2021 Maryland Envirothon Aquatic Ecology PDF

MARYLAND ENVIROTHON AQUATIC ECOLOGY 2021 PREPARED BY CHELSEA MILLER MD-DNR Updated 03/14/18 FORMAT OF STATE TEST FOUR CATEGORIES: ABIOTIC BIOTIC AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS WATER PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION 5TH TOPIC WOVEN INSIDE ALL OF THESE. TEST QUESTIONS: FILL IN THE BLANK MOST COMMON; MULTIPLE CHOICE,...

MARYLAND ENVIROTHON AQUATIC ECOLOGY 2021 PREPARED BY CHELSEA MILLER MD-DNR Updated 03/14/18 FORMAT OF STATE TEST FOUR CATEGORIES: ABIOTIC BIOTIC AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS WATER PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION 5TH TOPIC WOVEN INSIDE ALL OF THESE. TEST QUESTIONS: FILL IN THE BLANK MOST COMMON; MULTIPLE CHOICE, MATCHING (NO TRUE/FALSE), SHORT ANSWER VIRTUAL TEST ABIOTIC WATER CYCLE WATER CYCLE’S ROLE IN SOIL NUTRIENT EROSION, AND CLIMATIC INFLUENCES HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY WATERSHED STREAM ORDERS AND WATERSHED BOUNDARIES UNDERSTAND WHY AQUATIC ORGANISMS AND WATER QUALITY IS AFFECTED BY THE PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF THE WATER Freshwater storage: Freshwater existing on the Earth's surface WHAT ABOUT FRESHWATER? https://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummary.html ABIOTIC WHAT IS A WATERSHED? WHY ARE HEALTHY WATERSHEDS IMPORTANT? ECONOMIC BENEFITS ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ABIOTIC STREAM ORDERS ABIOTIC STREAM RUNOFF IS AFFECTED BY SHAPE OF WATERSHED (AFFECTS RATE) SLOPE (AFFECTS RATE) LAND USE: VEGETATION AND DEVELOPMENT (AFFECTS RATE AND AMOUNT) LAND GEOLOGY AND SOILS (AFFECTS AMOUNT) Riparian Zones ABIOTIC STREAMFLOW AND STREAMFLOW CHANGES NATURAL MECHANISMS Floodplains https://dnr.maryland.gov/ccs/Publication/00012830.pdf HUMAN-INDUCED MECHANISMS ABIOTIC THE LOWER THE PH, THE MORE ACIDIC THE SUBSTANCE. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, THE PH OF SURFACE OCEAN WATERS HAS FALLEN BY 0.1 PH UNITS. SINCE THE PH SCALE, LIKE THE RICHTER SCALE, IS LOGARITHMIC, THIS CHANGE REPRESENTS APPROXIMATELY A 30 PERCENT INCREASE IN ACIDITY. ABIOTIC TEMPERATURE, SALINITY, OXYGEN RELATIONSHIP COLD WATER HOLDS MORE OXYGEN THAN WARM WATER. FRESH WATER HOLDS MORE OXYGEN THAN SALINE WATER. COLD FRESH WATER +++OXYGEN WARM SALINE WATER---- OXYGEN WARM FRESH WATER VS COLD SALINE WATER? http://www.chesapeakebay.net/content/publications/cbp_1 3039.pdf ABIOTIC The Global Conveyor belt and Thermohaline Circulation Cold, salty, dense water sinks toward the ocean bottom (blue) Warmers, fresher, less dense water rises to the surface (red) https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_currents/05conveyor2.html BIOTIC FOOD WEBS AND HOW ENERGY AND MATTER FLOW WITHIN AN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM. IDENTIFY COMMON, RARE, THREATENED, AND ENDANGERED AQUATIC SPECIES AS WELL AS AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES (ANS) KNOW HOW TO USE A DICHOTOMOUS KEY TO IDENTIFY ANIMALS. BE FAMILIAR WITH AQUATIC PLANTS AND ANIMALS VISUALLY AND DESCRIPTIVELY ECOSYSTEMS ARE COMPLEX AND INTERCONNECTED SYSTEMS IT IS A BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY OF LIVING ORGANISMS THAT INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND THEIR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT. EACH ECOSYSTEM CONTAINS BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS. EACH FACTOR IN THE ECOSYSTEM DEPENDS ON EACH OTHER. BIOTIC Food web and trophic levels BIOTIC/AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS INVASIVE SPECIES DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NON-NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE INVASIVE INTRODUCTION METHOD EFFECT CONTROL METHODS http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/main.shtml http://www.mdinvasivesp.org/list_aquatic_plants.html http://www.mdinvasivesp.org/ BIOTIC FRESHWATER FISH ID EEL, CATFISH, SHAD, SHINER, MINNOW, DACE, CHUB, KILLIFISH, PERCH, SILVERSIDE, SCULPIN, SUNFISH, BASS, DARTER, TROUT, SUCKER INVASIVE FISH (FRESH AND BRACKISH) BLUE AND FLATHEAD CATFISH NORTHERN SNAKEHEAD CARP: BLACK, SILVER, GRASS, AND BIGHEAD (NO NATIVE CARP) BIOTIC COMMON AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES NORTHERN SNAKEHEAD ZEBRA MUSSEL HYDRILLA NUTRIA GRASS CARP DIDYMO WATER LETTUCE PHRAGMITES RUSTY CRAYFISH CHINESE MITTEN CRAB MUTE SWAN WATER CHESTNUT VIRILE CRAYFISH Hydrilla Hydrilla BIOTIC SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION VALUE COMMON SPECIES: WIDGEON GRASS AND WILD CELERY INVASIVES: WATER LETTUCE (FREE FLOATING) AND HYDRILLA Widgeon grass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgQoat0p52k (Hydrilla at Deep Creek Lake) BIOTIC ATLANTIC MENHADEN KEY LINK IN FOOD WEB FORAGE SPECIES SUPPORTS ONE OF THE LARGEST COMMERCIAL FISHERIES ON THE ATLANTIC COAST Video https://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/menh aden BIOTIC MACROINVERTEBRATES SENSITIVITY TO POLLUTANTS-3 LEVELS DICHOTOMOUS KEY TO FAMILY LEVEL: NUMBER AND LENGTH OF TAILS; LOCATION OF GILLS; WING BUDS; THICKNESS, SHAPE, AND LENGTH OF BODY http://dnr.maryland.gov/streams/Publications/ea-99-2_rev2003.pdf STONEFLY, MAYFLY, CADDIS FLY, WATER PENNY, GILLED SNAIL, ALDERFLY, CRANE FLY, DAMSELFLY, DRAGONFLY, SCUD, BLACK FLY https://www.macroinvertebrates.org/ Biotic Mayfly: Order Ephemeroptera Stonefly: Order Plecoptera http://wupcenter.mtu.edu/education/stream/Macroinvertebrate.pdf Caddisfly: Order Trichoptera BIOTIC AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT IDENTIFY AQUATIC AND WETLAND ENVIRONMENTS BASED ON THEIR PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS. KNOW CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF AQUIFERS, AND UNDERSTAND HISTORICAL TRENDS AND THREATS TO GROUNDWATER QUANTITY AND QUALITY. KNOW MARYLAND’S PHYSIOLOGICAL PROVINCES. BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATIVE, NON-NATIVE, AND INVASIVE SPECIES AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT ANADROMOUS CATADROMOUS AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/saltwater-intrusion?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCES APPALACHIAN PLATEAU RIDGE AND VALLEY BLUE RIDGE PIEDMONT COASTAL PLAIN WATER PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION INTERPRET MAJOR PROVINCIAL AND/OR FEDERAL LAWS AND METHODS USED TO PROTECT WATER QUALITY (SURFACE AND GROUND WATER) BE FAMILIAR WITH THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND COUNTY AGENCIES THAT PROVIDE OVERSIGHT OF WATER RESOURCES. UNDERSTAND THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES WATER PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT OVERSEES LOCAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLANS ISSUES THEY FACE WITH CLIMATE CHANGE: HIGHER TEMPERATURES, INCREASED FLOODING, SHIFTING PRECIPITATION PATTERNS, INCREASED RUNOFF, MORE DRY PERIODS AND DROUGHTS, RISING SEA LEVELS, MORE FREQUENT AND MORE INTENSE STORMS, CHANGES IN WATER DEMAND, AND DETERIORATED WATER QUALITY. WATER PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION BENEFITS OF AGRICHEMICAL HANDLING FACILITIES PROVIDES A STABLE, SAFE SURFACE FOR EQUIPMENT STORAGE AND OPERATION. REDUCES THE RISK OF AGRICHEMICAL SPILLS OR LEAKS DURING LOADING, UNLOADING, OR MIXING. PROTECTS THE ENVIRONMENT BY CONFINING SPILLS; ALLOWS FOR FASTER, MORE EFFECTIVE ACTIONS TO CLEAN THE AREA OF CONTAMINANTS. REDUCES THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCIDENTAL SPILLS TO REACH WATERWAYS AND GROUNDWATER. REDUCES RISKS TO HUMANS HANDLING AGRICHEMICALS. https://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/counties/ConsChoices_FINAL2 020.pdf WATER PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION CONSERVATION CHOICES FOR MARYLAND FARMERS REDUCE EROSION COVER CROPS CRITICAL AREA PLANTING PASTURE PLANTING RIPARIAN BUFFERS GRASSED WATERWAYS DIVERSION LIVESTOCK FENCING ETC…. http://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/counties/ ConservationChoices_2012_FINAL%20%281%29.pdf WATER PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION TMDL’S EPA 2010 ESTABLISHED TMDL FOR CHESAPEAKE BAY 6 STATES AND A DISTRICT TMDL TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD NITRATES, PHOSPHORUS, SEDIMENT ALL MEASURES IN PLACE BY 2025 http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/pdf/pdf_chesbay/BayTMDLFactSheet8_26_13.pdf WATER PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION WATER USE AVERAGE MARYLAND CITIZEN USES 100 GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY. U.S. USES 355,000 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY (2010). FOUR STATES USE ¼ OF ALL US WITHDRAWALS. IN 2010, ESTIMATED WATER USE IN AMERICA LISTED THE FOLLOWING EIGHT CATEGORIES OF WATER USE: PUBLIC SUPPLY, SELF-SUPPORTED DOMESTIC (WELLS), IRRIGATION, LIVESTOCK, AQUACULTURE, SELFSUPPORTED INDUSTRIAL (MANUFACTURING), MINING, AND THERMOELECTRIC POWER http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2014/3109/ , https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2014/3109/pdf/fs2014-3109.pdf WATER PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION WATER CONSERVATION IN THE HOME: ONLY RUN DISHWATER WHEN FULL, PLUG THE DRAIN WHILE HANDWASHING, SHORTER SHOWERS, CHECK REGULARLY FOR LEAKS, REPLACE SHOWERHEADS, RUN FULL LOADS OF LAUNDRY, ETC.. OUTSIDE: RAIN BARRELS, POLLINATOR GARDENS, DRIP IRRIGATION, WATER PLANTS AT COOLEST TIMES OF DAY, INCREASE MOWING HEIGHT TO 23 INCHES TO DECREASE WEEDS AND EVAPORATION.