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Biodiversity – Who Cares?

Biodiversity – Who Cares?. Modeling changing biodiversity in the Chicago River Ecosystem. http://www.stcsig.org/sn/photo_conference_2001.shtml. Purple loosestrife invades!. Replace 3 blue flag iris , 2 willow and 1 sugar maple with purple loosestrife.

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Biodiversity – Who Cares?

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  1. Biodiversity – Who Cares? Modeling changing biodiversity in the Chicago River Ecosystem. http://www.stcsig.org/sn/photo_conference_2001.shtml

  2. 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 the banks since purple loosestrife blocks the light. http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/img/lysa1.jpg Blue Flag Iris Willow http://www.ontariowildflower.com/images/blueflag2.jpg http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/6/6e/270px-Willow.jpg Sugar Maple http://www.porkyfarm.com/images/Acer%20saccharum%20%202.jpg

  3. 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 to see and find food. Asian carp invades! http://www.asiancarp.org/images.asp http://www.fishchannel.com/images/fish-news/blue-gill-200.jpg Largemouth bass Bluegill http://www.flheritage.com/facts/symbols/images/symbols/bass.jpg

  4. Replace 3 spirogyraalgae and 2 bacteria with zebra mussels. Zebra mussels are reproducing so fast that they are filter-feeding large amounts of bacteria and algae. Zebra mussels invade! http://wildernessclassroom.com/superior/zebra%20mussel1.jpg http://www.wwpatenaude.com/ZMUSSEL.JPG Zebra mussels on pipe

  5. 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. Removing purple loosestrife! http://www.knottybits.com/isw/FredAndTallLoosestrifeISW.jpg

  6. 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 nymphs. More Asian carp invade! http://www.science.siu.edu/zoology/garvey/IMG_0096.JPG Dragonfly http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/images/stcroix-front.jpg Blue Flag Iris http://www.itascaswcd.org/Wildflower%20Indiv.%20Pics/Blue%20Flag%20Iris.png

  7. Asian carp succumb to disease! • Some Asian carp get a disease. • Replace 2 Asian carp with 1 bluegill and 1 dragonfly nymph Bluegill Dragonfly nymph http://i.pbase.com/v3/29/336929/1/46606868.QET8550DragonflyNymphCase.jpg http://publish.uwo.ca/~bneff/media/bluegill%20looking%20at%20eggs.jpg

  8. 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. Purple loosestrife invades with a vengeance! http://www.highriver.ca/Portals/0/purple%20loosestrife.jpg

  9. Disrupted Ecosystem • The sugar maples, willows and blue flag irises have been out-competed by invasive species. • Muskrats have few native plants to use to build their aboveground homes and to eat. • Remove 2 muskrats. http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/.%5Cvtcritters%5Cphotos%5Cmammals%5Cmuskrat%5Cmuskratswimming.jpg

  10. Trying to remove purple loosestrife: • Volunteers have been hard at work releasing special beetles that eat purple loosestrife. • Some of the plants die. • Remove 2 purple loosestrife and replace them with 2 blue flag irises. Galerucella beetle http://k43.pbase.com/u35/crocodile/large/31916045.loosestrifebeetle2.jpg

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. Native fish & frogs are rare in the area! • 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. http://www.majestyofbirds.com/w_GreatBlueHeronFlying_lrg.jpg Great Blue Heron http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Belted_Kingfisher.html Belted Kingfisher

  15. Food supplies for animals becoming scarce! • 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/Iowa-Herpetology/images/stories/reptiles/turtles/Apalone_spinifera_spiny_softshell_turtle/Apalone_spinifera_Spiny_softshell_turtle2.jpg Eastern Spiny Soft Shelled Turtle River Otter http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/tanya_dewey/otterfl4.jpg/view.html Snapping Turtle http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/snapping.htm

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