Bell Ringer Define angiosperm

Marine Angiosperms

Angiosperms Reproduce with flowering & seeds Few live in the water Descended from land ancestors Live at surface Most conspicuous: sea grasses & mangroves

Sea Grasses Superficially similar to seaweeds Not true grasses Found off coasts of North America, Atlantic coast of Europe, Eastern Asia, temperate Australia, South Africa

Sea Grasses Form broad gray or green meadows Support rich communities of heterotrophs Life cycle is similar to other angiosperms 45 species known

Sea Grasses Eelgrass - Zostera – Most common sea grass – Muddy shallows of calm bays and estuaries of US Atlantic & Pacific coasts Turtle grass (Thalassia) & manatee grass (Syringodium) – Named after animals that once shared their habitat

Sea Grasses Emerald-green surf grass (Phyllospadix) – possibly most beautiful of all – Seasonal flowers & fuzzy fruit – Survive in turbulent, wave-swept intertidal & subtidal zones of temperate East Asia & western North America

Mangroves Tangled masses of trees in low, muddy coasts in tropical & some subtropical areas Large, flowering plants Never completely submerged

Mangroves Thrive in sediment-rich lagoons, bays, & estuaries of the Indo-Pacific, tropical Africa, and the tropical Americas. Distribution depends on temperature, currents, & rainfall

Mangroves The sediment must be covered with brackish or salt water for part of the day Prop roots required for supports – Mud doesn’t provide support

Mangroves Mangroves in south Florida are among the world’s most widespread and consist primarily of red mangroves (Rhizophora)

Mangroves Seeds germinate on trees. If tide is out, the seed will drop into thick mud & growth will begin If tide is in, the seed will drop in the water and be carried off until it finds a new place to grow

Mangroves Mature in years Grow to be ft tall