Proverbial David Daniels Talk

What is a Mosquito Lagoon habitat?
A habitat can be defined in general terms as the specific place in an environment where an organism lives. Terrestrial and marine environments each have distinct characteristics that determine whether a specific organism will be found there. A close look at any area along the Florida coast reveals a number of different habitats. In deep, offshore waters, a unique Oculina reef, found no where else in the world, runs from Ft. Pierce to Daytona. Nearshore reefs composed of coquina rock and sabellarid wormrock are quite common in some coastal areas. Along the barrier island system in east central Florida, sand dunes along the shoreline abound, and can be further subdivided into foredunes, dune crests, swales, and secondary dunes. Inland of the dune system lie the scrub zones and maritime hammocks that have been built upon stable backdunes. Beyond hammocks, the land begins to fall toward the Mosquito Lagoon where the mangrove fringe is located. Mangrove areas border both the east and west margins of the lagoon along most of its length. Within the lagoon itself are various submerged aquatic habitats such as seagrass beds and oyster reefs, as well as the many spoil islands which arose as the result of dredging in the lagoon. Beyond the mangrove fringe are the fresh water swamps, hardwood hammocks, and upland forests that characterize interior Florida.