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Coastal Marine & Wetland Ecosystems

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Coastal Marine & Wetland Ecosystems Background Kinds of Ecosystems (Biomes) Communities & Biodiversity Environmental Aspects Human Impacts Habitat Loss – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Coastal Marine & Wetland Ecosystems


1
Coastal Marine Wetland Ecosystems
  • Background
  • Kinds of Ecosystems (Biomes)
  • Communities Biodiversity
  • Environmental Aspects
  • Human Impacts
  • Habitat Loss
  • Pollution
  • Loss of Biodiversity

2
Aquatic Ecosystems (Biomes)
  • Freshwater
  • Ponds Lakes
  • Streams Rivers
  • Wetlands
  • Marine
  • Oceanic
  • Neritic
  • Littoral (Intertidal)

We will focus here
3
Aquatic biomes cover 75 of Earths surface
4
Marine Biomes
  • Oceanic Biomes (Pelagic ocean)
  • Key factors are light and nutrients
  • Light only penetrates about 200 meters
  • Nutrients are low b/c of distance from
    terrestrial sources
  • Stratified by depth
  • Neritic Biomes (shallow waters on continental
    shelfs)
  • Kelp Forests
  • Coral Reefs
  • Littoral Biomes (Intertidal areas)
  • Include Mangroves, Estuaries, Rocky shores, Sandy
    beaches

5
Pelagic Biomes (Open Ocean)
  • Deep water further from the land
  • Surface waters are warm in tropical /
    sub-tropical regions
  • Surface waters are cold in temperate polar
    regions
  • Deep water is always very cold (thermal
    stratification)

6
Open ocean has low productivity
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11
Ctenophore (jellyfish) - cilia can be
illuminated
Hatchet Fish - a few inches long
Big Scale - ambush predator
Dragonfish - stomachs hold big meals
Viperfish - hinged skull for big bites
Firefly squid - light lures
http//oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/deepsea/meso.htm
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12
Neritic BiomesCoral reefs
  • Found in warm, tropical waters near continents or
    islands (neritic zone)
  • Built by Cnidarians (Coral) that contain
    symbiotic algae

13
The Coral Reef Biome
  • Cnidarian corals are tiny animals that live in
    colonies
  • Coral polyps form a hard, stony, branching
    structure made of limestone
  • New polyps attach to old coral and gradually
    build the reef.

14
Endangered Coral Reefs
  • Scientists predict that by 2075 1/2 to 3/4 of
    coral reefs could be gone!
  • Direct human impacts (blast fishing, careless
    harvesting, shipping)
  • Indirect human impacts
  • Ocean acidification global warming is causing
    coral bleaching (loss of algae)
  • Sediment pollution smothers coral
  • Nutrient toxin pollution kills corals

15
Neritic BiomesKelp forest
  • Found in cold, temperate waters near continents
  • Primary producers are large kelps (Brown algae)

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18
Littoral (Intertidal) Biomes
  • Intertidal zones are submerged/exposed once or
    twice daily by tides
  • Wave-action and substrate composition are
    important factors
  • Vertical zonation is common in many communities

19
  • Note About Tides caused by the gravitational
    pull of the moon sun and by the rotations of
    the earth, and orbits of the moon and sun

20
Daily tides
21
Seasonal tides
22
Tidal movements depend on location
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24
Rocky Shore Community
  • Organisms are adapted to attaching to the hard
    substrate
  • Wave-pounding and air exposure are important
    factors that organisms must adapt to
  • Vertical zonation is is important

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26
Salt Marshes Estuaries
  • Found in nutrient-rich intertidal areas
  • Very high productivity diversity
  • Productivity comes from marine species as well as
    terrestrial plants

Snowy Egret
Microscopic Algae
Topsmelt
27
Estuaries
  • Estuaries have a source of freshwater
  • Streams rivers supply extra nutrients
  • Very important in nutrient cycling

Clapper Rail
Fiddler Crab
Cordgrass
28
Importance of Intertidal Biomes
  • Wildlife habitat
  • Diversity of food (niches)
  • Provides burrows, nests, plant cover,etc.
  • 35 of endangered/ threatened species depend on
    wetlands in CA
  • Commercial fisheries nurseries
  • Provides spawning and rearing habitats
  • Supports both fresh and salt water habitats
  • 7 out of 10 most economically valuable fishes and
    shellfishes require wetlands to support some
    aspect of their life cycle

Least Tern(endangered)
29
  • Natural water treatment and purification
  • Vegetation and soil traps materials, filtering
    water
  • Migratory bird habitat
  • Travel pattern along Pacific Coast from Alaska to
    South America (western sandpiper)
  • Migratory birds use wetlands as place to stop,
    rest and eat on long migration routes
  • Flood control and groundwater recharge
  • Erosion control
  • Recreation/ education

30
Human Impacts
  • 90 of San Diegos coastal wetlands have been
    destroyed by development
  • Dredging for canals, waterways, marinas, bays,
    ect.
  • Filling for housing, industrial plants, airports,
    ect.
  • Major highways cut right through habitat, habitat
    fragmentation

31
  • Pollution
  • - Increased pollution, mainly non-point source
    pollution (runoff)
  • - Harmful bacteria and chemical pollutants
    often overwhelm the natural system and are toxic
    to many animals

32
  • Habitat loss fragmentation
  • Among most endangered habitat types in world
  • California has lost more wetlands than any state,
    loss of over 75 in last 200 years
  • All of current San Diego County wetlands have
    been modified by human activities
  • All of La Jolla, Pacific, Mission, and Ocean
    Beaches used to be natural estuary and wetland
    habitat (now ltlt 1)

33
  • Invasive Species (Non-Native)
  • Example
  • Ice plant, Tumbleweed, and Chrysanthemum invade
    habitat covering native Pickleweed
  • Pickleweed is crucial in San Diego, provides home
    for the endangered Beldings savannah sparrow
  • Many wildlife species unable to live w/o native
    habitat

Beldings savannah sparrow
Ice Plant Habitat
Pickleweed Habitat
34
Whats being done?
  • Protection
  • Legislation
  • Endangered Species Act
  • Executive Orders
  • Mitigation
  • Involves remediation of damaged areas or trading
    areas that are developed with those that will be
    protected
  • Executive Order 11990 Protection of Wetlands -
    an order given by President Carter in 1977 to
    avoid the adverse impacts associated with the
    destruction of modification of wetlands
  • Executive Order 13186 Responsibilities of
    Federal Agencies to Protect Migratory Birds - an
    order given by President Clinton in 2000 directs
    executive departments and agencies to take
    certain actions to further implement the
    Migratory Bird Treaty Act

35
  • Federal agencies, along with conservation groups,
    purchase SD wetlands to establish wildlife
    preserves
  • e. g., National Wildlife Refuge
  • Non-profit Organizations
  • Clean up, restoration and education
  • The Coalition for Wetland Protection
  • Volunteers Friends Of groups
  • Pollution prevention
  • Signs on storm drain No Dumping, I live
    downstream
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