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In this section, include a brief description of the allocated ecosystem. You should include the following information:
Location of the ecosystem
Swamps are often found near rivers or lakes and it is located in a rapidly urbanizing area. Examples of swamps are: Vasyugan Swamp (Western Siberia), Atchafalaya Swamp (United States), Barley Barber Swamp (Florida; United States), Shu Swamp (New York; United States), Okefenokee Swamp (Georgia/Florida).
Description of ecosystem
A swamp is any wetland dominated by woody plants. Swamps can be found along the sluggish rivers of the Southeast. Swamps are characterized by saturated soils during the growing season, and standing water during certain times of the year. The highly organic swamps form a thick, black, nutrient-rich environment for the growth of water-tolerant trees such as Cypress (Taxodium spp.), Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), and Tupelo (Nyssa aquatica). Some swamps are dominated by shrubs, such as Buttonbush or Smooth Alder. Plants, birds, fish, and invertebrates and many rare species, such as the endangered American Crocodiledepend on these ecosystems as well. Swamps may be divided into two major classes, depending on the type of vegetation present: shrub swamps, and forested swamps.
Biodiversity of ecosystem (richness of life in ecosystem)
The swamp protects water quality by acting as a filter. It provides habitat for abundant wildlife and provides an important natural resource for public enjoyment. It is located in a rapidly urbanizing area, the long-term survival of this 4,200-acre freshwater wetland and its 63,000-acre+ watershed is threatened by on-going development, habitat fragmentation, overabundance of invasive species such as giant reed, purple loosestrife and white-tailed deer, alterations in hydrology, timber harvest in wooded wetlands, illegal collection of rare species, and deteriorating water quality caused by runoff from adjacent agriculture, residences, industry and roadways.
Physical Factors
Search the Internet for information on the following physical factors in the allocated ecosystem.
Light (availability of sunlight in the ecosystem),
The availability of sunlight in the swamp is very low. It is very dim in the swamp.
Salinity (freshwater or seawater found in the ecosystem).
High tide brings in salt water, and when the tide recedes, solar evaporation of the seawater in the soil leads to further increases in salinity. The return of tide can flush out these soils, bringing them back to salinity levels comparable to that of seawater. At low tide, for a plant to survive in this environment, it must tolerate broad ranges of salinity, temperature, and moisture, as well as a number of other key environmental factors.
Mangroves require a number of physiological adaptations to overcome the problems of anoxia, high salinity and frequent tidal inundation. Each species has its own solutions to these problems; this may be the primary reason why, on some shorelines, mangrove tree species show distinct zonation. Small environmental variations within a mangle may lead to greatly differing methods for coping with the environment. Therefore, the mix of species is partly determined by the tolerances of individual species to physical conditions, like tidal inundation and salinity, but may also be influenced by other factors such as predation of plant seedlings by crabs.
Air (quality of air in the ecosystem),
It is guessed that swamp gases also is explosive that a civil defense director said when the explosion had happen, which he found some swamp gases in the surrounding. Swamp gas has been known by several names: ignis fatuus, will-o’-the-wisp, corpse candles, jack-o’-lantern, and marsh gas. Its name has been contained with mostly from light sources, because in spite of all the observations made of this natural oddity, it remains a puzzle to science. Assumptions have always been made that methane, an odorless, colorless, and highly flammable gas, is the primary constituent of swamp gas. In nature, swamp gas results from the breakdown of fats, cellulose, and proteins by anaerobic bacteria in mud and sediment on the marsh floor. The gas is lighter than air and will burn with a pale blue or yellow flame. At a stagnant pool, bubbles of swamp gas can be induced to ignite with a lighted match. The gas will burn with a brief flame and often emit a ‘pop’ like report.
(This video shows that of an experiment conducted by person who proves to us that swamp gas have burning effect. Since that fire need oxygen and oxygen releases carbon dioxide which is also air of carbon dioxide rises to the atmosphere.)
Temperature (temperature of the ecosystem)
In Southeast Louisiana winter nights can get below freezing an during the day it may heat up to 50 to 65 degrees. But normally it is cool with some humidity but it is sometimes really warm during the fall and summer seasons. A swamp is any area where the water table is at or just above ground level. They can be found in any climate, including tundra and desert. Although at high latitudes and/or elevations they can be frozen for much of the year, and in dry areas they may only appear during the rainy season. They are usually found in humid environments.
pH
The pH of the water in the Great Dismal Swamp is fairly consistent throughout the year ranging on the average between 3.5 to 4.0 mg/L. This acidic water is affected somewhat from extreme periods of precipitation which raises the pH level making the water closer to being neutral (7.0). This can be seen by comparing the charts displaying pH, dissolved oxygen, and water table pulsing. For instance, on the pH graph a small spike can be seen between December 29, 1996 and January 29, 1997. Spikes also show up on the dissolved oxygen and water table graphs at the same time period suggesting precipitation had fallen near the date the water samples were taken.
Several possible causes can be given to as why the water in the Great Dismal Swamp is so acidic. One definite cause of the acidity is that the water has tannic acid in it. Anyone that goes out into the swamp and looks at the water can see the brownish-tan coloration that comes from tannic acid. The acid forms from the tannins found in plants that have reacted in the environment.
Another explanation of the water's acidity has to do with carbon dioxide. Often where you find carbon dioxide and organic material, you will also find carbonic acid.
Carbonic acid (H2CO3) is produced by the oxidation or organic matter by microbes to CO2. In other words, representing organic matter as CH2O:
CH20 + O2 --> CO2 + H20
This CO2 then combines with water to form carbonic acid, which further partly dissociates (it is a weak acid) to H+ and HCO3-:
Continuing with possible causes of the swamp's acidity, it came in to consideration that sulfuric acid may also play a part in the water's pH if any sulfur could be found. According to Kirk's The Great Dismal Swamp, sulfur is in the swamp's water (Kirk 1979). "Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is produced by the bacterially catalyzed oxidation of sulfide minerals..." (Berner 1987).
Other sources of the water's low pH level may be nitric acid (which forms from the nitrate in the soil and water) and possibly to some extent rainwater which generally has a pH ranging from 4 to 6 (Berner 1987).
The Great Swamp valley bottom aquifer system is hydraulically well-suited to providing reliable flows of well water because of an unusual concentration of water-bearing fractures and pore-spaces, and also because the valley bottom aquifer receives the groundwater discharge from the entire watershed. Using a rough estimate of 7 inches of groundwater infiltrating the entire watershed each year, approximately 12 billion gallons of groundwater move through the watershed each year. A significant portion of this discharge provides the essential river baseflow which sustains the wetlands and rivers during dry periods.
This baseflow should not to be confused with an even greater volume of surface runoff which flows through the Great Swamp each year. Some portion of the discharging groundwater is required to sustain the ecological requirements of the Great Swamp wetland and the New York City reservoirs to the south, but a portion of this flow is also available to humans living in the watershed. Indeed, a significant quantity of this water is already used by the existing human population. Some of the best locations for extracting this critical water resource are found in the Great Swamp valley bottom.
Nitrogen and phosphorus releases from swamp water,Cyperus papyrus plant organs and papyrus swamp sediments were investigated over five weeks. The release of nutrients by dissolution of decomposing organic matter was very important for the swamp water under the prevailing anaerobic conditions. Large amounts of nutrients were found in the incubation water with plant organs and sediments within the first 48 hours. Leaching of the nutrients from the plant organs and sediment caused high initial values. Subsequently decomposition of the organic material caused slight changes in the nutrient levels in the water. Probably denitrification played a role in the nitrogen dynamics, while phosphorus was mineralized.
Classification of Living Organisms
Classify at least eight of the living organisms found in the allocated ecosystem into the categories below:
A quick video of the process before the introduction:
Producers
The producers in the swamps are the Swamps Detritus
Swamp Detritus are form when the decomposing item is combine together.
2. Primary Consumers
Small fish, shrimp, and snails. These animal feeds on the swamp detritus.
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3. Secondary Consumers
The Snook and the red swamp crayfish. These animal prey on the primary consumers.
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4. Tertiary Consumers
The osprey. These animal would feed off the secondary consumers.
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5. Decomposer (Bacteria)
The bacteria decompose the dead matters.
For each of the living organism, find a picture and write a short description on the organism. You may wish to include feeding habits, region in the ecosystem where it is normally found etc.
Food Web
Create a food web using at least eight of the living organisms listed above. You may wish to use Microsoft PowerPoint to create your food web. Save your food web as a picture. Finally copy and paste your picture in this section of your wiki.
Give at least one example for each of the following relationships in the ecosystem:
Predator-prey relationship: Pike in the Ruidera Lakes (Central Spain) and Procambarus clarkii. Pike , Procambarus clarkii
Parasitism: Ticks and Humans (The ticks suck the blood and is therefore benefited, but does not benefit the human, but harms them instead.) The ticks benefit, but humans are harmed. ticks, human
3. Mutualism:
Legumes and rhizobia, lichens are the examples of Mutualism.
Legumes , Rhizobia, lichens.
4. Commensalism:
Killdeer Birds and Cape Buffalo (the Killdeer Bird lies down on the buffalo and the buffalo protects the Bird. But the bird DOES NOT harm the buffalo.) Birds benefit, but Cape Buffalo is not affected. killdeer bird,
Useful Links
Plagarism is a strongly discouraged.
Include the links of all websites you obtained information from to complete your ecology wiki.
Comments (3)
Sherlyn Chew said
at 4:33 pm on Mar 17, 2011
Really good so far for the first part. Keep on working TOGETHER to make your page perfect!
1E3 GROUP 10 said
at 10:40 pm on Mar 19, 2011
Thank you:D:D
1E3 GROUP 10 said
at 10:45 pm on Mar 19, 2011
Miss Chew, I just uploaded some photos and saved it. But, when I logged out and logged in again? I cannot view the photos.
-Nelly
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