Biodiversity – Who Cares?
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Transcript of Biodiversity – Who Cares?
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.
• 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
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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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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Belted Kingfisher
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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/
view.html