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
• Pollution
• Loss of Biodiversity

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Aquatic Ecosystems (Biomes)

• Freshwater
• Ponds Lakes
• Streams Rivers
• Wetlands

• Marine
• Oceanic
• Neritic
• Littoral (Intertidal)

We will focus here
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Aquatic biomes cover 75 of Earths surface
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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

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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)

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Open ocean has low productivity
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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
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Neritic BiomesCoral reefs

• Found in warm, tropical waters near continents or
  islands (neritic zone)
• Built by Cnidarians (Coral) that contain
  symbiotic algae

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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.

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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

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Neritic BiomesKelp forest

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

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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

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• 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

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Daily tides
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Seasonal tides
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Tidal movements depend on location
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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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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
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Estuaries

• Estuaries have a source of freshwater
• Streams rivers supply extra nutrients
• Very important in nutrient cycling

Clapper Rail
Fiddler Crab
Cordgrass
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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)
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• 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

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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

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• 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

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• 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)

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• 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
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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

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• 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