Everyone has heard of sponges, and many know they grow in the ocean. But fewer are aware that sponges are actually animals. When we think of animals, we think of something that crawls around seeking food and laying eggs periodically. Sponges are not like that. They are “blob” looking creatures sitting on the ocean floor. At first glance you might call them fungi, or maybe some weird form of algae – but they are animals, the simplest form of animal life on the planet.
A vase sponge. Florida Sea Grant
What makes them animals is the lack of cell walls and chlorophyll. Fungi also lack chlorophyll, but they do possess cell walls – so, are classified differently. Because animals lack chlorophyll they cannot produce their own food – and must consume creatures in order to obtain their needed sugars. So, what do sponges “hunt”? They feed on plankton in the water column – many of the microscopic creatures we have already written about in this series.
The sponge body is basically a colony of individual ameboid and flagellated cells. These small cells attach to the substrate and begin to reproduce sexually and asexually to form the colony. As they grow, they form a series of pores found on the exterior of the mass. The flagellated cells – called collar cells – move their flagella to generate a current. This current draws in seawater – along with its plankton – where the colony, both the flagellated and ameboid cells, feed. As the colony grows the exterior pores lead to channels and canals where the cells live and eventually empty into a larger cavity known as the atrium. Here the water moves upward and exits the sponge through an opening called the osculum. Waste from feeding exits the sponge through the osculum as well.
The anatomy of a sponge. Flickr
As the colony grows it is supported by a series of tiny spike-like structures called spicules. Spicules are made of different materials and are one method of separating and classifying the different sponges. One group of sponges are known as the calcareous sponges – their spicules are made of calcium carbonate and are rough to the touch. Another group are known as the “glass” sponges – their spicules are made of silica and are sharp-prickly to the touch. A third group are known as the bath sponges – their spicules are made of a softer material called spongin. It is this third group that was used for centuries for both bathing and washing.
Glass sponges are beautiful. Photo: NOAA
These simple creatures play an important role in the ecology of marine systems. As filter feeders, they remove material from the water column improving water clarity and quality. They remove excess nitrogen and play a role in the carbon cycle. They provide habitat for numerous small marine creatures where they can hide from predators and find food.
Sponges need a hard substrate to grow on and thus are more abundant in the coral reefs of south Florida. Locally I have only found them in the seagrass beds. But there they do play the same ecological role you would find them doing on coral reefs. They are one of the less encountered creatures of the northern Gulf.
Striped burrfish are fascinating to watch in the wild and in aquariums. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
I have a vivid memory of snorkeling the seagrass beds around Port St. Joe when I was an undergraduate marine biology student. Our field research lab involved completing a visual fish survey, using waterproof dive slates and pencils to record the number and species of any fish that swam past us. I was conducting my survey fairly rigorously until a 6” long striped burrfish (Chilomycterus schoepfi) moved into my field of vision. It hovered in front of me, looking over with its gigantic puppy-like eyes, and proceeded to gently nibble on everything in sight. There are very few fish one might characterize as “cute,” but this charismatic little guy was adorable. Completely abandoning the task at hand, I stopped counting other fish and proceeded to slowly swim behind this little burrfish as it fed and swam throughout the grass bed. It was completely unfazed by my presence—I stopped to watch while it ate, then used my flippers to slowly navigate behind when it started moving again. I must have followed this fish for 30 minutes, simply observing its behavior. I could have sworn it looked back and me and signaled, “come on!” with a fin every time it moved to another location. I’ve snorkeled countless times since then, but bonding with this little fish was such a singular experience that I can visualize it clearly almost 30 years later.
A Southern puffer (left) and striped burrfish (right) in side-by-side comparison. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Hence, I’ve always had a soft spot for the striped burrfish. We occasionally pull juveniles up in a seine when taking groups out in the field, and they often puff up in response to the shock of being temporarily captured. Frequently misidentified as their Tetradont relatives, the Southern puffer (Spheroides nephelus), the burrfish is similar in size and habitat. However, they are fairly easy to differentiate by their dorsal color patterns. As the name implies, striped burrfish have brown stripes, while puffers have more of a mottled pattern. Both species have bright white countershading on their bellies (aka “ventral” side), helping them blend in with the sky above when viewed from below by potential predators. They also utilize similar defense mechanisms, filling their bodies with air or water when threatened so they physically expand, appearing bigger and more difficult to fit into a larger fish’s mouth. Burrfish also have rigid spines that point out from their bodies when in self-defense mode. This adaptation makes them more complicated to digest for a would-be attacker. Many members of this Order of fishes produce a dangerous neurotoxin, further deterring predatory attacks.
Striped burrfish expand their bodies to twice normal size when threatened. Photo credit: NOAA
To the human observer, it’s anything but intimidating to see a fish transform into a ping pong ball with fins, but the strategy must work because there are around 120 species of puffers and porcupinefish in the Order Tetraodontiformes that use this technique.
As young burrfish mature, their front teeth fuse into a tough “beak,” which they use to break through the shells of their prey. As I experienced while snorkeling, burrfish are slow swimmers, using their wide terminal mouths and large jaws to nibble on shellfish, sea urchins, and barnacles. Their characteristic body shape is boxy, built not for speed but to cruise reefs and grassbeds. Armored with spikes, poison, and the element of surprise, striped burrfish can afford to take their time and relax in the water.
Recently Jennifer Bearden, our Agriculture & Natural Resource Agent in Okaloosa County wrote a great article on “Common Wildlife Food Plot Mistakes”. The following information is a mere supplement in establishing food plots. Planting wildlife forages has become a great interest in the Panhandle. North Florida does have its challenges with sandy soils and seasonal patterns of lengthy drought and heavy rainfall. With that said, varieties developed and adapted for our growing conditions are recommended. Forage blends are greatly suggested to increase longevity and sustainability of crops that will provide nutrition for many different species.
Hairy Vetch – Ray Bodrey
In order to be successful and have productive wildlife plots. It is recommended that you have your plot’s soil tested and apply fertilizer and lime according to soil test recommendations. Being six weeks from optimal planting, there’s no time like the present.
Below are some suggested cool season wildlife forage crops from UF/IFAS Extension. Please see the UF/IFAS EDIS publication, “A Walk on the Wild Side: 2024 Cool-Season Forage Recommendations for Wildlife Food Plots in North Florida” for specific varieties, blends and planting information. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AG/AG13900.pdf
Winter legumes are more productive and dependable in the heavier clay soils of northwest Florida or in sandy soils that are underlain by a clay layer than in deep upland sands or sandy flatwoods. Over seeded white clover and ryegrass can grow successfully on certain flatwoods areas in northeast Florida. Alfalfa, clovers, vetch and winter pea are options of winter legumes.
Cool-season grasses generally include ryegrass and the small grains: wheat, oats, rye, and triticale (a human-made cross of wheat and rye). These grasses provide excellent winter forage and a spring seed crop which wildlife readily utilize
Brassica and forage chicory are annual crops that are highly productive and digestible and can provide forage as quickly as 40 days after seeding, depending on the species. Forage brassica crops such as turnip, swede, rape, kale and radish can be both fall- and spring-seeded. Little is known about the adaptability of forage brassicas to Florida or their acceptability as a food source for wildlife.
Deer taking advantage of a well maintained food plot. Photo: Mark Mauldin
For more information, contact your local county extension office.
UF/IFAS Extension is an Equal Opportunity Institution.
The Atlantic Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) is a very prized sportfish along the Florida Panhandle. Typically caught as a “bonus” fish found along floating debris, the tripletail is a hard fighting fish and excellent table fare. Just as the name implies, this fish is equipped with three “tails” that help aid it in propulsion; and also help contribute to their strong fighting spirit. In addition to the caudal fin, tripletail have very pronounced “lobed” dorsal and anal fin soft rays that sit very far back on the body, giving it the appearance of three tails (triple-tails).
Tripletail are found in tropical and subtropical seas around the world (except the eastern Pacific Ocean) and are the only member of their family found in the Gulf of Mexico. Tripletail can be found in all saltwater environments, from the upper bays to the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. In the Florida Panhandle, tripletail begin to show up in the bays beginning in May and can be found up until October/November. They are masters of disguise, usually found floating along floating debris, crab trap buoys, navigation pilings, and floating algae like Sargassum. When tripletail are young, they are able to change their colors to match the debris, albeit it is usually a variation of yellow, brown, and black. Adult tripletail can change color as well, but the coloration is not as vibrant as the juveniles. Floating alongside debris and other floating materials protects them from predators and gives them food access. Small crustaceans, like shrimp and crabs, and small fish will gather along the floating debris, looking for protection, giving the camouflaged tripletail an easy meal.
Baby Tripletail or Leaf? – Thomas Derbes II
Tripletail are opportunistic feeders that are what I classify as “lazy hunters.” Tripletail will hang out along any floating debris and wait for the food to come to them. They typically will not chase their prey items too far and will abandon the hunt if they expend too much energy. Since they are opportunistic feeders, their diet varies widely, but they cannot resist a baby blue crab, shrimp, or small baitfish like menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) that might visit their floating oasis. When further offshore, it is not uncommon to find many tripletail “laying out” on sargassum or floating debris. I personally have seen a dozen full-sized tripletail inside of a large traffic barrel 25 miles offshore that saved a skunk of a deep-dropping fishing trip.
Tripletail Caught Off An Oyster Farm – Brandon Smith
When targeting tripletail, anglers will typically sit at the highest point of the boat (some anglers have towers for spotting tripletail) and cruise along floating crab trap buoys, pilings, and sometimes oyster farms looking for Tripletail. These fish are very easily spooked, and a slow, quiet approach is best. Once in casting distance, toss your preferred bait (I typically want to have baby crabs or live shrimp when targeting tripletail) close to the floating structure, but not too close to spook the fish. You can usually watch the fish eat your bait (another added bonus) and once you set the hook, the fight is on! In the state of Florida, tripletail must be a minimum of 18 inches and there is a daily bag limit of 2 fish per person. Be very careful handling tripletail as they have very sharp dorsal and anal fins and their operculum (gill cover) is also very sharp with hidden spines.
So next time you’re out fishing and see something floating, make sure you give it a good look over. There might be a camouflaged tripletail that you can add to your fish box!
Tripletail Caught While Working Oyster Gear – Thomas Derbes
Coastal wetlands are some of the most ecologically productive environments on Earth. They support diverse plant and animal species, provide essential ecosystem services such as stormwater filtration, and act as buffers against storms. As Helene showed the Big Bend area, storm surge is devastating to these delicate ecosystems.
Hurricane Track on Wednesday evening.
As the force of rushing water erodes soil, uproots vegetation, and reshapes the landscape, critical habitats for wildlife, in and out of the water, is lost, sometimes, forever. Saltwater is forced into the freshwater wetlands. Many plants and aquatic animal species are not adapted to high salinity, and will die off. The ecosystem’s species composition can completely change in just a few short hours.
Prolonged storm surge can overwhelm even the very salt tolerant species. While wetlands are naturally adept at absorbing excess water, the salinity concentration change can lead to complete changes in soil chemistry, sediment build-up, and water oxygen levels. The biodiversity of plant and animal species will change in favor of marine species, versus freshwater species.
Coastal communities impacted by a hurricane change the view of the landscape for months, or even, years. Construction can replace many of the structures lost. Rebuilding wetlands can take hundreds of years. In the meantime, these developments remain even more vulnerable to the effects of the next storm. Apalachicola and Cedar Key are examples of the impacts of storm surge on coastal wetlands. Helene will do even more damage.
Many of the coastal cities in the Big Bend have been implementing mitigation strategies to reduce the damage. Extension agents throughout the area have utilized integrated approaches that combine natural and engineered solutions. Green Stormwater Infrastructure techniques and Living Shorelines are just two approaches being taken.
So, as we all wish them a speedy recovery, take some time to educate yourself on what could be done in all of our Panhandle coastal communities to protect our fragile wetland ecosystems. For more information go to:
How are the live oak (Quercus virginiana) and the history of the United States Navy linked? That is a very interesting question that actually led to the first forest reservation and planting project in the United States. That reservation and history is still alive and well here in the Florida Panhandle, preserved still today as the Naval Live Oaks area of Gulf Islands National Seashore. In our modern times it may not register what forest and wood resources had to do with national defense but in the 1700’s and 1800’s it was key. In the times of wooden sailing ships having a Navy was key to being a Great Power. To have a powerful navy a nation had to have wood and shipbuilding resources, which meant access to forests. The abundant forest resources of North America were a driving force for colonization, especially for the British. Building the Royal Navy into the most powerful at the time required a huge amount of resources, which the American Colonies had in abundance. When our nation won its independence, it was similarly a major asset for the United States as the U.S. Navy was built. The U.S. government quickly recognized that these resource needed to be maintained and reserved, particularly the live oak which was a major wood resource with a limited supply. This led to the first forest conservation measure, which was the establishment of Naval Live Oak Reservations along the Gulf Coast in the early 1800’s.
View from a high sand hill in Naval Live Oaks Gulf Breeze, FL Photo Credit: Ian Stone
Building sailing ships, required resources for the hull, masts, and waterproofing which all came from different trees and forest resources. Mast trees were in particularly high demand and usually were from particularly large and straight pines or spruce. This was a limited resource and the Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) was a particularly good resource in North America. The southern pines were highly prized for production of naval stores which consisted of turpentine, tar, and rosin used for maintaining and waterproofing ships and their rigging. Oak was prized for hull construction, a live oak above the others. Live oak is exceeding strong and dense, one of the densest woods in North America. If you have ever experienced trying to split live oak for firewood you likely realize how hard it truly is. Axes and splitting wedges will bounce right off and barely crack a solid live oak log. It also grows in such a way that it was perfect for constructing the braces and complex hull components of ships. With these forest resources the United States had what it needed to begin building the United States Navy, a key component of national defense. In the War of 1812, the need for a strong Navy became readily apparent, and the U.S.S. Constitution would gain fame in its engagement with the Royal Navy on the open seas. U.S.S Constitution would get the nick name “Old Ironsides” from her strong live oak hull which appeared impervious to cannon shots during engagements. It is no wonder that the live oak resource was soon recognized as a critical need in expanding the Navy. President John Quincy Adams established the Naval Live Oak Reservation Program and in 1828 the Naval Live Oak Reservation was established in what is today Gulf Breeze, FL. Under the Department of the Navy a tree planting effort establishing young live oaks by planting acorns was established in the reserve. This made the Naval Live Oaks Reservation the first forestry preserve and one of the first managed forests in the United States. As with so many things it was national defense and the armed forces need for resources that lead to this program and reservation.
As live oak is a strictly North American species by the 1830’s the United States had near total control over this valuable resource. To ensure the resource was properly managed and not exhausted the Naval Live Oak Reservation system remained in place for nearly a century, with other reservations established along key areas along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. During this period almost all of the most significant live oak groves and resource was under Federal control for use in the building of naval ships. During the period through the civil war and just beyond this remained a critical resource for maintain Naval Power. By the start of the 20th century though wooden sailing ships had given way to steel steamers, and the live oak resource was no longer critical. In the early 1900’s many of the Naval Live Oak Reservations were returned to local governments, but the Naval Live Oaks remained in federal control. When the Gulf Islands National Seashore was created in 1971 it became part of that park under the National Park Service.
View of the Shoreline along the Naval Live Oaks Photo Credit: Ian Stone
Today you can go visit the Naval Live Oaks and experience the rich history as well as the pine and live oak forests that are part of the site. Unless you have done some history research or read some of the informational displays at the reservation the name may have been a bit puzzling. Today the forest resources at the Naval Live Oaks Reservation are not essential to our national defense. Live oak is now seldom used in lumber or other wood product applications and is largely ignored as a timber species. Today we can cherish this forest reservation for its conservation resources and the forest it preserves in an area that is heavily developed. It is a beautiful place to visit and hike, with a wonderful trail network both along the sandy hills and shorelines. You will need to have a Gulf Islands National Seashore pass as it is a fee area. It is well worth a visit to enjoy a unique forest ecosystem, which is truly unique historically. The natural beauty and habitat that the preserve covers are all due to the live oaks’ unique use in ship building during the age of sail. The live oak is a cherished and iconic tree in our region for many reasons, but when you visit the Naval Live Oaks consider the role it played in the development of the mighty United States Navy and our nation’s sea power in the era of wooden ships. While the original reason for the Naval Live Oak Reservation has past it still stands as a testament to the importance of forest resources to our nation nearly 200 years after it was founded.
