Life Along the Inner Coast : A Naturalist's Guide to the Sounds, Inlets, Rivers, and Intracoastal Waterway From Norfolk to Key West

For decades, marine scientists Robert and Alice Jane Lippson have traveled the Inner Coast—the rivers, backwaters, sounds, bays, lagoons, and inlets stretching from the Chesapeake Bay to the Florida Keys—aboard their trawler, Odyssey . The culmination of their leisurely journeys, Life along the Inner Coast is a guidebook to the plants, animals, and habitats found in one of the most biologically diverse regions on the planet. This dense system of waterways contains an incredible range of salinity levels, from fresh to brackish to oceanic, and is host to flora and fauna that have adapted to both specific and broad ranges of ecological habitats. The Lippsons explore each habitat, from wooded wetlands, broad marshes, and sandy beaches, to the hundreds of piers and pilings thrusting into the waters, to the vast shallow waters rich in populations of fish, crabs, mollusks, and myriad other marine creatures. They describe more than 800 species that are beautifully illustrated with meticulous ink drawings and photographs and organized according to habitat type and geographic region. Ranging from the busy commercial harbor at Norfolk through vast expanses of marshlands of the mid-Atlantic to the tropical mangrove islands of Florida, Life along the Inner Coast offers readers a rich understanding of the relationships between organisms and where they live. It is a valuable resource for naturalists, students, and anyone who lives or vacations along the Atlantic Inner Coast. Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Introduction......Page 16 ONE: Forested Wetlands, Wooded Shorelines, and Swamps......Page 52 TWO: Marshes and Mangrove Swamps......Page 90 THREE: Beaches......Page 152 FOUR: Intertidal Flats......Page 178 FIVE: Places to Settle: Pilings, Floating Docks, Rubble Structures, and Mangrove Prop Roots......Page 208 SIX: The Shallows......Page 260 SEVEN: Weed Beds and Seagrass Meadows......Page 350 EIGHT: Live Bottoms: Oyster Reefs, Patch Reefs, and Worm Rocks......Page 390 APPENDIX A: Plant and Animal Species List......Page 422 APPENDIX B: Bird Species List......Page 446 D......Page 448 O......Page 449 Z......Page 450 Selected References......Page 452 A......Page 458 B......Page 459 C......Page 460 D......Page 461 F......Page 462 G......Page 463 K......Page 464 N......Page 465 R......Page 466 S......Page 467 T......Page 468 Z......Page 469 For decades, marine scientists Robert and Alice Jane Lippson have traveled the rivers, backwaters, sounds, bays, lagoons, and inlets stretching from the Chesapeake Bay to the Florida Keys aboard their trawler, Odyssey. The culmination of their leisurely journeys, Life along the Inner Coast is a guide to the plants, animals, and habitats found in one of the most biologically diverse regions on the planet. It is a valuable resource for naturalists, students, and anyone who lives or vacations along the Atlantic inner coast. Southern Gateways Guide is a registered trademark of the University of North Carolina Press

based On The Lippsons' Decades Of Travel Along The Rivers, Backwaters, Sounds, Bays, Lagoons, And Inlets Stretching From The Chesapeake Bay To The Florida Keys, This Book Is A Guide To The Plants, Animals, And Habitats Found In One Of The Most Biologically Diverse Regions On The Planet. The Lippsons (both Marine Scientists) Explore Each Habitat And Describe More Than 800 Species Organized According To Habitat Type And Geographic Region. Features 395 Drawings, 20 Halftones, 6 Maps, 2-color Throughout.

Presents detailed descriptions of the ecologies and different plants and animals that exist on the Inner Coast, which extends from southeast Virginia to Key West, Florida.