Oceans

1
Oceans

• Alissa
• Carroll-3
• April 24, 2001

2
Vegetation

• Submerged aquatic vegetation provides habitat
  and forage for waterfowl and fish. It also
  supplies effective protection against storms and
  helps the water quality in seawater ecosystems.

3
Food Chains

• Most of the food that offshore animals eat
  comes from either organic matter which is carried
  into the gulf by rivers or from the tiny plants
  and animals which grow near the surface and
  slowly sink to the bottom.

4
More Info on Food Chains

• Worms and other deposit-feeders swallow the mud
  on the bottom, digest the food in it and expel
  the rest. Filter-feeding tube worms sift food
  out of the water. Flesh eating fish and crabs
  hunt for live food or clean up scraps the others
  leave behind.

5
Whats Hiding in the Mud?

• Mud flats may appear barren and empty when the
  tide is out, but that layer of smelly, black mud
  conceals a whole community of worms, clams, and
  shrimp.

6
Whos Eating What?

• Long -billed shorebirds feed on the wiggly and
  squirmy community that lives in the mud during
  low tide. As the tide rises, hungry fish, snails
  and crabs join the feast.

7
More About Vegetation
In the calm shallow water of coastal bays, sea
grasses grow

• Turtle Grass
• Widgeon Grass
• Shoal Grass
• Manatee Grass

8
How Important are the Sea Grasses?

• Migratory waterfowl find plenty of food living in
  the grasses.

• The grasses are very important habitats for
  snails, small fish and young fish.

9
Home Sweet Home

• Texas bays and gulf waters are home to thousands
  of fish, shellfish, birds, and other animals all
  of which depend on the coasts diverse habitats
  for their food and their shelter.

10
Theres No Place to Hide!

• The open gulf waters arent great shelter but
  its not a problem for some big fish who aren't
  afraid of becoming another fishs prey. These
  include
• Great Hammerhead
• Lemon
• Bull

11
Camouflage Fish

• Smaller fish like bluefish and tarpon blend into
  the background to avoid being eaten. From above
  their dark backs match the sea floor. From
  below, their pale stomach fades into the light
  from the surface.

12
Salt Barrens...

• Salt barrens form just beyond the reach of the
  highest high tides. Only occasional storm-driven
  high tides flood the salt barren. Salts
  accumulate here because there is not enough
  flushing to wash the salts away.

13
Characteristics of Topography

• Features of the gulf Coast Region
• Nearly level slowly drained plain
• Streams and rivers flowing into the gulf
• Barrier islands along the coast
• Salt grass marshes
• Bays and estuaries
• Remnant tall grass prairies
• Oak parklands and oak motes
• Tall woodlands in the river bottom lands

14
Abiotic

• Sand
• Sun
• Rocks
• Water
• Shells
• Soil

15
Food Chain for a Whooping Crane
16
Barrier Islands

• Long sandy islands from the seaward boundary of
  coastal bays separate the bays from the gulf.
  The islands protect the gulf from the most severe
  effects of waves and currents.

17
Adaptations

• Plants and animals on barrier islands must be
  able to cope with the environments constant
  changes.

18
And the Weather Report is...

• Weather varies in the Gulf of Mexico, but there
  is usually plenty of heat and plenty of sun. The
  most damaging problem is the yearly threat of
  hurricanes.

19
Whooping Crane

• The Whooping Crane is endangered because much of
  their wetland habitat has been drained for
  farmland and pasture.

• The Whooping Crane is nearly five feet tall.

20
The Shore Animals

• The Coyote is an extremely intelligent animal
  with keen senses of hearing, sight and smell.
• There are many different types of crabs in the
  Gulf of Mexico.

21
Biotic things in the Gulf of Mexico
Texas Prairie Dawn
Jackfish
Cusk Eel
Pig Fish
22
Rain Fall in the Cities
23
Texas Horned Lizard
24
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab
25
A Crabs Food Chain
26
East Texas Alligator
27
THE END