Field Study: An Ecosystem of the Florida Panhandle

Morgan Burr

taken by me

● Map

● History

● Dwarf Palmetto

● Eastern Prickly Pear

● Passion butterfly

Table of Contents

● Limestone

● Sandstone

● Perlite

● Aragonite

● Agatized coral

● References

Map Seaside, FL(field study location)

tripinfo.com

● Florida is a plateau of limestone over bedrock that is abundant with deposits of rock phosphate.

● The original formation of Florida occurred during the Ordovician over 500 million years ago. It was created by volcanic activity and marine sedimentation.

● During the Mesozoic (250 mya), some of Florida’s current foundation was broken off from the African plate and moved along with the North American plate as Pangea separated. It is part of today’s North American continental shelf.

● Florida has been underwater for most of its history. The peninsula above sea level began to emerge during the Eocene (50 mya).

(Barr, 2009)

(Geology of Florida, n.d.)

Geologic Background + Historyacademic.emporia.edu

3 Organisms that Demonstrate

Change/Time

Dwarf Palmetto(Sabal minor)

Family: Arecaceae

taken by me

1.)

Evolution of Arecaceae (palms)● The palm family has flourished in the

tropics of the Americas, Asia and Europe. They have the ability to aerate waterlogged soils.

● Palms appeared in the fossil record during the Cretaceous (80 mya). Found were leaves of Sabal magothiensis and stems of Palmoxylon cliffwoodensis.

● By the early Eocene (56 mya), palms were abundant and widespread.

● Angiosperms evolved out of underwater environments to reproduce via airborne spore dispersal.

(Moore, 2014)

Ancestor: Nypa fruticans (below)- 94 million year old Nypa pollen fossil

found (Wikipedia, n.d.)

wikipedia.org

wikipedia.org

Eastern Prickly Pear(Opuntia humifusa)Family: Cactaceae

taken by me

2.)

Evolution of Cactaceae (cacti)● Most cacti are found in the Americas.

The modern specie is thought to have come about during the late Miocene (5-10 mya).

● They evolved to be drought tolerant and to very efficiently store water. This was probably an adaptation to arid climates.

● No fossils of cacti have been found. However, the oldest angiosperm-like pollen grain fossils date back to the Triassic (245 mya).

(Cactus, n.d.)

● The earliest diverging group Pereskia Leuenbergia existed about 30 mya and could’ve looked something like the Pereskia grandifolia (below).

wikipedia.org

Gulf fritillary“Passion butterfly”(Agraulis vanillae)

Family: Nymphalidae

taken by me

3.)

Evolution of Nymphalidae (four-footed butterflies)

● Some males don’t use all 6 legs to walk like most in the order Lepidoptera, instead they use 4 while the other 2 are curled up.

● Insects evolved as a diet for the first land vertebrates 400 mya that started as piscivores.

● Nymphalidae are within the group Rhopalocera, which have evolved most recently.

● The oldest known fossil of the Rhopalocera is from 56 mya.

(Nymphalidae, n.d.)

Ancestor: Archaeolepis mane (below)- The oldest known fossil of all

Lepidoptera is from the Jurassic (190 mya).

wikipedia.org

5 Rocks / Minerals

1.) LimestoneComposition/formation:Limestone is made of calcium carbonate by the mineral calcite. It is formed by the accumulation of coral, shells and other marine debris in an oceanic environment. It can also form through evaporation in cave settings via stalagmites/tites.

Properties/characteristics:● Sedimentary● Grey/yellow● Clastic● Rough but soft (easily breakable)● Gives off gas bubbles when reacted with HCL● The photo bottom right is Tufa limestone that is

precipitated out of the calcium rich water (Suwannee River, Florida).

northwestfloridaoutdooradventure.com(Limestone, n.d.)

2.) Sandstone

academic.emporia.edu

Composition/formation:Sandstone is made of quartz and feldspar. It is formed by the accumulation of grain sized particles. Because sand beds don’t preserve specimens very well, there usually no good fossils contained in sandstone.

Properties/characteristics:● Sedimentary● Tan/black/white● Clastic● Sandy/grainy texture● Hard

(Alden, n.d.)

3.) Perlitemiloterranean.gr

britannica.com

Composition/formation:Perlite is a volcanic glass that’s typically 75% silicon dioxide. It is formed by the rapid cooling of lava and magma.

Properties/characteristics:● Igneous● White/grey/green● Waxy/pearly lustre● Porous

(Perlite, n.d.)

4.) Aragonitewikipedia.org

premiumaquatics.com

Composition/formation:Aragonite is formed through precipitation from underwater environments. It is made of calcium carbonate.

Properties/characteristics:● Sedimentary● White/grey/pink/orange● Brittle● Sand inclusions● The iridescent color of pearls is due to

aragonite. Mother of pearl is a layer of aragonite that is excreted from mollusks and other invertebrates.

(Aragonite, n.d.)

5.) Agatized coralspiritrockshop.com

Composition/formation:This is a fossil found in ancient ocean beds. It is formed when silica rich water replaces calcium carbonate with chalcedony. Over 25 million years old, this type of fossil is from the Oligocene/Miocene.

Properties/characteristics:● Metamorphic● White/grey/brown● Hard● Bands of color

(Agatized Coral Fossils, n.d.)

Agatized Coral Fossils. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2015, fromhttp://www.fossil-treasures-of-florida.com/agatized-coral.html

Alden, A. (n.d.). The Basics of Sandstone. Retrieved June 21, 2015, fromhttp://geology.about.com/od/more_sedrocks/a/aboutsandstone.htm

Aragonite. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2015, from http://www.britannica.com/science/aragonite

Barr, J. (2009, April 1). Retrieved June 21, 2015, from

http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/student/barr1/report.htm

Cactus. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactus

Geology of Florida. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Florida

Limestone. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2015, from http://geology.com/rocks/limestone.shtml

Moore, H. (2014, August 13). Palm. Retrieved June 21, 2015, from http://www.britannica.com/plant/palm-tree

Nymphalidae. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalidae Perlite. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2015, from http://www.britannica.com/science/perlite

References