Chesapeake Bay

Biomagnification

increase in concentration of a chemical or element as it moves up the food chain

Potomac river

Flows into the Chesapeake Bay; Alexandria located along the Potomac River. Cause of the oyster wars between tongers and dredgers

Numbers pyramid

represents the number of individual organisms at each trophic level

Estuary

A habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.

Non native Species

Species that migrate into an ecosystem or are deliberately or accidentally introduced into an ecosystem by humans.

Native species

Species that normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystem

naturalized species

a non-native species that has become established in a region and propagates without human assistance

Traits of invasive plant species

-Self Compatible
-Produces Abundant Seed
-Flower early
-Disperse seeds widely
-Grows Rapidly
-Spreads Asexually
-Strong Competitors

Impacts of invasive species

-displace native species
-reduce forest health and productivity
-negative economic effects

Tributaries

smaller streams and rivers that flow into a main river

Chesapeake bay

the largest estuary in the United States.

States that are part of the chesapeake bay watershed

DE, MD, NY, PA, VA. WV

Deforestation

The removal of trees faster then forests can replace themselves

Acid Rain

Rain containing acid that forms in the atmosphere when industrial gas emissions combine with water

Desertification

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting

Global warming

An increase is the average temp of the earths atmosphere

Overharvesting

Catching or removing from a population more organisms than the population can replace

Fossil fuels

A natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

Dead zone

A location within a body of water that does not have enough dissolved oxygen to sustain life, many times caused by eutrophication

Chesapeake bay clean water blueprint

Science based plan for reduce pollution in the chesapeake bay and it’s rivers and streams

Watershed

the land area that supplies water to a river system

Chesapeake bay watershed includes parts of

NY, PA, MD,VA,WV

Producers(autotrophs)

Organisms that produce their own food

Chemoautotrophs

prokaryots that use inorganic chemicals as their energy source

Consumers (heterotrophs)

Frogs

Trophic levels of a food chain

The levels of producers and consumers in a food chain

Trophic cascade

Indirect effects in a community that are initiated by a predator

Herbivore

Organism that obtain energy by eating only plants

Carnivore

Organism that obtains energy by eating animals

Omnivores

A consumer that eats both plants and animals

Decomposers/detritivores

Obtain energy by feeding on the remains of other organisms or waste products

Scavengers

Organisms that feed off of other dead organisms

Susquehanna river

supplies 52% of the ch. Bay’s freshwater

Patapsco river

Forms the baltimore harbor at its mouth

Potomac river

Flows into the Chesapeake Bay; Alexandria located along the Potomac River. Cause of the oyster wars between tongers and dredgers

Suspquhanna, Patapsco, Patuxent, Potomac, Rappahannock, York, James

Main tributaries feeding into chesapeake bay

Energy pyramid (10% rule)

Only 10 % flows from one level up to the next; the other 90 % is lost as waste heat

Biomass pyramid

Represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level

numbers pyramid

represents the number of indiv. organism at each trophic level

Mutualism

Symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship

Commensalism

An association between two organism in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

Interspecific comp

Comp between members of different species

Intraspecific comp

Comp among same species