Virtual Marine
Community Box
By Maritza R. Soto
Try to identify the components of this marine community?
Which are biotic factors and which are abiotic?
Connections between organisms of the sandy beach
Vegetation of the sandy beach protects the
sediments from erosion and protects the
back part of the beach from high tides and
extreme wave action. It gives shade to other
visiting animals and lowers the temperature.
Urban runoff, sewage water, and
industries waste water pollute
this community with pathogenic
microorganisms, as well as solid mineral
waste. There could also be temperature
pollution.
People use the waters for
defecating will produce
among other results,
eutrophic conditions due to
large amounts of dissolved
solids such as calcium and
magnesium, which promote
algal blooms and reduce
dramatically the dissolved
oxygen. This kills small fish
and other organisms.
Food decomposes attracting
scavengers, resulting in rotting
materials that produce bad
odor , mosquitoes, and other
pests. Objects that do not decompose
will be washed away by the action of the
tides or regular waves, ending in the
bottom of the ocean, affecting the
bottom dwellers.
Syringes could be considered
medical waste, but could also
mean that the beach is being
used for other purposes, probably at
night. I have discovered animals
missing body parts and object used
for obscure rites such as voodoo.
Oil spills kill
thousands of
coastal marine
life.
The garbage that
is swept away by
the tide and sits
at the bottom of
the sea many
times takes
hundreds of years
to decompose
and it affects
bottom dwellers.
Some of the
plastic waste
floats in the
water column
and threatens the
life of swimming
creatures since
they think it is
food.
The list of aquatic sports and recreational activities
at the beach is very long.
There are many volunteers that patrol
the sandy beach at night to rescue sea
turtle eggs, and when they hatch,
bring the offspring back to the beach.
Many species of sea turtles are
struggling to survive due to the
numerous predators they have. Last
time I heard, Leatherbacks were on the
endangered species list.
Many fishermen depend
on the sandy beach for
their survival.
Agenda for the Day
Title: The Marine Communities
Essential Question:
Why is this marine community important to you and what would it mean not to have
it anymore?
Activities:
-Exploration: What do you know about marine communities?
-Brief Lecture on marine communities – Please take notes.
-Watch Power Point presentation
-Discussion in small groups
“Compare this community to the lakeshore community of Lake Michigan.”
Homework: Create an art piece that represents how this world would be without this marine community. (poem, cartoon, drawing, song, painting, rap…)
Illinois State Goals
SG # 12 B Students who meet the standard know and apply concepts that describe how living things interact with each other and with their environment.
Performance Descriptors
Stage H Apply scientific inquiries or technological design
#2 to examine species’ demise or success within ecosystems,
Projecting populations changes when habitats are altered or destroyed (deforestation, wetlands destruction,…)
#4 to analyze Illinois-specific ecosystems and biomes
Projecting scenarios of changes to local ecosystem for near-and long tem future contingencies.
Stage G Apply scientific inquiries or technological design
#3 to explore the interactions between an ecosystem’s organisms
# 5 to model global biomes (part of this)
References
Playas y Dunas de Puerto Rico.(2008). Compendio Enciclopedico de los Recursos Naturales de Puerto Rico. (Vol.1, p. 53-80)
Watanabe, J.(November 5, 2009). Phylum Arthropoda, Subph. Crustacea. Sea Net Standford University. Retrieved February 5, 2010, from
http://seanet.stanford.edu/RockyShore/Crustacea/cirolana_har580.jpg
Image of Astropecten copyright information:
Keith Hiscock
E-mail: keith.hiscock@lineone.net
Image of Donax copyright information:
Mitchells Publications.
Copyright © 2007–2008 Patricia B. Mitchell.