There are many different plant communities in South Florida, but some of the most enigmatic plant communities are found underwater. Coral reefs are a landscape that many people haven't had much contact with. Just as only elites, travelers, or industrial entities can see the ocean, coral reefs are seen only by the adventurous or lucky few who can reach their subterranean habitat. But just because they're not visible from the surface doesn't mean they have to be difficult to reach. If the city as we know it should be protected from its impending future of sea level rise, we must have more access and gates connected to our waters so we can remember that South Florida and Miami is a city full of diverse tropical forests surrounded by ocean and bay and laced with rivers, canals and streams. Boating should be a common means of travel, and in marked locations, swimming a short distance should transport you to the start of healthy, ever-growing sea grasses and reef tract streaks. On our course we traveled to the Everglades where we walked a raised path above each landscape, it would be compelling to have a similar lens for coral. Corals confound those of us who are drawn to questions about our limited understanding of this landscape. Even if we find that coral reefs are composed of many plants, sediments and microorganisms, the line where one acts separately from the other will be difficult to draw. The South Florida reef stretch looks like a ghost trail of the existing coastline, varying in width but limited in its growth due to its reliance on shallow, warm waters. Specifically, coral reefs are a forest of “plants” and organisms that… middle of paper… are because of its proteins, even if its parents are not. Studying the growth patterns of hybrid corals could help ensure the health of a larger reef system by mixing them with hybrids. Works Cited Myers, Ronald L., and John J. Ewel. Florida Ecosystems. Orlando: U of Central Florida, 1990. Print. Picture of the Week: Fused Staghorn Coral." ScienceFriday.com. Np, nd Web. April 9, 2015 http://www.sciencefriday.com/blogs/09/22/ 2014/picture-of-the-week-fused-staghorn -coral.html?series=31Makowski, Christopher Development and Application of a New Comprehensive Image-Based Classification Scheme for Coastal and Benthic Environments Along the Southeast Florida Continental Shelf P. 1-45, Print."Corals NOAA National." Ocean Service Education:.