Transcript Coastal Ecosystems

Monday, November 10th 2014
Pg. 72 RTW: How was your weekend?
• 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
– Finish coastal ecosystem research
• 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:
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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 Marsh
Mangrove Swamp
Salt Marshes
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
• Plants:
• these have the highest
salinity of all the
ecosystems
• they also absorb
pollutants to help protect
inland areas
• 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
Coastal Ecosystems
• 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.
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14 - 10
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
Coastal Ecosystems
• upper marsh halophytes
– have much reduced osmotic stress
• adaptations include:
– sacrificial leaves
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14 - 11
Mangroves
• cold-sensitive trees that grow near saline
waters along tropical & subtropical shores
• Daytona/St. Augustine is northern limit for
white mangroves
• three species
– 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)
Coastal Ecosystems
Mangrove Swamps
• all species of mangroves share two
important characteristics that make them
the basis of mangrove ecosystems
1. strong, tangled roots that provide
habitats for juvenile fish and
invertebrates
- this provides a nursery for nearby
marine ecosystems, particularly coral
reefs
2. due to size they hold the soil well,
protecting the habitat and coast from
erosion from storm surges, waves, and
weather
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14 - 14
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
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thrive high on the tideline
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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
Black Mangrove
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
White Mangrove
Seagrasses
marine plants covering extensive shallow underwater “meadows”
Coastal Ecosystems
• 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
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Seagrasses
• seagrasses differ from other halophyte-based
ecosystems because:
Coastal Ecosystems
– they are edible and provide
food for ecosystem
inhabitants like microbes,
invertebrates, fish, turtles,
manatees, and dugongs
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Wednesday, November 12th 2014
Pg. 72 RTW: What is the main difference
between salt marsh and a mangrove
swamp?
• Objective: I will be able to describe the chemical and physical
factors that affect species distribution in the intertidal zones
such as rocky shores and sandy beaches.
• Agenda
– Intertidal notes: Sandy vs Muddy shore (pg. 69-71)
• Homework
– Quiz Friday
• Estuaries
• Coastal Ecosystems
• Intertidal Zone (Muddy vs. Sandy Shores)
Intertidal Zones
the area between the high tide mark and the low tide mark`
• ecosystems in the intertidal zones exist in areas that may
be above the waterline at times
 other portions reach depths of 10 meters (32.8 feet)
Coastal Ecosystems
• supralittoral zone
 the area only submerged during the highest tides
 the greatest challenges facing organisms that live in this zone
are drying out, thermal stress, and water motion
– with the constant spray of seawater evaporating,
high salt levels can also
be a problem
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Intertidal Zones
 littoral zone
Coastal Ecosystems
 the area between high and low tide
 the organisms here must also deal with drying
out, thermal stress, and water motion
 with ample water nutrients, and sunlight, this
is a highly productive region.
 one challenge to life here,
therefore is massive competition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyNEGPvZmM&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1
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&safe=active
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Beaches
 Beaches
Coastal Ecosystems
 rich and productive ecosystems
 have important roles that affect other marine
ecosystems
 the sand protects the coastline by reducing sedimentation
caused by coastal erosion
▪ complex organisms, (worms, mollusks, and fish) live in the
submerged beach sand
▪ algae and non-animal organisms
live among the sand grains
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14 - 30
Sandy Shores
• Beaches are defined by 3 physical factors
– Particle size
– Slope
– Wave action (the most important to sandy beaches b/c
they can cause shoreline destruction)
• Almost all organisms bury themselves into the
substrate so they are not taken by the waves.
Ex: sand flea (Mole Crab)
Beaches
 interaction between water motion and the
meiofauna
Coastal Ecosystems
▪ the meiofauna – benthic organisms – tiny organisms live in
the spaces between sand grains
▪ the physical and organic process in the beach ecosystem
break down organic and inorganic materials making the
beach a giant filter
▪ processes compounds from runoff to the sea or washed up
from the sea
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Muddy Shores
• Little to no wave action (most important factor).
• Most are supplied w/ fresh water from rivers (like
estuaries)
• Fine sediments with very small grain sizes are
deposited b/c there are no waves to take them away =
a muddy substrate
• Also known as Mud Flats
More Conditions
• Anaerobic (little to no oxygen) in the mud b/c of
little water movement.
• Most organisms (like worms) can burrow into the
substrate and make permanent tubes in order to
obtain oxygen from the surface.
• Other organisms (like sulfur bacteria) can live with
out oxygen and get energy through sulfur = mud
flats smell like rotten eggs.
• Plants (like cord grass) must be able to get rid of
salt = expel through leaves.
Types
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Coastal lagoons
Estuaries
Harbors/bays
Tidal sloughs
Salt marshes
Did You Know?
• These enormous vegetarians can be found in warm coastal
waters from East Africa to Australia, including the Red Sea,
Indian Ocean, and Pacific.
• Dugongs are related to manatees and are similar in
appearance and behavior— though the dugong's tail is fluked
like a whale's. Both are related to the elephant, although the
giant land animal is not at all similar in appearance or
behavior.
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Thursday, November 13th 2014
Pg. 72 RTW: Draw a t-chart on your
paper
• Objective: I will be able to describe the chemical and physical
factors that affect species distribution in the intertidal zones
such as rocky shores and sandy beaches.
• Agenda
– Mud vs sand t-chart
– Review coastal ecosystems
• Homework
– Quiz Friday
• Estuaries
• Coastal Ecosystems
• Intertidal Zone (Muddy vs. Sandy Shores)
Friday, November 14th 2014
No RTW: Take time to review your
notes for the quiz
• Objective: I will be able to describe the chemical and physical
factors that affect species distribution in the intertidal zones such
as rocky shores and sandy beaches.
• Agenda
– Review for Test Tuesday
– Quiz Today!
• Homework
– Study for test (Tuesday)
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Abiotic vs. biotic
Ocean layers
Plankton
Estuaries
Coastal Ecosystems
Intertidal Zone (Muddy vs. Sandy Shores)