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Saving Endangered Brine Shrimp - Protecting North Carolina's Fragile Ecosystem

Learn how pollution and global warming are threatening the brine shrimp population in North Carolina, and discover the actions being taken to breed them in captivity and protect their habitat through public education and technology.

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Saving Endangered Brine Shrimp - Protecting North Carolina's Fragile Ecosystem

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  1. Saving Endangered Brine Shrimp! Chris ,Tiffany, Niesha and Dana (This is a fictitious endangered species plan for the year 2055.)

  2. Earth in 2055 • In the year 2055 the climate in North Carolina will be much warmer. • It will be drier as well and much like the climate of Northern Florida. • There will also be a change in the plants and animals that grow in North Carolina. • Our river basin has also gotten saltier and more acidic.

  3. Cause of Environmental Changes • Pollution is the main cause of these environmental changes. • It is causing the globe to heat up, (global warming) due to our man made pollution. • This pollution can be from cars, factories, fertilizers, oil spills, and many other things.

  4. Relationship to the Decline • Global warming has partly caused our brine shrimp to die. • Brine shrimp survive best at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. • Fertilizers have also polluted their water causing them to die off. • Living in fresh water and in too salty water about (30-45ppt) can also kill them. • They survive best in salt water at around 20 ppt- 25 ppt.

  5. Breeding in Captivity • To breed the shrimp in captivity we have put the brine shrimp in a temperature controlled chamber set at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. • We also have put sediment in the shrimp dishes to increase survival. • We grow them in a dark location as well, because our lab data show that they grow better in darker, cooler places.

  6. Environmental Monitoring

  7. Monitoring the Population Size • Our estuary size is about a ¼ mile by ¼ mile in size. • To monitor the population size of the brine shrimp we will lower a plankton net into the water at 20 different locations of the estuary. • We will find the exact location where we measure the number of brine shrimp by using a Global Positioning system.

  8. Food Web

  9. Causes of Brine Shrimp Decline in Our Estuary • Habitat Factors: • Low pH • Too much fertilizer • Oil spills • High water temperature.

  10. Changes We Will Make to the Habitat to Protect the Brine Shrimp • Plant trees around the bank to provide shade • Enlarge buffers to protect the estuary from pollution such as oil and fertilizer. • We have found a spot in the estuary that has around 15 ppt salt water. Our lab data shows this salt concentration proves to keep the brine shrimp alive longer. • With the enlarged buffer the road near the estuary wont affect the brine shrimp

  11. How we will accomplish this? • We have found a spot in the buffer that has many trees growing around the banks. • This provides shade, cooler temperatures and a buffer to catch runoff and pollutants. • This area also has about 15 ppt salinity. • These are key conditions for the survival of brine shrimp.

  12. Public Education Plan • Citizens need to know why the brine shrimp are dying and how they can help keep them alive. • We will have public meetings once a month so people can learn about the brine shrimp and see them bred in captivity. • We will teach the people that brine shrimp are important in the food chain because if we didn’t have them we won’t have seagulls, fish, and other sea animals.

  13. Use of Technology to Protect Species • We use technology to protect brine shrimp in the environment. • We use technology for breeding in captivity to protect the brine shrimp. • We use technology to tell the public how to help the brine shrimp. • We use technology to collect data about what harms brine shrimp.

  14. Existing Laws/New Laws • The existing laws that we have are the Endangered Species Act, and Clean Water Act. • Law enforcement isn’t adequate for the existing laws. We know this because there are pollution problems, so the laws were not enforced enough. • Instead of adding new laws we will modify the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act.

  15. Summary • In 2055 the temperature of North Carolina will be much warmer. • The water will be much saltier. • The main cause of these problems are caused by global warming and pollution. • This pollution is caused by cars, factories, fertilizer, and oil spills. • The first thing we are going to do is to breed the brine shrimp in captivity.

  16. Summary(cont.) • We will place plankton nets in the water to check the population size. • To fix the problems in the estuary, we found an area with a lot of trees and large buffers to protect the brine shrimp from sunlight and pollution. • To educate the people about the brine shrimp we will have a public meeting once a month. • We will make sure existing laws are enforced so pollution is reduced.

  17. References • www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/6641/6641.ch01.html • www.newtown.k12.ct.us/~royalk/brine.htm • www.hmsc.orst.edu/odfw/devfish/sp/brine.html

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