Biodiversity – Who Cares?
Modeling changing biodiversity in
the Chicago River Ecosystem.
http://www.stcsig.org/sn/photo_conference_2001.shtml
http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/img/lysa1.jpg
Purple loosestrife invades!
• Replace 3 blue flag
iris, 2 willow and 1
sugar maple with
purple loosestrife.
• Blue flag iris can’t come
up through purple
loosestrife.
• New willow and maple
seedlings can’t grow on
since purple
Bluethe
Flagbanks
Iris
Willow
loosestrife blocks the
http://www.ontariowildflower.com
/images/blueflag2.jpg
http://content.answers.co
light.
m/main/content/wp/en/thu
mb/6/6e/270px-Willow.jpg
Sugar Maple
http://www.porkyfarm.com/images/Acer%20saccharum%20%202.jpg
http://www.fishchannel.com/images/fish-news/blue-gill-200.jpg
http://www.asiancarp.org/images.asp
Asian carp invades!
• Replace 2 Largemouth bass and 2 Bluegill with Asian
carp.
• Carp feed by digging in the soil at the bottom of the
river.
• They toss up so much dirt that the cloudy water makes it
difficult for other
species
Largemouth
bassto see and find food.
Bluegill
http://www.flheritage.com/facts/symbols/images/symbols/bass.jpg
http://www.wwpatenaude.com/ZMUSSEL.JPG
Zebra mussels invade!
http://wildernessclassroom.com/superior/zebra%20mussel1.jpg
Zebra mussels on pipe
• Replace 3 spirogyra
algae and 2 bacteria
with zebra mussels.
• Zebra mussels are
reproducing so fast
that they are filterfeeding large
amounts of bacteria
and algae.
Removing purple loosestrife!
• Restoration ecologists
are able to remove
some purple
loosestrife.
• Take out 2 purple
loosestrife.
• Replace with 1
willow and 1 maple.
• A few seedlings are
able to take root.
http://www.knottybits.com/isw/FredAndTallLoosestrifeISW.jpg
More Asian carp invade!
• Remove 2 Blue Flag
Iris and 2 Dragonflies.
• Asian carp have
pulled up the roots of
the irises while
foraging for food.
• Carp eat some
Dragonfly
dragonfly nymphs.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/la
nd/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/i
mages/stcroix-front.jpg
Blue Flag Iris
http://www.itascaswcd.org/Wildflower%20In
div.%20Pics/Blue%20Flag%20Iris.png
http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/garvey/IMG_0096.JPG
Asian carp succumb to disease!
• Some Asian carp get a disease.
• Replace 2 Asian carp with 1 bluegill and 1
dragonfly nymph
Bluegill
http://publish.uwo.ca/~bneff/media/bluegill%20looking%20at%20
eggs.jpg
Dragonfly nymph
http://i.pbase.com/v3/29/336929/1/46606868.QET8550DragonflyNym
phCase.jpg
Purple loosestrife invades with a
vengeance!
• City cut down a few
diseased trees leaving
plenty of bare space.
• Loosestrife takes over
this space.
• Replace 2 sugar maples
and 2 willows with 4
purple loosestrife.
• Beavers have few trees
to build with so they move
on.
• Remove 2 beavers.
http://www.highriver.ca/Portals/0/purple%20loosestrife.jpg
• The sugar maples,
willows and blue flag
irises have been outcompeted by
invasive species.
• Muskrats have few
native plants to use
to build their
aboveground homes
and to eat.
• Remove 2 muskrats.
Disrupted
Ecosystem
http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/.%5Cvtcritters%5Cphotos%5Cmamm
als%5Cmuskrat%5Cmuskratswimming.jpg
Trying to remove • Volunteers have
purple loosestrife:
been hard at work
Galerucella beetle
http://k43.pbase.com/u35/crocodile/large/31916045.loosestrifebeetle2.jpg
releasing special
beetles that eat
purple loosestrife.
• Some of the
plants die.
• Remove 2 purple
loosestrife and
replace them with
2 blue flag irises.
More zebra mussels invade!
• Someone collected them from Lake
Michigan & later decided not to put them in
their fish tank after all so they dumped
them in the river.
• Mussels are eating lots of bacteria &
algae.
• Remove 3 bacteria and 3 algae and
replace them with 6 zebra mussels.
http://www.fort.usgs.gov/images/Spotlight/EcoForecast/ZebraMussels.jpg
More Asian carp invaders!
• Someone had a bunch of carp in a backyard
pond and decided to dismantle the pond. They
threw the carp into the river.
• Carp are clouding the water.
• Remove 2 bluegills, 3 largemouth bass and
replace them with 5 carp.
• Carp have also eaten some dragonfly nymphs.
• Remove 3 dragonflies and replace them with 3
carp.
http://blhill.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/img_62131.jpg
Low dragonfly nymphs in the area!
• With few
dragonflies,
there isn’t
much food for
the green
frogs to eat.
• Remove 3
green frogs.
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/frogs/thumbs/images/greenf.jpg
Great Blue Heron
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/
BirdGuide/Belted_Kingfisher.html
http://www.majestyofbirds.com/w_GreatBlueHeronFlying_lrg.jpg
Native fish & frogs are rare in the
area!
Belted
Kingfisher
• As more invasive species
move in, the native fish &
frogs are becoming rare.
• Great blue herons &
belted kingfishers go to
another area to look for
food.
• Remove 2 great blue
herons and 2 belted
kingfishers.
• Food supply for
Eastern Spiny Soft
Shelled Turtles,
snapping turtles
and river otters is
getting low.
• Remove 2 Eastern
spiny soft shelled
turtles, 2 snapping
turtles, and 2 river
otters.
http://www.herpnet.net/IowaHerpetology/images/stories/reptiles/turtles/Apalone_spinifera_spiny_
softshell_turtle/Apalone_spinifera_Spiny_softshell_turtle2.jpg
Food supplies for animals
becoming scarce!
Eastern Spiny Soft Shelled
Turtle
River Otter
http://animaldiversity.ummz.u
mich.edu/site/resources/tanya
_dewey/otterfl4.jpg/view.html
Snapping Turtle
http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/snapping.htm