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EFfects-food web

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  1. Mangrove Trees

    • Producer, Trophic Level 1​

  2. Phytoplankton

    • Producer, Trophic Level 1​

  3. Crab​​

    • Primary Consumer, Trophic Level 2​

    • Omnivore (eats meat and plants)

  4. Zooplankton

    • Primary Consumer, Trophic Level 2​

    • Carnivore

  5. Small Flounder

    • Secondary Consumer, Trophic Level 3​

    • Carnivore

  6. Mollusks

    • Secondary Consumer, Trophic Level 3​

    • Carnivore

  7. Kahawai

    • Tertiary Consumer, Trophic Level 4​

    • Carnivore

  8. Herons

    • Quaternary Consumer, Trophic Level 5​

    • Carnivore

  9. Humans

    • Secondary/Tertiary/Quaternary Consumer, Trophic Level 3/4/5

    • Omnivore

Mangrove Ecosystem

From looking at the web, we can see that the majority of the organisms comprising it are aquatic. This proves that there would/will be detrimental effects to this (and other similar) ecosystems due to climate change.

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Looking to the impacts, we see that climate change can (and does) lead to an increase in the temperature of bodies of water. Due to this, the water in an ecosystem like the one shown below would have temperatures that would rise as well.

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If/when the temperatures rise, then the fish would not be able to survive as well as they have thus far due to the changes in their habitat. The increased temperature, then, would lead to the deaths of some of the organisms.

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From those deaths, we would then see a decrease in the population of their predators (the trophic level above) because of the lack of food and ability to reproduce. 

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Thus, climate change in terms of ecosystems like the one portrayed below would lead to the decrease in organism population(s).

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This impacts human (activity) because of the influx of food provided by ecosystems such as these for us. Without the population levels being normal, it leads to a lack of food and problems in the industries focusing on fishing and other water-related activities.

KEY

symbiotic relationships

While there are many coasts, there are also many organisms. From those organisms we derive relationships- the good, the bad, and the neutral. These relationships are collectively known as symbiotic relationships, categorized into mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

 

To focus on a certain coastal area, let’s go for the mangroves. There are many examples of symbiotic relationships in the mangroves, such as (but not limited to):

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  • Spiny Ant Plant and Ants (mutualism)

    • The stems of the plant(s) contain small holes where the ants nestle, gaining shelter whereas the plant(s) gain the nutrients from the ants.

  • Lucinidae and seagrasses (mutualism)

    • The seagrasses benefit from the removal of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, and the lucinidae (mollusks) gain a food source which they can “farm” and consume.

  • Mistletoe and mangrove trees (parasitism)

    • The Mistletoe gain a host for nutrients and drain the mangrove trees of their nutrients, eventually killing off the trees and solely benefitting the parasite(s).

  • Oysters and mangrove pneumatophores (commensalism)

    • While the oysters gain solid bases to live off of and survive on, the mangrove pneumatophores are unharmed in the process. Thus, only one organism is benefitted and the other unharmed.

And two more major examples:

  • Australian Mangrove Trees and the Great Barrier Reef (mutualism)

    • The Great Barrier Reef protects the mangroves from heavy winds and storms, to which in turn the mangroves’ complex root systems filter the water passing through them before it goes to the ocean, slowing the water movement and causing the sediment to move to the bottom instead of on the coral.

  • Mangroves and Humans (commensalism.. Kind of)

    • Mangroves provide humans with food- they are major fisheries. In Mesoamerica, for example, studies show that there nearly 25 times more fish on reefs near mangroves than without. Mangroves also provide humans with plant products, seeing as mangrove wood is extremely valuable for its resistance to rot and insects. Medicinal plants can be harvested too, as well as wood chip.

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON RELATIONSHIPS

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While we have explored the multitude of relationships existing in coastal regions, climate change can and will change all of it. How? It's simple, really.

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Coastal regions are, of course, on the coast. This means that because climate change increases ocean temperatures due to global warming, then the habitat changes for the organisms as well.

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This can cause severe decreases in population- not all organisms can survive in even the slightest difference(s) of habitat(s). 

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Take, for example, the Lucinidae and seagrasses. If the seagrasses were to die off due to warming water temperatures, then the Lucinidae would lose a major food source and soon die off themselves.

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If organism populations keep decreasing, then the chances are that the ecosystem would soon fail- killing off beneficial relationships with other organisms and potentially any interaction with other ecosystems as well.

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To focus on the relationship between mangroves and humans, we see that mangroves do a lot for human activities and help humans for food and economic purposes. If mangrove ecosystems were to fail due to a cause such as climate change, then human activities would be interrupted and thus fail as well, causing a downturn in quality of life and economic stability for that particular place. This is detrimental to the humans and of course to the mangroves as well (seeing as they would be dead).

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Thus, climate change worsens symbiotic relationships, potentially killing them as well. This is bad for the organisms, the ecosystem, and us humans.

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