ENERGY FLOW
How do Biotic Factors affect life on the bay?
Biotic Factors affect life on the Bay by interacting with each other and stabilizing the ecosystem. For example, the oysters consume algae in the water which clears the water so light can reach the underwater grasses below. Most jellyfish eat comb jellies which prey on fish larvae, like the bay anchovy that live in the Bay's waters. In return, the bay anchovy feeds fish higher up the food chain. Without the biotic factors in the Bay, there would be no balance and no living things. They determine whether an organism serves and grows. Also, it determines the general productivity of the ecosystem.
Removal of biotic elements
The abiotic facter water would be affected if organisms that live on the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay such as filter feeders (oysters and clams) that feed on organic matter and plankton were removed from the ecosystem. The water quality would change since there is no one to link the autotrophs to the higher levels of the food web. If the organisms living in the Bay's water, especially the carnivores declined, so would the whole community. The whole balance of the ecosystem would be drastically changed. For instance, oysters play a key ecological role in the Chesapeake, filtering algae and providing habitat and shelter for other animals and underwater plants. If the oysters were removed from the ecosystem, their would be a decline in algae, which would cause other organisms to decline and the waters would become lifeless and unclean.
Energy of sun
How does the energy of the sun get to the top carnivore in the Chesapeake Bay?
- The energy of the sun is harvested by the algae to make food that it can use during
photsynthesis. Then the algae are consumed by clams or another filter feeder. Next, the clam is
consumed by a secondary consumer such as the blue-spotted fish. Then the fish is consumed
by the largemouth bass which is on the third trophic level. Lastly, the largemouth bass is
caught by the fisherman and is eaten at his dinner table.
- The energy of the sun is harvested by the algae to make food that it can use during
photsynthesis. Then the algae are consumed by clams or another filter feeder. Next, the clam is
consumed by a secondary consumer such as the blue-spotted fish. Then the fish is consumed
by the largemouth bass which is on the third trophic level. Lastly, the largemouth bass is
caught by the fisherman and is eaten at his dinner table.