Location

Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge encompasses approximately 360 acres on Sandy Point, St. Croix, VI. The Refuge sits on a peninsula that is approximately 1 km wide and 2.5 km long and is oriented on a northeast-southwest axis (see map below).

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The trade winds blow predominantly from the east so that the trees growing along the beach on the southeast side are constantly exposed to the wind while the trees growing along the northwest shore are protected from the constant winds. The images below depict the response of the trees to these different wind conditions.

SPNWR Beach - Northwest

SPNWR Beach - Southeast

Procedure

Ten leaves (five old and five new) were collected from two Portiatrees (Thespesia populnea) and two Sea Grape trees (Coccoloba uvifera) collected from the southeast and northwest sides of Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge (see map below). Stomatal imprints were obtained using nail polish and mounted on microscope slides with clear plastic tape.

Portiatree - Northwest

Portiatree- Southeast

Sea Grape - Northwest

Sea Grape - Southeast