Tag Archives: cordgrass

Crown Conchs- Friend or Foe?

The crown conch is the Jekyll and Hyde of coastal ecosystems. Dr. Randall Hughes clarifies why the predatory snail might be a friend or foe to the salt marsh. Continue reading

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Biodiversity and the Apalachicola: Why it’s Worth a Visit

The Apalachicola River Basin is known as one of the most biodiverse places in the United States. But what does biodiversity mean? As it turns out, there is more than one answer. Continue reading

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A long time in the making

If you want an activity that will take a lot of your time, go out onto your lawn and try to figure out which blades of grass belong to what individual plant. The grass in a salt marsh, like your lawn, is made up of various individuals, each with different characteristics that contribute to the success of a marsh. Dr. Randall Hughes’ new experiment looks at what makes habitat building cordgrass individuals successful. Continue reading

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Tricks or Treats? And more on the effects of predators in marshes.

When David Kimbro looks through his trick-or-treat bag, he doesn’t see candy, he sees oyster shells and periwinkle snails. Can predators trick periwinkles into not destroying marsh cordgrass? Or will they serve as tasty treats for blue crabs? David shares his data. Continue reading

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Are two friends better than one?

Fiddler crabs benefit salt marshes. Ribbed mussels benefit salt marshes. But together, is their effect even greater, or do they cancel each other out? Dr. Randall Hughes of the FSU Coastal & Marine Lab looks to find out. Continue reading

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The End of an Era

Dr. Randall Hughes has just concluded a biodiversity experiment in Saint Joseph Bay. She was looking at periwinkle effects on marsh cordgrass, and whether it was better or worse when the grass was found alongside needlerush. The answer could be important in marsh recovery and restoration efforts. Continue reading

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Who am I? Identity In the Grass

Katie Lotterhos FSU Department of Biological Sciences, FSU When we look at a salt marsh, we see thousands of stems of cordgrass. But in reality, the coastline may be made up of only a few different genetic individuals.  This is … Continue reading

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Return to the field

Dr. Randall Hughes FSU Coastal & Marine Lab A sure sign of spring for me is an increase in time in the field. (Robyn and Emily would probably disagree with me, since they have been out in the field regularly … Continue reading

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The “In the Grass” Top 10 of 2010

Dr. Randall Hughes FSU Coastal & Marine Lab In keeping with all of the other end-of-year top 10 lists, I’ll wrap up 2010 with my own observations and highlights from In the Grass – 10. No tarballs – yet?? The … Continue reading

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Winter in the marsh

Dr. Randall Hughes FSU Coastal & Marine Lab It has been COLD the last few times we’ve been out in the field. The first time (described accurately by Rob), we did not have sufficient cold weather field gear – David … Continue reading

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