We set out to determine what impact green crabs would have when introduced to intertidal communities in Washington. Specifically, we examined how the alien green crabs interacted with the native intertidal species and how the entire intertidal community was impacted. To research the interactions, we first collected population size data of an intertidal community where we could keep additional creatures from invading. We then added eight green crabs to the community and recorded the population size of the species at the end of 200 weeks. At the end of the 200 week period, the green crabs had greatly disrupted the intertidal community. The community supported about ten different species before the green crab was introduced, all which appeared to be at relatively stable population sizes. At the end of the 200 weeks, only four of the original species remained. Apart from the acorn barnacle that had a population size of four at the end of the observation, the other three …show more content…
species, nori seaweed, black pine, and coral weed, all experienced an increase in population size. The green crab population also grew from 8 to 285 by the end of the 200 weeks. When examining the gut content of the green crabs at the end of the 200 weeks, we found both the gooseneck and acorn barnacles. Since the gut content was only observed at the end of the 200 weeks, we can not answer if they would have eaten another species that had been depleted before the end of the observation. Using the findings from our observations we can examine why the green crabs had such an impact on our previously stable intertidal community.
Since the green crabs were eating the gooseneck and acorn barnacles, the crabs competed with the food sources for the starfish and whelk populations. This caused the starfish to rely more heavily on the chilton and muscles as food sources and the whelk were outcompeted by the green crabs which led to their depletion. After a period of time, both the chiton and muscles had been depleted and the starfish were then outcompeted for the barnacles; this lead to the depletion of starfish. By having the chiton depleted, the nori seaweed, coral weed, and black pine were able to thrive since their only predator had been wiped from the community. Our findings prove that the introduction of the green crab to the intertidal communities of Washington will have a massive impact on the diversity of the communities and could lead to a complete depletion of many of the
species.
My predictions for 6.1 were almost exactly what I expected except for one area. I thought that I would have saw an increase for the Chthamalus barnacles on day 2 there were 4 and then on day 14 there were 13. The part that did not met my expectations was I did not see a small decrease in the number of both species towards the end. Only on the first the sample on day 12 t day 4 saw a small decease of 1 individual of each species. But for the second trial there was an increase for each of the species of barnacles fro day 12 to 14. The Chthamalus saw a large increase from 18 to 23. The Semibalanus Saw an increase of 3 to 5.
The yeti crab is an interesting creature when it's around its surroundings. The yeti's association with their bacteria is more developed than its relatives. Each species has its own system, but one has a comb with which it can extract its food from its setae! The radiation of the closely related species seems to have been in the Coenozoic. This means that, 65 million years ago, as mammals began to take over on land, the types of crab represented now by the yetis began taking over hydrothermal vents and similar niches from a lost generation of previous inhabitants.
One of the Bays biggest resources is its oysters. Oysters are filter feeders which mean they feed on agley and clean the water. The oysters feed on agley and other pollutants in the bay turning them into food, then they condense the food down to nutrients and sometimes developed pearls. Filtering the water helps the oysters to grow, and also helps clean the Chesapeake Bay. One oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day, Oysters used to be able to filter the Bay in about a week. However, these creatures are now scarce in the bay. The Chesapeake Bays Oyster (crassostrea virginica) Population has declined severely because of over harvesting, agricultural runoff, and disease. Now the Chesapeake Bay is becoming polluted without the oysters and the water is not nearly as clean as it once was. The Chesapeake Bay was the first estuary in the nation to be targeted for restoration as an integrated watershed and ecosystem. (Chesapeake Bay Program n/d). This report will show the cause and effect of the Chesapeake Bay's Oyster decline on the Bay.
In conducting my research, I observed activity on a rocky shore off the coast of Washington in the Northwest United States (workbook). This environment inhabits 10 species in shallow water nearly on top of each other. Each species helps form a complicated ecosystem where species protect, consume, and compete for space with other species. Out of the 10 species there are three producers, three sessile consumers (otherwise known as filter feeders), and four mobile consumers- one of which is an invasive species. In this environment the producers are Nori Seaweed (Porphyra), Black Pine (Neorhodomela), and Coral Weed (Corallina). Producers make their own food through sunlight, so only have predators and competition for space. Coral Weed is the strongest
The bay's harvest and many of its other attractions bring tourists and in turn revenue for the area. Oysters and blue crab are a big part of the culture in the bay area. However, these organisms are in danger and need help. Description of the problem Eutrophication is a concern in the Chesapeake Bay. Eutrophication is caused by excessive amounts of nutrients.
Lionfish are not currently listed as threatened in their native range. However, the increase in pollution in coral reefs can negatively affect the lionfish's primary food sources (NOAA, 2011). If lionfish are unable to adapt to declines in their prey species, their numbers will decrease. Although between the increasing reef pollution and the Lionfish’s voracious appetite reef populations will more than likely be damaged beyond repair, they may even be close to elimination by the time the Lionfish population actually declines (Albins, 2013).
Introduction Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are marine mammals capable of spending their entire lives in water. Being carnivorous in nature, they feed on sea urchins, crabs, fishes, mussels and clams. They are referred to as keystone species due to their profound impact on marine ecology. The interaction between sea otters, sea urchins and kelp forests has been studied as a model for the impact of predator-prey interactions on community ecology. Sea otters are keystone predators, whose presence has a far-reaching influence on the marine food web by affecting the populations of sea urchins, which indirectly affects the populations of kelp forests & other marine organisms.
The Chesapeake Bay plays host to an astonishing amount of plant and animal life, providing much of our fish intake for species that aren’t being overfished. For the species that are being overdrawn, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is working to restore the populations, and it’s going well thus far. Another theme that is endangering the marine life populations as well as the health of the human population is the massive amount of polluti...
...sica Leahy, and Kathleen Bell. "Interactions between Human Communities and Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest: Trends and Implications for Management." Estuaries. 26.4 (Aug., 2003): 994-1009 . Print.
As the studies detailing this new ecosystem are still in their infancy, it is difficult for people to speculate about the potential effects of the emerging plastisphere on marine ecological environments. Although we are seeing bad effects of this new ecosystem among larger marine animals, scientists who are studying this new ecosystem hypothesize that the plastisphere brings new opportunity to thriving smaller organisms. Whatever the case is, further studies are still essential to better understand the life created in a barge of plastic garbage in the ocean.
The location is one of the most critical factors to analyze thoroughly because it helps predict whether the sales of the choosing location will be good or not? Although the Boiling Crab is in the growth stage, it still has to focus on new locations that the owner plan to extend to these areas. As I mentioned in the introduction, the owner plans to open the Boiling Crab in four new locations soon.
Introducing exotic species has been a highly debated issue. Why should we bring another animal or plant into a region to eradicate another species? That’s the question that people have been asking for ages. Of course, there are positives to bringing in another species, but many times, there are just as many negatives. Also, these species can be introduced accidentally or intentionally. The new organism may cause no obvious problems and eventually, it will be considered “native” to the area. For example, corals are “perhaps the oldest animals on the planet, and these long-lived corals have evolved in one of the Earth’s most stable environments” (Eichenberg, p.2). If a new type of fish were to be put into the ecosystem with the corals, the coral would be affected. First, the fish might eat the coral. Second, they could use the coral for shelter, and possibly damaging it that way. Third, the fish could bring predators that might also eat the coral. Introducing an exotic species has the “rippling affect” of dropping a stone into a pool of water. Everything outside the epicenter is affected. A study was done at Cornell University, and they estimated that $120 billion per year are spent fixing the problems caused by exotic species” (Chiras, p.
Invasive alien species are disrupting and changing the normal ecological functions of biomes, ecosystems, and the biosphere as a whole (CBD, 2009). They are a threat to biodiversity and can cause damage to, or even eradicate native species which natural cycles and other organisms depend on. While disrupting energy flow, food chains, and shaking the structure of ecosystems to the core, invasive species create not only ecological, but also a whole host of social, economical, and health issues that affect the livelihood of almost every organism on earth, including humans (CBD, 2009).
Lotze, Heike K., Marta Coll, Anna M. Magera, Christine Ward-Paige, and Laura Airoldi. "Recovery of Marine Animal Populations and Ecosystems." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26.11 (2011): 595-605. Print.
Seagrass is not just a food source for micro species, but also macro species such as manatees, turtles, dolphins and dugongs (Yamada and Kumagai 2012). These marine organisms are all supported directly and indirectly by seagrasses, with some entirely dependent on it. Seagrass is often underestimated in its significance as the vast role that it plays in the oceans ecosystem is not fully understood. ...