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Main Idea
Salt Marsh Habitats
Main Idea
The grasses of a coastal lagoon or marsh serve as a habitat, providing food and shelter to a diverse array
of organisms including insects, birds, and fish.
Roots and plant fibers of salt marsh grasses also
stabilize bottom sediments which greatly
decrease the rate of erosion.
Damage to the salt marsh can cause problems
throughout the larger wetland ecosystem.
When people use fertilizers on their lawns or farms that are located
near streams or rivers that empty into the wetlands, too many
nutrients may be dumped into the wetland area.
This buildup of nutrients is called eutrophication.
When eutrophication occurs, large algae and
phytoplankton grow better than the sea
grasses. These other organisms block sunlight
from sea grasses.
The sea grass beds may get much smaller or be completely destroyed.
When sea grass beds are damaged, the availability of the marsh/lagoon to provide
shelter and food for the many organisms that grow in that habitat. Erosion is more likely without the sea
grasses to stabilize the sediment.
Natural events like hurricanes can also damage salt marsh
ecosystems.
Hurricanes and the accompanying storm surge can tear up the marshes and lagoons, ripping up sea grass
beds.
This may overload the resulting area with a
mass of nutrients that then cause growth of
algae or other organisms that
disallow re-growth of sea grasses.
If salt marshes are damaged, many insects, birds, fish, plants, and
even gators will have to find a new place to live!
It is important for us to work to preserve our salt
marsh wetlands!
Main Idea
Salt Marsh Habitats
Quiz
What is a salt marsh?
A: an inland swamp with lots of dissolved minerals in the waterB: a wetland dominated by sea
grasses at the edge of a body of saltwater
C: an island habitat in the center of the ocean
D: a desert oasis habitat
Sea grasses do NOT provide which of the following
A: a food source for birds, fish, insects
B: shelter for young fishC: protection from lighteningD: reduced levels of erosion
Sea grasses help prevent erosion by
A: slowing water flowB: mixing nutrients with
sedimentC: sending roots into the
sedimentD: providing shade for
insects
Damage to the salt marsh can cause problems throughout
the larger wetland ecosystem.
A: TrueB: False
Having extra nutrients in the water from fertilizer runoff
helps sea grasses grow.
A: TrueB: False
Which of the following is NOT a problem of eutrophication?
A: algae grow more easilyB: sea grasses lose the
competition for nutrientsC: sea grasses have stronger
growthD: phytoplankton overgrowth
prevents sunlight reaching sea grasses
Eutrophication means
A: an abundance of large animals in an ecosystem.
B: a lack of nutrients in water ecosystems
C: an overgrowth of insectsD: an overabundance of
nutrients in water that upsets the ecosystem.
If sea grasses are destroyed, other plants are able to grow that are more suitable to the
health of the ecosystem.
A: TrueB: False
Hurricanes can help the salt marsh ecosystem by cleaning
out old growth.
A: TrueB: False
Which of the following is NOT an organism that is commonly found
in a salt marsh?
A: blue heronB: spartina grass
C: oak treeD: periwinkle snail