Journal 1

In nature, there are two groups that factor how the environment functions. These two different groups are abiotic, and biotic. Abiotic factors are “things,” that affect the ecosystem/environment, that are not living. Some abiotic factors include temperatures, present chemicals, terrain, etc. Biotic factors on the other hand are living organisms that affect the ecosystem/environment that they live in. These biotic factors can be as small as bacteria or as large as a Redwood.
In the River to Sea Preserve, biotic and abiotic factors are rather sanctioned. Near the Matanzas river, you have the coastal factors, like plant growth. When there is a large amount of growth near the shore lines, more animals can thrive. Clams, crabs, snails, small fishes, and other tiny organisms start to thrive with this growth. This is because more vegetation allows for these animals to thrive and creates an ecosystem within itself. This growth is caused by some abiotic factors. The amount of sunlight, the temperature of the water, the temperature of the air, the pH of the water, and the nutrients of the soil all contribute to whether or not the vegetation thrives, which in turn affects the other animals that live in that ecosystem.
Heading further from the inland, the coastline has a completely different type of ecosystem. With a lot of coquina rock near the water, there are a lot of molluscs, crabs, algae, and other crustaceans and small fishes. One of these crustaceans is the Perna viridis(Identified by Jose Nunez.) This muscle attaches to the rock and stays there. Many different types of algae live of of the viridis, this is a mutualistic symbiotic relationship because the algae get a safe place to live, and the muscle gets camouflage.

Posted on October 13, 2015 07:10 PM by i3williamnau