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Ecology is the study of the relationships between plants and animals and the environment in which they live. The estuary, with its mixture of fresh and salt waters, is one of particular interest to students of ecology. A number of factors limit the type of organism that can be found in each part of the estuary. These factors include: salinity (saltiness), presence or absence of water, type of soil or substrate, availability of food or shelter, temperature, currents, and availability of light. One set of factors may be more likely to affect plants and another set may limit the distribution of animals. Animals are considered to be consumers because they are unable to make their own food and must consume food manufactured by another organism. A special type of consumer is the decomposer. These organisms (usually bacteria and fungi), breakdown dead plants and animals and release the once living materials back into the environment. Imagine what the world would look like if everything that ever died remained in the form it had when it died – the earth would be littered with carcasses! Plants are producers because they can make their own food, trapping light by means of photosynthesis. Producers may be tiny microscopic plants or large trees. North Carolina coasts are lined with a series of barrier islands that border the sound. The estuary exists behind these barrier islands wherever freshwater meets the ocean and generally creates brackish conditions. These barrier islands have a variety of habitats or places available for organisms to live and include aquatic (water) habitats and terrestrial (land) habitats. The chart lists the major types of habitats and the characteristics of each habitat. Each different habitat will support a particular set of producers and consumers.
Give examples of fauna (animals) and flora (flora) found in each of the major coastal habitats:
Use your knowledge of coastal animals and plants to complete the charts on consumers and producers. Refer to reference materials as needed.
Use the information given in the coastal habitat descriptions, the producer and consumer charts and reference materials to complete the table below.
Questions 1. Three crabs that occupy different habitats were listed in the consumer chart. How are the living requirements different for these three crabs? Why are they found in different habitats? 2. How does water salinity affect the habitat available for consumers to use? 3. Which plants are able to survive in areas of high salinity? 4. Which coastal habitats are characterized by having high salinities? 5. Name three animals that are occasional visitors to the salt marsh, ocean or sound but are primarily terrestrial. A. _________________________________ B. _________________________________ C. _________________________________ 6. Which factors appear to limit where a plant can survive? 7. Which environment could be considered the most hostile to plant growth? 8. List three ways a maritime forest is different from the sand dunes? A. __________________________________ B. __________________________________ C. __________________________________ 9. Suggest several reasons to explain why American Indians tended to settle on the landward side of the marsh rather than on the dunes or beach.
Estuarine Habitats Objectives To be able to identify the major habitats in the estuary and list the primary characteristics of each habitat. Vocabulary
Questions and Answers 1. Three crabs that occupy different habitats were listed in the consumer chart. How are the living requirements different for these three crabs? Why are they found in different habitats? Each crab has developed adaptations that enable them to occupy different habitats and utilize different food sources. The blue crab lives in water with varying salinity, the ghost crab is essentially terrestrial and lives on the dunes and beach, the fiddler crab lives in the marsh on mud flats. 2. How does water salinity affect the habitat available for consumers to use? Many animals can only survive a particular range of salinity and are limited to living in areas with those salinities. 3. Which plants are able to survive in areas of high salinity? Glasswort, salt marsh cord grass, eel grass, and sea lettuce (along with others like mangroves that were not mentioned) 4. Which coastal habitats are characterized by having high salinities? Beach, marsh ocean 5. Name three animals that are occasional visitors to the salt marsh, ocean or sound but are primarily terrestrial. A. warbler B. rabbit C. mouse 6. Which factors appear to limit where a plant can survive? Water availability, salinity, light, and substrate 7. Which environment could be considered the most hostile to plant growth? Beach 8. List three ways a maritime forest is different from the sand dunes? A. more soil – less sand B. lower salinity C. more moderate temperatures 9. Suggest several reasons to explain why American Indians tended to settle on the landward side of the marsh rather than on the dunes or beach.
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