Biodiversity – Who Cares?

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Biodiversity – Who Cares? Modeling changing biodiversity in the Chicago River Ecosystem. http://www.stcsig.org/sn/photo_conference_2001.shtml

description

Biodiversity – Who Cares?. Modeling changing biodiversity in the Chicago River Ecosystem. http://www.stcsig.org/sn/photo_conference_2001.shtml. Purple loosestrife invades!. Replace 3 blue flag iris , 2 willow and 1 sugar maple with purple loosestrife. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Page 1: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Modeling changing biodiversity in the Chicago River Ecosystem.

http://www.stcsig.org/sn/photo_conference_2001.shtml

Page 2: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Purple loosestrife invades!

• Replace 3 blue flag iris, 2 willow and 1 sugar maple with purple loosestrife.

• Blue flag iris can’t come up through purple loosestrife.

• New willow and maple seedlings can’t grow on the banks since purple loosestrife blocks the light.

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Blue Flag Irishttp://

www.ontariowildflower.com/images/blueflag2.jpg

Willow

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/6/6e/270px-

Willow.jpgSugar Maplehttp://www.porkyfarm.com/images/Acer%20saccharum%20%202.jpg

Page 3: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

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Asian carp invades!

• Replace 2 Largemouth bass and 2 Bluegill with Asian carp.

• Carp feed by digging in the soil at the bottom of the river.

• They toss up so much dirt that the cloudy water makes it difficult for other species to see and find food.

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Largemouth basshttp://www.flheritage.com/facts/symbols/images/symbols/bass.jpg

Bluegill

Page 4: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Zebra mussels invade!

• Replace 3 spirogyra algae and 2 bacteria with zebra mussels.

• Zebra mussels are reproducing so fast that they are filter-feeding large amounts of bacteria and algae.

http://wildernessclassroom.com/superior/zebra%20mussel1.jpg

Zebra mussels on pipe

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Page 5: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Removing purple loosestrife!

• Restoration ecologists are able to remove some purple loosestrife.

• Take out 2 purple loosestrife.

• Replace with 1 willow and 1 maple.

• A few seedlings are able to take root.

http://www.knottybits.com/isw/FredAndTallLoosestrifeISW.jpg

Page 6: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

More Asian carp invade!

• Remove 2 Blue Flag Iris and 2 Dragonflies.

• Asian carp have pulled up the roots of the irises while foraging for food.

• Carp eat some dragonfly nymphs.

http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/garvey/IMG_0096.JPG

Blue Flag Iris

http://www.itascaswcd.org/Wildflower%20Indiv.%20Pics/Blue%20Flag

%20Iris.png

Dragonflyhttp://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/

land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/images/stcroix-

front.jpg

Page 7: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Asian carp succumb to disease!

• Some Asian carp get a disease.

• Replace 2 Asian carp with 1 bluegill and 1 dragonfly nymph

Dragonfly nymphhttp://i.pbase.com/

v3/29/336929/1/46606868.QET8550DragonflyNymphCase.jpg

Bluegill

http://publish.uwo.ca/~bneff/media/bluegill%20looking%20at%20eggs.jpg

Page 8: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Purple loosestrife invades with a vengeance!

• City cut down a few diseased trees leaving plenty of bare space.

• Loosestrife takes over this space.

• Replace 2 sugar maples and 2 willows with 4 purple loosestrife.

• Beavers have few trees to build with so they move on.

• Remove 2 beavers.

http://www.highriver.ca/Portals/0/purple%20loosestrife.jpg

Page 9: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Disrupted Ecosystem

• The sugar maples, willows and blue flag irises have been out-competed by invasive species.

• Muskrats have few native plants to use to build their aboveground homes and to eat.

• Remove 2 muskrats.

http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/.%5Cvtcritters%5Cphotos%5Cmammals%5Cmuskrat%5Cmuskratswimming.jpg

Page 10: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Trying to remove purple loosestrife:

• Volunteers have been hard at work releasing special beetles that eat purple loosestrife.

• Some of the plants die.

• Remove 2 purple loosestrife and replace them with 2 blue flag irises.

Galerucella beetle

http://k43.pbase.com/u35/crocodile/large/31916045.loosestrifebeetle2.jpg

Page 11: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

More zebra mussels invade!

• Someone collected them from Lake Michigan & later decided not to put them in their fish tank after all so they dumped them in the river.

• Mussels are eating lots of bacteria & algae.

• Remove 3 bacteria and 3 algae and replace them with 6 zebra mussels.

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/images/Spotlight/EcoForecast/ZebraMussels.jpg

Page 12: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

More Asian carp invaders!

• Someone had a bunch of carp in a backyard pond and decided to dismantle the pond. They threw the carp into the river.

• Carp are clouding the water.• Remove 2 bluegills, 3 largemouth bass and

replace them with 5 carp.• Carp have also eaten some dragonfly nymphs. • Remove 3 dragonflies and replace them with 3

carp.

http://blhill.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/img_62131.jpg

Page 13: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Low dragonfly nymphs in the area!

• With few dragonflies, there isn’t much food for the green frogs to eat.

• Remove 3 green frogs.

http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/frogs/thumbs/images/greenf.jpg

Page 14: Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Native fish & frogs are rare in the area!

• As more invasive species move in, the native fish & frogs are becoming rare.

• Great blue herons & belted kingfishers go to another area to look for food.

• Remove 2 great blue herons and 2 belted kingfishers.

Great Blue Heron

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Food supplies for animals becoming scarce!

• Food supply for Eastern Spiny Soft Shelled Turtles, snapping turtles and river otters is getting low.

• Remove 2 Eastern spiny soft shelled turtles, 2 snapping turtles, and 2 river otters.

Eastern Spiny Soft Shelled Turtle

Snapping Turtlehttp://www.holoweb.com/cannon/snapping.htm

River Otter

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.e

du/site/resources/tanya_dewey/otterfl4.jpg/

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