Florida Bay

Florida Bay is an estuary covering approximately 1,100 square miles between the southern tip of Florida and the Florida Keys. It is located on a shallow shelf lagoon where freshwater from the Everglades mixes with the saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. Dominant habitats in the Florida Bay include seagrass meadows, mangrove islands, and hard bottom areas. Turtle grass and manatee grass are abundant, providing nursery areas for important species of shrimp, lobster, and crabs. Mangroves also provide nurseries for reef fish and marine invertebrates as well as areas for nesting birds. Spotted seatrout, red drum, tarpon, snook, barracuda, sharks, dolphin and rays are abundant throughout these habitats. Sponges and corals, along with queen conchs, spiny lobsters, and brittle stars, dominate the hardbottom communities that are common in the southern portion of Florida Bay. Mixed algal communities are also an important component of hard bottoms, stabilizing sediments and providing habitat for small fish and invertebrates. It is important to note that invasive species are organisms that are not native to Florida and have been introduced for somewhere else through human activities. Many invasive species have detrimental effects on native flora and fauna due to lack of population controls such as predators and disease. As the numbers grow out of control, these species are often referred to as invasive species that endanger native (indigenous) plants and animals. (Florida Museum)