CW2:0323

From Environmental Technology

Chesapeake Bay Ecosystems

QUESTIONS

OK

1. Wetlands are the areas made up of a mixture of water and land. Wetlands are classified into two different groups:

• estuarine
• palustrine

Wetlands can also be characterized by their vegitation. For example, some wetlands are dominated by grasses; others are dominated by forests.

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2. Wetlands are used for many different purposes.

• They help prevent flooding in neighboring areas
• They absorb pollutants from the water
• They serve as a buffer zone between rivers and high ground protecting against erosion

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3. The forests used to cover 95 percent of the Bay area. Now they only cover 60 percent. That makes a percentage loss of 35 percent. There are 50 tree species and over 2700 plant species.

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4. Forests help improve water quality by absorbing rainfall and reducing runoff. They also are a habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife. They are capable of trapping nitrogen and other polluntants in the air. They also serve as a place for recreational activities, such as hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, etc.

OK

5. Types of Trophs:

• Autotrophs- producers
• Heterotrophs- consumers
• Saprotrophs- decomposers

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6. If plankton were removed, the base of the food chain would die out causing other species that feed off them to die or move away. An overabundance would result in an overabundance of other species, diseases, etc.

OK

7. This type of thing occurs in all wetland areas. It is a problem and womething should be done about it. People just dont realize that it is an important part of nature.