Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Lottie Nolan Aaron Baker Eduardo Santos Tristan Bonds

Problem Statement Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is diminishing due to human activity. What are some suggestions on how to help restore the SAV?  

What is S.A.V? Submerged Aquatic Vegetation: Vascular plants that live and grow completely underwater or just above the waters surface when they are flowering.

Environmental Parameters for SAV found in Oligohaline Sounds and Estuaries of North Carolina (Ferguson and Wood 1994) Species Salinity Range (ppt) Secchi Depth Range (m) Water Depths Range Red Head Grass 0-20 0.4-1.4 0.4-2.4 Wild Celery 0-10 0.2-2.0 0.2-2.3 Eurasian Water-milfoil 0.2-1.4 0.5-2.4 Southern naiad 0.5-1.7 Sago Pondweed 0-9 0.2-0.4 0.6-0.9

Common SAV Plants Stuckenia pectinata Myriophyllum spicatum Elodea-also known as water weed, it is commonly spread throught the united states.  its an invasive species that was brought over from Europe.   Hydrilla-  it is native to the cool waters of Europe, it was also brought over from Europe and it is also an invasive species Coontail- this sav is commonly found in ponds marshes and quiet streams with a hot tropical climate Sago pondweed  Myriophyllum spicatum Eurasian watermilfoil (invasive)  Najas guadalupensis Southern naiad

Common plants we identified… Ruppia martima Widgeon grass Chara Muskgrass

What is turbidity? "Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by individual particles (suspended solids) that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air."  

Hypothesis Human activity causes damage and/or death to many different species of SAV. In the future, human activity if left unchanged will cause the extinction of many SAV species.

What we know... SAV is Submerged Aquatic Vegetation SAV is partially submerged in water if not fully submerged SAV is an important habitat to under water animals Its distribution and abundance is rapidly decreasing due to human activity

Invasive plant that we identified Myriophyllum spicatum- Eurasian watermilfoil

How SAV is being affected. TURBIDITY The factor that is becoming the the biggest cause of the dieing SAV is turbidity, now what causes it can be a variety of things like; suspended sediment that blocks out sun light, contributers of this are, runoff from farmes, construction of highways, and boat traffic an increase of nutrients causes an increase of algea which in turn causes sunlight to be blocked out, an the nutrients can come from many things,  sewage treatment plants, acid rain, agricultural fields and fertilized lawns       

How is the decline of SAV affecting the water? Water quality Turbidity The decline of SAV is causing the water quality to decrese.  The loss of the sea grass is making the water cloudy.  It is causing the fish to migrate because their homes are disapearing.

Why is SAV important? Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem, which is almost identical to that of Currituck Sound Shelter Erosion control Algae control Why is it important Sav is very important to the Chesapeake bay ecosystem, and beds of sav are found all through out the bay, but in fewer acres then they once where. Sav serves as a natural safe house for finfish and shell fish from predators. Juvenile blue crabs can be in quantitys 30 times larger in beds of sav then in non sav areas sav produces oxygen as a by product of photosynthesis, which is essential to keeping for animals living in the bay. Sav can help slow erosion by keeping sediment down with there roots and slow the force of waves that would otherwise take more sand from the beaches. SAV uses the same nutrients tha algae uses and by beating them to it keeps algae growth from flaring out of control

Why is it important to fisheries and wild life? Food Shelter Cleans   They provide critical food for many fish.   They provide shelter for many aquatic organisms. They also remove harmfull polution from the water.

How are humans affecting the SAV?  Boating  Pesticides  Runoff humans affect SAV in many ways Boating, sewage treatment plants, construction of highways, runoff, and even in more indirect ways like causing acid rain

How turbidity affects the SAV turbitity, which is usually invisable to the naked eye, limits the amount of sun light that penetrates through the water thus limiting the amount of plants able to survive since photosynthesis uses sunlight, it would be like giving a hundred 20 people a happy meal and telling them to survive off of it.

Common SAV Plants in Oligohaline Sounds and Estuaries in North Carolina Ruppia maritima-widgeon grass Myriophyllum spicatum-Eurasian watermilfoil Ceratophyllum demersum-coon tail Najas guadalupensis-southern naiad Potamogeton perfoliatus-redhead Vallisneria americana-wild celery Stuckenia pectinata-sago pondweed Oligohaline- salinity between 0.5ppt to 5.0ppt

Desired levels definition of pH- pH-the desired levels for pH is 6.5 to 8.2   D.O-the desired levels of dissolved oxygen is 5-6ppm definition of pH- A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, if it equals seven that means its neutral, Salinity between .5 and 18ppt

What we found.. ECSU 03- pH-7.8 Salinity 4.8 ECSU- 04 pH-7.21   ECSU 03- pH-7.8 Salinity 4.8 ECSU- 04 pH-7.21 Salinity 0.41 CS05- pH-7.84 Salinity 6.96 PR 02- pH-6.71 Salinity 3.08 DS01- pH(s)-5.64 pH(b)-14.63 Salinity 0.06

Suggestions to reduce the decline SAV.. Off limit areas The best way to eradicate all problems affecting SAV would be to completely remove the number one factor that is ailing them. Humans, and while this is obvoiusly an unresanoble suggestion it would also be the most effective. So to be a little more resonable another good way to help there population would be to have SAV beds off limits to boaters, and strickter laws limiting the amount of nutrients farmers can use that would runoff in to the water

How is water SAV important to water fowl? Food Migrating water fowl search the sediment for nutritious seeds, roots, and tubers that help fuel there journey Shelter

Reflections In the beginning of this workshop we were lectured and given straight up information, and while this was useful it wasn’t until we were put into our groups that we really started to learn this for ourselves, no longer where the answers just handed to us on a silver platter, we learned to work to each others strengths, and strengthen each others weaknesses. As a group we finished this project at a much higher level than any of us could have done alone.

Acknowledgements We would like to thank all of the Burroughs Wellcome staff for their time and effort to make us better individuals in the science field and we would like to thank our teachers for giving us this opportunity. Sincerely, The SAV Group.

Citation

citations hurley, linda. field guide to the submerged aquatic vegetation of Chesapeake bay. 1 annapolis: U.S. fish and wildlife service, unkown “seagrass.” Virginia DEQ. 1 September 2006. Virginia coastal zone management program. 26 jun 2008 <http://www.deq.virginia.gov/coastal/seagrass.html>.