Submerged Aquatic VegetationSubmerged Aquatic VegetationLottie Nolan, Aaron Baker, Eduardo Santos, Tristan BondsLottie Nolan, Aaron Baker, Eduardo Santos, Tristan Bonds

PROBLEM STATEMENTSubmerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is diminishing due to human activity. What are some suggestions on how to help restore the SAV?

WHAT IS SAV?Submerged Aquatic Vegetation: Vascular plants that live and grow completely underwater or just above the waters surface when they are flowering.

ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY

2008 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Project

Species SalinityRange(ppt)

Secchi Depth Range

(m)

Water Depths Range

(m)

Redhead Grass 0-20 0.4-1.4 0.4-2.4

Wild Celery 0-10 0.2-2.0 0.2-2.3

Eurasian Watermilfoil 0-10 0.2-1.4 0.5-2.4

Southern Naiad 0-10 0.2-2.0 0.5-1.7

Sago Pondweed 0-9 0.2-0.4 0.6-0.9

ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS FOR SAV FOUND IN OLIGOHALINE SOUNDS AND ESTUARIES OF NORTH CAROLINA(Ferguson and Wood 1994)

COMMON SAV PLANTS

Myriophyllum spicatumEurasian Watermilfoil (invasive)

Najas guadalupensisSouthern naiad

Stuckenia pectinataSago pondweed

COMMON PLANTS WE IDENTIFIED

Ruppia martimaWidgeon grass

CharaMuskgrass

WHAT IS TURBIDITY?"Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by individual particles (suspended solids) that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air."

HYPOTHESISHuman activity causes damage and/or death to many different species of SAV. In the future, human activity if left unchanged will cause the extinction of many SAV species.

WHAT WE KNOW• SAV is Submerged Aquatic Vegetation• SAV is partially submerged in water if not fully submerged• SAV is an important habitat to under water animals• Its distribution and abundance is rapidly decreasing due to human activity

INVASIVE PLANTS THAT WE IDENTIFIED Myriophyllum spicatum - Eurasian Watermilfoil

WHY IS SAV IMPORTANT?SAV is very important to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Beds of SAV are found all throughout the bay, but in fewer acres then they once were. SAV serves as a natural safe house for finfish and shellfish from predators. Juvenile blue crabs can be in quantities 30 times larger in beds of SAV then in non-SAV areas. SAV produces oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, which is essential to animals living in the bay. SAV can help slow erosion by keeping sediment down with their roots and slow the force of waves that would otherwise take more sand from the beaches. SAV uses the same nutrients that algae use. By beating them to it, it keeps algae growth from flaring out of control.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FISHERIES AND WILD LIFE?They provide critical food for many fish.They provide shelter for many aquatic organisms.They also remove harmful pollution from the water.

HOW ARE HUMANS AFFECTING THE SAV?Humans affect SAV in many ways like boating activities, sewage treatment plants discharge, construction of highways, runoff, and even more indirect ways like causing acid rain.

DESIRED LEVELS• pH-the desired levels for pH are 6.5 to 8.2• DO-the desired levels of dissolved oxygen are 5 - 6ppm• Salinity – Desired levels of salinity are between .5 and 18 ppt

WHAT WE FOUNDCS05-pH-7.84Salinity 6.96

PR 02- pH-6.71Salinity 3.08

DS01- pH(s)-5.64pH(b)-14.63Salinity 0.06

ECSU 03-pH-7.8 Salinity 4.8

ECSU- 04pH-7.21Salinity 0.41

SUGGESTIONS TO REDUCE THE DECLINE OF SAVThe best way to eradicate all problems affecting SAV would be to completely remove the number one factor that is ailing them. Humans, and while this is obviously an unreasonable suggestion it would also be the most effective. So to be a little more reasonable another good way to help their population would be to have SAV beds off limits to boaters, and stricter laws limiting the amount of nutrients farmers can use that would runoff in to the water.

HOW IS SAV IMPORTANT TO WATERFOWL?Migrating waterfowl search the sediment for nutritious seeds, roots, and tubers that help fuel there journey during migration.

REFLECTIONSIn the beginning of this workshop we were lectured and given straight up information, and while this was useful it wasn’t until we were put into our groups that we really started to learn this for ourselves. No longer were the answers just handed to us on a silver platter,. We learned to work to each others strengths, and strengthen each others weaknesses. As a group we finished this project at a much higher level than any of us could have done alone.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe would like to thank all of the Burroughs Wellcome staff for their time and effort to make us better individuals in the field of science and we would like to thank our teachers for giving us this opportunity.

HOW SAV IS BEING AFFECTED?The factor that is becoming the biggest cause of the dying SAV is turbidity. Now what causes it can be a variety of things like suspended sediment that blocks out sun light. Contributors of this are runoff from farms, construction of highways, and boat traffic.

An increase of nutrients causes an increase of algae which in turn causes sunlight to be blocked out. The nutrients can come from many things such as sewage treatment plants, acid rain, agricultural fields and fertilized lawns.

The decline of SAV is causing the water quality to decrease.  The loss of the sea grass is making the water cloudy.  It is causing the fish to migrate because their homes are disappearing.

HOW TURBIDITY AFFECTS THE SAVTurbitity, which is usually invisible to the naked eye, limits the amount of sun light that penetrates through the water thus limiting the amount of plants able to survive since photosynthesis uses sunlight. It would be like giving a hundred people a happy meal and telling them to survive off of it.

COMMON SAV PLANTS IN OLIGOHALINE SOUNDS AND ESTUARIES IN NC

Vallisneria americana - Wild Celery

Potamogeton perfoliatus Redhead Grass

HOW IS THE DECLINE OF SAV IS AFFECTING THE WATER?