Transcript View Poster - NIA - Elizabeth City State University

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
Lottie Nolan, Aaron Baker, Eduardo Santos, Tristan Bonds
ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY
2008 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Project
WHAT IS TURBIDITY?
WHY IS SAV IMPORTANT?
WHAT IS SAV?
"Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness
of a fluid caused by individual particles
(suspended solids) that are generally
invisible to the naked eye, similar to
smoke in air."
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation: Vascular plants that live
and grow completely underwater or just above the
waters surface when they are flowering.
HYPOTHESIS
SAV is very important to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
Beds of SAV are found all throughout the bay, but in fewer
acres then they once were. SAV serves as a natural safe
house for finfish and shellfish from predators. Juvenile blue
crabs can be in quantities 30 times larger in beds of SAV then
in non-SAV areas. SAV produces oxygen as a byproduct of
photosynthesis, which is essential to animals living in the bay.
SAV can help slow erosion by keeping sediment down with
their roots and slow the force of waves that would otherwise
take more sand from the beaches. SAV uses the same
nutrients that algae use. By beating them to it, it keeps algae
growth from flaring out of control.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is diminishing due
to human activity. What are some suggestions on how
to help restore the SAV?
Human activity causes damage and/or
death to many different species of SAV.
In the future, human activity if left
unchanged will cause the extinction of
many SAV species.
ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS FOR SAV
FOUND IN OLIGOHALINE SOUNDS AND
ESTUARIES OF NORTH CAROLINA
(Ferguson and Wood 1994)
Species
WHAT WE KNOW
Salinity
Range
(ppt)
Secchi
Depth Range
(m)
Water Depths
Range
(m)
Redhead Grass
0-20
0.4-1.4
0.4-2.4
Wild Celery
0-10
0.2-2.0
0.2-2.3
Eurasian Watermilfoil
0-10
0.2-1.4
0.5-2.4
Southern Naiad
0-10
0.2-2.0
0.5-1.7
Sago Pondweed
0-9
0.2-0.4
0.6-0.9
• SAV is Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
• SAV is partially submerged in water if not fully submerged
• SAV is an important habitat to under water animals
• Its distribution and abundance is rapidly decreasing due to
human activity
HOW ARE HUMANS AFFECTING THE SAV?
Myriophyllum spicatum - Eurasian Watermilfoil
Humans affect SAV in many ways like boating activities,
sewage treatment plants discharge, construction of highways,
runoff, and even more indirect ways like causing acid rain.
COMMON PLANTS WE IDENTIFIED
Ruppia martima
Widgeon grass
ECSU 03pH-7.8
Salinity 4.8
ECSU- 04
pH-7.21
Salinity 0.41
SUGGESTIONS TO REDUCE THE DECLINE OF SAV
The factor that is becoming the biggest cause of the dying SAV
is turbidity. Now what causes it can be a variety of things like
suspended sediment that blocks out sun light. Contributors of
this are runoff from farms, construction of highways, and boat
traffic.
The best way to eradicate all problems affecting SAV would be to completely
remove the number one factor that is ailing them. Humans, and while this is
obviously an unreasonable suggestion it would also be the most effective. So
to be a little more reasonable another good way to help their population would
be to have SAV beds off limits to boaters, and stricter laws limiting the amount
of nutrients farmers can use that would runoff in to the water.
The decline of SAV is causing
the water quality to
decrease. The loss of the
sea grass is making the water
cloudy. It is causing the fish
to migrate because their
homes are disappearing.
HOW IS SAV IMPORTANT TO WATERFOWL?
Migrating waterfowl search the sediment for nutritious seeds, roots, and tubers
that help fuel there journey during migration.
COMMON SAV PLANTS IN OLIGOHALINE
SOUNDS AND ESTUARIES IN NC
REFLECTIONS
In the beginning of this workshop we were lectured and given straight up
information, and while this was useful it wasn’t until we were put into our
groups that we really started to learn this for ourselves. No longer were the
answers just handed to us on a silver platter,. We learned to work to each
others strengths, and strengthen each others weaknesses. As a group we
finished this project at a much higher level than any of us could have done
alone.
Vallisneria americana - Wild Celery
Chara
Muskgrass
DS01pH(s)-5.64
pH(b)-14.63
Salinity 0.06
Turbitity, which is usually invisible to the naked eye, limits the
amount of sun light that penetrates through the water thus
limiting the amount of plants able to survive since
photosynthesis uses sunlight. It would be like giving a hundred
people a happy meal and telling them to survive off of it.
HOW IS THE DECLINE OF SAV IS AFFECTING
THE WATER?
CS05pH-7.84
Salinity 6.96
PR 02pH-6.71
Salinity 3.08
HOW TURBIDITY AFFECTS THE SAV
An increase of nutrients causes an increase of algae which in
turn causes sunlight to be blocked out. The nutrients can come
from many things such as sewage treatment plants, acid rain,
agricultural fields and fertilized lawns.
Najas guadalupensis
Southern naiad
WHAT WE FOUND
They provide critical food for many fish.
They provide shelter for many aquatic organisms.
They also remove harmful pollution from the water.
HOW SAV IS BEING AFFECTED?
Myriophyllum spicatum
Eurasian Watermilfoil
(invasive)
• pH-the desired levels for pH are 6.5 to 8.2
• DO-the desired levels of dissolved oxygen
are 5 - 6ppm
• Salinity – Desired levels of salinity are
between .5 and 18 ppt
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FISHERIES AND
WILD LIFE?
INVASIVE PLANTS THAT WE IDENTIFIED
COMMON SAV PLANTS
Stuckenia pectinata
Sago pondweed
DESIRED LEVELS
Potamogeton perfoliatus
Redhead Grass
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank all of the Burroughs Wellcome staff for their time and
effort to make us better individuals in the field of science and we would like to
thank our teachers for giving us this opportunity.