Circulation 

 Salinity 



Type of 

 Bottom 



Grass 



Algae 



Coral 



Northern 

 Subenvironment 



Salinity range: 

 13-48%. Temp range 

 15°-38°C. Restricted 

 circulation--little 

 affected by tidal 

 exchange. 



Subject to irregular 

 influx of fresh water 

 from mainland. 



Banks: Mud. 



Most Lakes: Sandy mud. 



Deeper Lakes: Rocky 

 with veneer of muddy 

 sand. 



Rarely points of keys 

 are clean sand. 



Near-shore mud some- 

 times very peaty. 



Banks usually carpeted 

 with Thalassia and/or 

 Cymodocea - some 

 Halodule . 



Lakes with heavy to 

 sparse cover of 

 Thalassia and/or 

 Cymodocea . 



Rare Batophora . 



Rare Penicillus and 

 Acetabularia on 

 margins. 



Absent. 



Atlantic 

 Subenvironment 



Approximate salinity 

 range: 35-41*. 



Approximate Temp, 

 range 17°-32°C. 



Open circulation with 

 dai ly tidal flushing. 



Highly variable: Banks 

 Banks and lakes can 

 be either mud, clean 

 sand, or mixtures, 

 depending on local 

 variation. 



Deepest lakes are 

 rocky with veneer of 

 muddy or clean sand. 



Highly variable in 

 banks, lakes, and 

 passes—usually with 

 sparse to heavy 

 Thalassia - rare 

 Cymodocea . 



Interior 

 Subenvironment 



Salinity range: 22- 

 52%. Temp, range 

 15°-38°C. Restricted 

 circulation--little 

 affected by tidal 

 exchange. 



Not subject to dai ly 

 fluctuations, but wet 

 years produce low 

 sal ini ty, dry years 

 produce high 

 salinity. 



Banks: Mud. 



Most Lakes: Sandy mud. 



Deeper Lakes: Rocky 

 with veneer of muddy 

 sand. 



Occassional beaches 

 and windward (eastern) 

 points of bank are 

 sand or muddy sand. 



Gulf 

 Subenvironment 



Near-normal marine 

 salinity, but mixing 

 of waters with Gulf 

 of Mexico probably 

 slow because of 

 position in wind and 

 current "shadow" 



Highly variable: 

 Banks and lakes can 

 be either mud, clean 

 sand, or mixtures, 

 depending on local 

 variation. 



Deepest lakes are 

 rocky with veneer of 

 muddy or clean sand. 



Banks usually carpeted Highly variable in 



with Thalassia . 



Rare Cymodocea and 

 Halodule . 



Lakes usually with 

 sparse, but occasion- 

 ally heavy, Thalassia . 



Abundant Halimeda and Penicillus and 



Penicillus . 



Common Udotea . 



Few Rhipocephalus , 

 Acetabularia , and 

 Caulerpa" 



Rare Batophora , 



Dasycladus, and 

 Avrainvi Ilea. 



Abundant Porites 

 furcata . 



Common Siderastrea 

 and Alcyonaria . 



Few Solenastrea. 



Batophora common. 



Few Acetabularia . 



Rare Hal imeda and 

 Udotea on margins. 



banks, lakes, and 

 passes--usual ly with 

 sparse to heavy 

 Thalassia - rare 

 Cymodocea . 



Abundant Halimeda and 



Penicillus. 



Common Udotea . 

 Few Caulerpa . 



Rare Rhipochephalus , 

 Acetabularia , Bato - 

 phora , Dasycladus , 

 and Avrainvi Ilea . 



Very rare Siderastrea . Common Porites 



furcata . 

 Rare Porites , 



Solenastrea , and Rare Alcyonaria and 

 Alcyonaria near Solenastrea . 

 margins. 



Mollusks: 



Character- 

 istic Species 



Species More 

 Common Here 

 Than Else- 

 where 



Anomalocardia 

 cuniemeris 



Ostrea sp. , 

 Parast arte t riquetra , 

 Lyons i a f loridana , 

 Rissoina browniana , 

 Melongena corona , 

 Retusa canaliculata. 



Codaki a orbicularis , 

 Tegula fasciata , 

 Astrea longispina , 

 Astrea americana . 

 Cerithium literatum 



Barbat ia cancellaria , 

 6 1 ycymeris pectin at a , 

 Lucina pensylvanica , 

 Codaki a orbiculat a , 

 Trigoniocardi a medium , 

 Laevicardium laevi - 

 gatum , Chione pyqmaea , 

 Acmaea sp., Tricolia 

 sp., Vermicularia sp., 

 Cerithium eburneum , 

 Malenella sp., Nat ica 

 carena , Columbella 

 mercatori a , Terebra 

 sp. 



Brachidontes exustus 

 Pinctada radiata 

 Cerithium muscarum 

 Bittium varium 



Lucina mult i 1 ineat a , 

 Rissoina bryerea , 

 Modulus modulus , 

 01 i veil a sp. 



Nucula proxima 

 Noculana acuta 

 Tellina si mi lis 

 Corbula sp. 



Noet i a ponderosa , 

 Cardit a f loridana , 

 Phacoidea nassula , 

 Anodont ia philippiana , 

 Trachycardium muri - 

 c at u m , Tellina 

 alternata, Mactra 



fragilis , Barnea 

 cost at a , Dentalium 

 sp. . Calliostoma 

 jujubinum , Turbo 

 castaneus , Anachis 

 obsea , Mangel i a , sp. 



Table 36. Physical, chemical, and biological conditions in subenvironments 

 of Florida Bay (adapted from Turney and Perkins 1972). 



167 



