Marine Science Ecology Unit

Slides taken from Kelly Cook

DRL-1316782

Flow of EnergyThrough an ecosystem: Sun producers consumers decomposers

Oceanic Food Chain

Trophic Pyramid

• Only 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next.

• The rest is lost as heat

Based on this information, what types of foods are the most energy efficient for humans to consume?

Gulf Sturgeon Food Web

Anadrmous Species

• Adult anadrmous species live and feed in the Gulf or oceans waters, but they spawn in fresh water rives.

• Examples of these types of species are salmon, lampreys, and Gulf Sturgeons

Habitat and Niche• Habitat: includes the area

and conditions in which you find an organism.

• An organism’s role in its habitat- niche

• The Gulf sturgeon is a first order carnivore and bottom feeder.

• Think of the organism’s habitat as its address and the niche as its job.

How Climate Change is Influencing Populations

According the Fish and Wildlife some factors contributing the decline of Gulf sturgeon related to Climate Change:

•“More frequent or prolonged algal blooms may result from longer growing seasons predicted with climate change (FWC 2009). Red tides will likely continue to increase in frequency. Based on the best available information, toxins associated have likely killed Gulf sturgeon at both the juvenile and adult life stages.”

• Direct impacts to the Gulf sturgeon and its habitat continue to affect its continued existence through: 1) present or threatened destruction, modification or curtailment of its habitat or range; 2) inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; and 3) other natural or manmade factors.

How Climate Change is Influencing Populations

• Anticipated increase in storm activity as a result of climate change would increase frequency of fish kills

• Climate change has potential implications for the status of the Gulf sturgeon through alteration of its habitat. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007) concluded that it is very likely that heat waves, heat extremes, and heavy precipitation events over land will increase during this century. Warmer water, sea level rise and higher salinity levels could lead tom accelerated changes in habitats utilized by Gulf sturgeon.

• Saltwater intrusion into freshwater systems could negatively impact freshwater fish and wildlife habitat (FWC 2009) resulting in more saline inland waters that may eventually lead to major changes in inland water ecosystems and a reduction in the amount of available freshwater. Changes in water temperature may alter the growth and life history of fishes, and even moderate changes can make a difference in distribution and number (FWC 2009)