beach plants mackenzie mertz, ilanah cassell and tracy howard
TRANSCRIPT
Beach Plants
Mackenzie Mertz, Ilanah Cassell and Tracy Howard
Location
• Beach Plants are located in an area called the Upper Beach.
• Usually, no plants can be found in the area called the Lower Beach. The conditions in this area are usually salty because of the misty air blowing off of the ocean making it un-suitable for plant life.
Beach Profile
• The Upper Beach is the area between the intertidal beach and the dunes.
• Usually a dry, sandy area, but can be affected by storms or high tides.
Upper Beach
• Upper beach is more suitable for plants
• The wind creates dunes, which are held in place by the roots of beach plants
• Dunes are important shelters for plants and animals
Sand Dunes
• Coastal sand dunes or psammoseres provide a range of habitats for plants and animals. The habitats closest to the beach are harsh and the plants can suffer from lack of moisture and nutrients.
Structure of a Plant
Roots anchor the plant in the waterStems transport water and help support the plantRoot hairs help absorb nutrientsLeaves=Photosynthesis; collect carbon dioxide for the plant
Algae vs. Plant StructureWhat makes a plant, a plant?
Plants have three types of tissue systems-dermal, ground, and vascularVascular tissue systems provides the transport of water and minerals and the transport of food via the veins, stem, etc. This system allows all the cells in the leaves especially to excrete into transport channel as well as absorb energy and food Leaves, stem, meidrim, roots Algae on the other hand, can exchange directly with the ocean Stipes, maristem, holdfast
FAMILIAR BEACH PLANTS Beach Elder Sea Rocket
Beach Croton
Beach Morning Glory
Railroad Vine
Firewheel
Images taken from: http://stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu/Sea/pdf/Beach%20Plants%20of%20NE%20Florida.pdf
Prickly Pear(Opuntia)
• The Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia compressa) grows in the Upper Beach area
• Has a thick waxy covering to protect it from water loss
• The pads and fruits are covered with spines. At the base of each spine are numerous hair-like glochids
• http://www.desertusa.com/video_pages/pp_movie.html
Seaside Goldenrod(Solidago)
• Fleshy, waxy leaves (to protect itself from salt spray)
• Habitat: Beaches, dunes, salt marshes
• Flowering time: August to November
• Height: 1-8 feet• Stores water in it’s
stem
Beach Elder (Iva imbricata )
• Habitat=coastal sand dunes, usually located anywhere from Texas to Virginia
• Each leaf is toothed and fleshy
Sea Couch (Croton) Grass
Sea Rocket (Cakile edentula)
• Grows on sandy beaches above the high tide line
• Stems and leaves are both fleshy
• Can grow 6-20 inches• These are native
Floridian beach plants that flower from July to September
Railroad Vine
• Can be over 30 feet in length
• Lives in sand dunes and anchors itself in the sand
• Flowers can be anywhere from red-purple to violet
Firewall (Indian Blanket)
• Grow 1-2 ft. tall• Center=Brownish red• Live in the upper
beach habitat
Beach Morning Glory(Ipomoea imperati)
• The leaves alternate• Habitat= Coastal
Sand dunes• Texas, Florida North
Carolina
Bibliography
• http://www.geo-world.org/images/jpg/fore_dunes.jpg• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://
www.fettes.com/lothian/images/marram.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fettes.com/lothian/dune%2520succession.htm&usg=__khff-GY9j6ATbd2KX0rQ8VzRgoM=&h=266&w=200&sz=16&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=hPqRmrF4I2uGcM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=85&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsea%2Bcouch%2Bgrass%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
• http://www.sms.si.edu/irlfieldguide/Ipomoe_pescap.htm
• http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=gapu
Bibliography 2
• http://2bnthewild.com/plants/H418.htm• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://
fieldtrip.britishecologicalsociety.org/sand%2520dune%2520tour/braunton%2520burrows/sea_couch_and_sea_rocket.JPG&imgrefurl=http://fieldtrip.britishecologicalsociety.org/sand%2520dune%2520tour/sea_couch_and_seaRocket.htm&usg=__dJeS4Dz08URylDeYrpyC0cUB0YU=&h=960&w=1280&sz=566&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Szvz-FCXOP3RqM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsea%2Bcouch%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
• http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/beach08.gif