured using a refractometer
What is an adaptation? Give an example of an adaptation.
An adaptation is the way a plant or animal has changed in order to survive in its environment.
Examples may be general or specific; camouflage, mimicry, hummingbird beak, webbed feet on a duck, etc.
What is erosion?
The gradual wearing away of land surface materials, especially rocks, sediments, and soils, by the action of water, wind, or glaciers.
What family is an oyster a part of?
A mollusk
What are the three reasons smooth cordgrass is important? *
1. Filters and absorbs pollution from stormwater runoff
2. Provides habitat for juvenile fish
3. Smooth cordgrass helps reduce shoreline erosion
What does PPT stand for?
parts per thousand
What adaptation does Smooth cordgrass have that allows it to live the brackish water?
Smooth cordgrass has adapted to excrete salt (or push extra salt out of its level) which allows it to regulate it's intake of salt.
What are some ways humans can cause erosion?
Construction and the removal of native vegetation
Increased wave activity from boats
Sea walls
What is the name of our local estuary?
The Choctawhatchee Bay
What is stormwater runoff?
Rain that is not absorbed after a rainfall and flows over the land, picking up pollutants
In our watershed, which body of water has the lowest salinity level?
The Choctawhatchee River
True or False: Elodea is a freshwater plant.
True.
What are some solutions to help prevent or restore shoreline erosion?
Restoring the natural shoreline by planting smooth cordgrass and building oyster reefs
What is a bivalve?
A mollusk with two shells hinged together
Which of the following does NOT cause shoreline erosion?
a. boat wake
b. waves
c. wind
d. oyster reefs
D. Oyster reefs!
What is a solution? Give an example of a solution.
A solution is when two or more substances are mixed together; these substances are evenly distributed throughout the solution.
Coffee, Gatorade, Tea, Chocolate milk, air
What happens to Elodea when exposed to saltwater?
The cells of the Elodea are unable to adapt to saltwater therefore the plant shrivels up and cannot survive.
What is a salt marsh?
A coastal wetland which contains grasses and other vegetation that tolerate saltwater.
How do oysters eat?
Filter-feeding
What type of water does smooth cordgrass like? Explain what this type of water is made of.
Brackish water.
Brackish water occurs when saltwater mixes with freshwater.
How does rain impact the salinity levels in your salt marsh nurseries and why?
The rain causes the salinity levels to drop. This happens because of the increase in freshwater compared to the salt in the nurseries.
What type of adaptation does the Blue crab have?
It has many adaptations such as
swimmerets to swim quickly through the water (a body shape adaptation) and claws which allow it to defend its self (defensive adaptation).
What happens to plants and animals that rely on the salt marshes and the intertidal habitat to survive when the natural shoreline is destroyed?
The plants and animals either adapt to the changing environment, move to a new salt marsh or intertidal habitat if they can or they will not be able to survive because they no longer have a habitat to live in.
How many gallons of water can one oyster filter in one day?
50 gallons