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Monday, December 7th. Pg. 70 RTW :. Objective: I will be able to explain why marine life is more abundant in coastal waters as compared to open ocean. Agenda Coastal Ecosystem Notes pg. 71 Homework None . Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycles.
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Monday, December 7th Pg. 70 RTW: • Objective: I will be able to explain why marine life is more abundant in coastal waters as compared to open ocean. • Agenda • Coastal Ecosystem Notes pg. 71 • Homework • None
Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycles • Energy flow through the food web affects an ecosystem by determining how much energy is available for organisms at higher trophic levels. • carbon nutrient cycle • is the basis for most of the biomass in all ecosystems • nitrogen nutrient cycle • is thought to be more limited in marine ecosystems than in terrestrial ecosystems • temperate ecosystems have less overall sunlight, but receive far more nutrients • For this reason . . . • the most productive marine ecosystems are found in cold, temperate regions Ecology and Ecosystems >
The Continental Shelf • The neritic zone • water between the low tide mark and the edge of the CS • is a significant marine ecosystem because … • it is the most productive region in the ocean • continental-shelf depth seldom exceeds 200 meters (656 feet) • this helps to keep nutrients in the shallow photic zone and … • helps retain heat from the sun • nutrients come from river runoff near shore and rise with currents from deep water Ecosystems in the Open Sea >
Upwellingsan upward vertical current • upwelling • plays a significant role in the balance of coastal ocean ecosystems • are important to open-ocean ecosystems because they bring nutrients from deeper water to shallow, more productive depths • areas with the highest upwelling activity also have the highest nutrient levels • These areas correspond with manyof the ocean’s highest productivityregions including: • waters offshore of Peru • the Bering Sea • the Grand Banks in the Atlantic • the deep water surrounding Antarctica Ecosystems in the Open Sea Worldwide upwelling >
High Productivity Marine Environments • Coastal ecosystems are highly productive ecosystems forseveral reasons: • 1. benefit from nutrient-rich runoff from land • 2. being shallow, the benthic organisms in these ecosystems live in the upper photic zone, instead of the bottom as in the open sea • 3. salt-tolerant plants can grow in the well-lit shallows, providing shelter • 4. these plants act as the foundation for several different types of ecosystems that cannot exist in the open ocean • a combination of nutrients, light, and shelter make coastal ecosystems diverse and rich Coastal Ecosystems >
High Productivity Marine Environments • Human activities have wide-ranging potential effects on coastal ecosystems. • because people live near water . . . • means that many of our activities potentially affect coastal ecosystems • we can’t always anticipate consequences to the ecosystems • two examples are agricultural fertilizer and pollutants • eutrophication • an overabundance of nutrients that causes an ecological imbalance • it is a stimulus to some species and a detriment to others • red tides are caused by eutrophication Coastal Ecosystems >
Pg. 70 S.T.A.R • What are two reasons that coastal ecosystems are highly productive ecosystems? • Where is the neritic zone located? • Why is it sometimes challenging for humans to prevent damage to the coastal ecosystems? • How is the Red Tide linked to eutrophication?
Tuesday, December 8th Pg. 70 RTW: What does upwelling do? • Objective: I will be able to describe the classification system of estuaries based off their location. • Agenda: • Brief estuary notes (pg. ) • Gather Estuary notes (pg. ) • Homework • None
Estuaries = partially enclosed water bodies where fresh and salt water mix • estuaries serve as nurseries for more than 75%of the commercial fish species • estuaries contribute to the productivity of adjacent marine ecosystems . . . . • 1. by providing surviving juvenile species with shelter for them to mature • by increasing the number of individuals that survive the hazardous larval and juvenile stages • 2. by providing nutrients to adjacent ecosystems while trapping sediment and other materials in runoff from rain and storms • reduces eutrophication and other runoff damage Coastal Ecosystems >
Plants and Animals of Estuaries • Estuaries support many marine organisms because of plenty of light and plenty of nutrients for both plants and animals. • The light and nutrients . . . . • support large populations of rooted plants as well as plankton • plankton in turn provide food for fish • fish can then be eaten by larger animals such as dolphins • oysters and clams live anchored to rocks and feed on plankton
Threats to Estuaries • are often used as places to dump waste and or filled for building sites • the pollutants that damage estuaries are sewage, pesticides, fertilizers, and toxic chemicals • most of these break down over time • estuaries cannot cope with the amounts of pollutants produced by dense human populations
Each person in group collects information & then exchanges information with partners • Highly Stratified or Salt Wedge Estuary • Slightly Stratified • Vertically Mixed For each record: • How are they characterized? • Where do they occur? • Example • In general what threats do estuaries face?
Wednesday, December 9th Pg. 70 RTW: What is an estuary? • Objective: I will be able to describe the classification system of estuaries based off their location. • Agenda: • Finish researching assigned estuary • Exchange information with partners • Homework • None
Each person in group collects information & then exchanges information with partners • Highly Stratified or Salt Wedge Estuary • Slightly Stratified • Vertically Mixed For each record: • How are they characterized? • Where do they occur? • Example • In general what threats do estuaries face?
Thursday, December 10th Pg. 70 RTW: How do estuaries support marine organisms? • Objective: I will be able to explain why oysters are considered a keystone species and how they benefit the estuary ecosystem. • Agenda • Oyster Facts • Coastal Ecosystem Graphic Organizer • Homework • None
Oyster Facts • Typically a single oyster can filter up to 2 gallons (7.57 litres) of water an hour.
Google- “Oyster mats” & click on 1st link (nature.org) Read the article and answer the following: • Why are oysters important? • What are oyster mats? • What do the oyster mats do? • Why are oyster reefs threatened? • What restoration has been accomplished so far?
Friday, December 11th Pg. 70 RTW: Why are oysters keystone species in estuarine ecosystems? • Objective: I will be able to describe the abiotic and biotic factors of the following coastal ecosystems, including: • Mangrove swamps • Salt marshes • Sea grasses • Agenda • Coastal ecosystem research • Graphic Organizer • Homework • None
Coastal Ecosystem Project • You will research the different types of coastal ecosystems: • Salt water marsh • Mangrove swamps • Sea grasses • Create a graphic organizer answering the following: • What defines this ecosystem • Environmental conditions • How do organisms have to adapt to life here • Examples of organisms
Coastal Ecosystems • Three types: • Salt water marsh • Mangrove swamps • Sea grasses
Is it a marsh or a swamp?! (know the difference) • Marsh: • little H2O movement • lots of decomposers • dominated by non-woody plants • Swamp: • poorly drained land • reptiles are major predators • dominated by woody plants
Salt Marshes Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors these have the highest salinity of all the ecosystems they also absorb pollutants to help protect inland areas • Plants: • grasses, sedges, and other plants that have adapted to continual periodic flooding and are found primarily throughout the temperate and subarctic regions • Animals: • they support a community of clams, fish, aquatic birds, crabs, and shrimp
American Oyster Catcher Fiddler Crab Great Egret
Salt Marshes • salt marshes exist in estuaries and along the coasts • upper marsh • includes the areas only rarely flooded by the tides • lower marsh • includes areas flooded by salt water and a regular part of the tidal cycle • organisms living here must tolerate significantly more osmotic stress than species with niches in the upper marsh. Coastal Ecosystems >
Salt Marshes • halophytes • plants that have adaptations that allow them to survive in salt water • lower marsh halophytes • deal with constant osmotic stress and have adaptations to deal with it • adaptations include: • pores in the leaves through which it breathes • concentrates salts in its roots • salt glands on leaves and stem • upper marsh halophytes • have much reduced osmotic stress • adaptations include: • sacrificial leaves Coastal Ecosystems >
Mangroves • cold-sensitive trees that grow near saline waters along tropical & subtropical shores • Daytona/St. Augustine is northern limit for white mangroves • three species • (think Cuda colors ) • red mangrove- closest to water • black mangrove • white mangrove
Mangrove Swamps • they are tropical or subtropical marine swamps • characterized by the abundance of low to tall mangrove trees • the swamps help protect the coastline from erosion and reduce the damage from storms • they also provide a home for about 2,000 animal species • they have been filled with waste and destroyed in many parts of the world. (In Florida it is now illegal to cut/move/destroy mangroves)
Mangrove Swamps • all species of mangroves share two important characteristicsthat make them the basis of mangrove ecosystems • strong, tangled roots that provide habitats for juvenile fish and invertebrates - this provides a nursery for nearby marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs • due to size they hold the soil well, protecting the habitat and coast from erosion from storm surges, waves, and weather Coastal Ecosystems >
Mangrove Swamps • red mangroves • grow above the waterline on stilt-like roots allowing oxygen to get to the roots • black mangroves • have roots that grow in the sediment below the waterline • they aerate their roots with snorkel-like tubes that carry air from above to the roots • white mangroves • lack special root adaptations • they are very saltwater tolerant, but thrive high on the tideline Coastal Ecosystems >
Red Mangrove • protects shoreline & stabilizes sediment • propagule- long & pencil shaped seeds
Red Mangrove -w/ propagule (Seed)
Black Mangrove • least cold sensitive of all mangrove species • seeds resemble lima beans
White Mangrove • most cold sensitive of all mangrove species • identified by two glands on leaf stem (Frankenstein’s • monster) • leaf tip is rounded w/ indention • Small fruits with wrinkled texture (think raisins!)
Seagrassesmarine plants covering extensive shallow underwater “meadows” • seagrasses differ from other halophytes in several ways: • they are the only plants, living entirely underwater except during rare, very low tides • they have no means of extracting fresh water from seawater • they extract oxygen from the seawater and have internal air canals • they do not need to have a freshwater source because they have an internal salinity the same as seawater • they reproduce by releasing pollen into the water, much like land-based plants release pollen into the wind Coastal Ecosystems >
Seagrasses • seagrasses differ from other halophyte-basedecosystems because: • they are edible and provide food for ecosysteminhabitants like microbes, invertebrates, fish, turtles, manatees, and dugongs Coastal Ecosystems >
S.T.A.R • 1. What is one major difference between a swamp and a marsh? • 2. What are halophytes? • 3. What is a major problem for estuaries? • 4. Estuaries serve as a nursery to what % of commercial species?