Coastal Ecosystems: Abundance and Impact

1. 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 

2. 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 >

3. 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 >

4. 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 >

5. 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 >

6. 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 >

8. 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?

9. 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 

10. 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 >

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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?

15. 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 

16. 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?

17. 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 

18. Oysters' affect on water

19. Oyster Facts • Typically a single oyster can filter up to 2 gallons (7.57 litres) of water an hour.

20. 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?

21. 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 

22. 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

23. Coastal Ecosystems • Three types: • Salt water marsh • Mangrove swamps • Sea grasses

24. 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

25. Salt Marsh

26. Mangrove Swamp

28. 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

29. American Oyster Catcher Fiddler Crab Great Egret

30. 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 >

31. 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 >

32. 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

33. 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)

34. 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 >

35. 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 >

36. Red Mangrove • protects shoreline & stabilizes sediment • propagule- long & pencil shaped seeds

37. Red Mangrove -w/ propagule (Seed)

38. Black Mangrove • least cold sensitive of all mangrove species • seeds resemble lima beans

39. Black Mangrove

41. 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!)

42. White Mangrove

44. 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 >

45. 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 >

46. 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?