Estuary Final Flashcards
1
Q
What is a non-indigenous species
A
Organism occurring beyond their native range
2
Q
Invasive
A
Non-indigenous organism that causes ecological harm in a new environment
3
Q
Cryptogenic
A
Species of unknown origin or status
4
Q
What are the objectives of the Burrard Inlet Environmental Action Program
A
- Assemble database of marine and riparian “non-indigenous, invasive and cryptogenic species”
- Identify agencies involved
- Describe where/when/how current control efforts are occurring
- Develop recommendations
5
Q
What were the results from the Burrard Inlet Program
A
- 188 species
- 37 invasive, 3 non-indigenous, and 98 cryptogenic
- Minimal mapping, monitoring or study
- only 2 terrestrial species mapped (Spartina patens and Nuttallia obscurata)
6
Q
Whats the deal with the European Green Crab (Carcinus maenas)
A
- of the 10 most wanted invasive species
- hightly resillient
- potential to upset balance of marine ecosystem
- damaging to eelgrass
- found West Coast of Vancouver Island
- impossible to eradicate them
- best option is to limit population spread
- arrived via packing material to San Fran Bay in 1989 via packing materia
7
Q
What are some recommendations made by BIEAP
A
- establish stronger baseline
- address knowledge gaps (extent of invasive species and impact on ecosystem function)
- management should focus on prevention, early detection, rapid response
- monitoring is critical for success
8
Q
Whats the deal with Eelgrass
A
- forms dense beds in subtidal zone
- supports diverse fauna and flora
- acts as fish and shellfish nursery
- reproduces vegetative
- flowers in februaruy
- density can be used as a reference condition for restored beds
- among the most productive and diverse ecosystems in the plant
9
Q
Physical and chemical factors on eel grass growth
A
- light availability (limits growth in deeper water)
- water clarity
- Temperature
- Salinity
- pH
- Elevation
- Substrate
- Wave action
10
Q
How deep can eelgrass grow
A
up to 30m in clear water
11
Q
Eelgrass Services and Functions
A
Erosion prevention & sability
wave attenuation
promotes deposition of suspended particles
improves water clarity, which then promotes growth
increases productivity with clear water
removes excess nutrients
provides food, nurseries
12
Q
How do humans impact Eelgrass
A
- dredging and filling
- excess nutreints loading and chemical contamination
- logging - sediment
- land development
- oil spills
- docks
- anchoring
- boat propeller cuts
13
Q
Why do many eelgrass projects fail
A
- close to urbanized areas
- high density land activities adjacent
14
Q
What factors influence eelgrass success
A
- proimity to natural site
- site selectin
- quality of doner stock
- light energy
- salinity
- temperature
15
Q
Steps to transplant Eelgrass
A
- access doner site
- select plants with charactoristics to survive in new location & harvest
- obtain permits
- assemble gear and team
- attach washer
- stay happy
- plant via scuba divers
- monitor success
16
Q
Why do salmonids need estuarys
A
- physiologically adapted to go to salt
- to consume prey and grow before ocean life
- avoid predators
- physiologically adapted to to go back to fresh
17
Q
What is thyrozine and why do we care
A
high in smolts in estuary period
regulates neurogenesis and neural development in olfactory system
18
Q
Pink Salmon time in estuary
A
short, transient
19
Q
Chum Salmon time in estuary
A
returns to same tidal channel over several days
20
Q
Coho Salmon time in estuary
A
1 year rearing in freshwater, migrating as parr through estuary
21
Q
Chinook Salmon time in estuary
A
- stream types dont use tidal channels, short estuary
- ocean type rely heavily on tidal channels for up to 30 days
22
Q
Sockeye Salmon time in estuary
A
Lake rearing
23
Q
What did the Fraser River Estuary show
A
- pink salmon transient
- chum and chinook reside in marsh and returned over several tidal cycles
- growth length related to estuarine growth
- pink salmon had shortest residency
- chum ntermediate
- chinook salmon longest
- large fish move out before smaller
24
Q
What time of Chinook salmon stays in estuary longer?
A
Stream-type 1+ year Ocean type (90 days)
25
What is the original Canadian Goose
B. c. fulva
26
Whats the deal with Canadian Geese
- other subspecies introduced
- hybrids
- population grew for hunting and wildlife viewing
- YOY pre-flight gosling creases resident species
- damages native and human modified handscapes
- 7.2% population growth
- human landscapes support Geese
- lots of food
- predators reduced
- they lie parks, golf courses, and green spaces
- protected unter MBCA
27
Federal Government Roles with C. Geese
- population monitoring and science
- out reach
- permits when geese are causing damage
- hunting management
28
Provincial Government Roles with C. Geese
- enforcing hunting
- advise
- assist in monitoring and science
29
Municipal Government Roles with C. Geese
- influences behaviour of citizens
- allows hunting zones
- land use plans
- habitat deign
- goose management plans
30
What is EC-CWS doing for C. Geese
- conservation of migratory birds
- sustainable populations of C Geese for harvesting
- regulate control of geese
- provides advice and evaulates permits
31
Who can get a geese permit
Anyone who is a landowner or manager suffering damage
or danger from geese is eligible for a permit to destroy eggs
or relocate or kill migratory birds, including municipalities.
Landowner or manager must attest to the seriousness of
the damage
Permits cannot be issued to individuals or wildlife control
companies who are not the owners or managers of the
property where the damage is occurring, although the
permit holder may designate nominees, who can include
wildlife control companies.
Anyone may be issued a permit to scare migratory birds
(MBR, S.24) and applicants for this type of permit are not
required to be landowners or managers
32
Identify 6 invasive plant species found in Burrard Inlet
Yellow-flag iris
Purple loosestrife
Spartina
Tansy Ragwort (Stinky willie)
Himalayan balsam
Scotch broom
Giant hogweed
Japanese knotweed
33
How many (a) types of Japanese knotweed are found in BC?
Four types:
- Japanese
- Giant
- Bohemian
- Himalayan
34
Explain the method(s) by which eelgrass reproduces
Through flowering (angiosperm) and through its rhizomes
35
List three ecosystem services that healthy eelgrass communities provide
Cleans water and increases water clarify by filtering out sediments
Proivides habitat for fish and invertebrates
Stabilizes substrate and prevent erosion
Wave attenutation
Increased productivity
Removes excess nutrients
36
What are 3 anthropogenic threats to eelgrass communities?
boats
logging
oil spills
37
What are 4 priority environmental factors to ensure success in eelgrass transplants?
```
Proximity to natural eelgrass bed
Site selection (including substrate, depth, current or wave disturbance)
Quality of donor stock
Light energy
Salinity
Temperature
```
38
What are three ecological functions of LWD in an estuary?
Increased nutrient inputs + carbon to estuary
Increased Habitat Complexity
Cover for juvenile fishes
Hydraulic variability
Helps in formation of sediment bars
39
Name three classes of contaminants that you might expect to find in the sediment of a previously heavily industrialized estuary
heavy metals
PCBs
PBDEs
40
List 4 principle carbon sources for an estuary and indicate if they are autochthonous or allochthonous
Fast decaying salmon (autochthonous)
decomposing LWD (allochthonous)
submerged eelgrass (autochthonous)
above-water sedges (allochthonous)
41
List 4 estuary restoration techniques
removing dykes
remove log booms
add LWD structures
restore the vegetation and remove invasives
42
List the four major ions in saltwater and indicate their correct ionic charge
Cl-
Na+
SO4 -2
Mg +2
43
What are the three types of global tidal cycles and circle the type we experience in Burrard Inlet?
diurnal
mixed (Burrard Inlet)
semi-diurnal
44
What is (a) the range in salinity for brackish water, and (b) indicate the unit of measurement
0.5-30ppt
| parts per thousand
45
What are the 6 estuary classifications based on geology?
```
fjord
coastal plains
bar-build
lagoon
tectonic
delta
```
46
What are the five estuary classifications based on stratification and circulation?
```
vertically mixed
salt-wedge
fjord
freshwater
slightly mixed
```
47
List four factors that can influence the amount of mixing in an estuary between fresh and saltwater
depth of water
winds
shape of estuary
discharge of river
48
List the common name of three sub-species of Canada geese found in BC
Great Basin Canada Goose
Atlantic Canada Goose
Aleutian Canada Goose
49
What is (a) the common and (b) scientific name for the Canada goose sub-species that is believed to be the original resident native Canada goose in coastal BC?
(a) Vancouver Canada Goose
| (b) Branta canadensis fulva
50
What was the estimated total wintering population of Canada geese from Sooke north to Campbell River in 2009-2010?
at least 15,000 birds
51
What were 2 effects of Canada geese overgrazing on small estuary tidal channels that are typically inhabited by juvenile salmonids?
lack of cover for fish
erosion and loss of defined channel
52
List 3 Canada goose control strategies that you might consider in the Burrard Inlet?
egg addling
First Nations goose harvest
exclosures
53
What is (a) the federal law that protects Canada geese, and (b) what government agency is responsible for administering the law?
Migratory Bird Convention Act
Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment Canada)
54
Name three species of salmonids that utilize estuaries as part of their juvenile life history?
chinook
pink
chum
55
What was the approximate residency period (in days) in the Fraser River estuary for juvenile (a) pink salmon, (b) chum salmon, and (c) chinook salmon?
What was the approximate residency period (in days) in the Fraser River estuary for juvenile (a) pink salmon, (b) chum salmon, and (c) chinook salmon?
56
What is Canada's rank in the GHG emissions situation?
15th out of 17 countries for GHG emissions per capita
earns a "D" grade
largest contributor is the energy sector
57
What are 2 core strategies to enhance carbon sequestration?
using natural carbon cycles
developing new technologies to draw down atmospheric CO2
58
What is black carbon?
soot
produced both naturally and by human activities as a result of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass
59
What is green carbon?
carbon removed by photosynthesis and stored in the plants and soil of natural ecosystems
60
What is blue carbon?
carbon stored and sequestered in coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, estuarine seagrass, meadows, and estuarine intertidal salt marshes
61
Name at least 2 physical gradients in estuary environments that influence conditions
Fluvial
Tidal
Salinity
Light
62
3 characteristics of estuaries that are lost through channelization and simplification of estuaries
```
Increased channel velocity
Change in vegetation
Loss of LWD
Loss of edge habitat
Reduction in carbon deposition/sequestration
```
63
Three negative effects of pile structures
Decreased edge habitat
Decrease in flow to off channels/bays
Loss of LWD recruitment
Increase in contaminants in sediment
Increased predation to fishes/salmonids
Reduce circulation
64
Describe two ecological benefits/functions of LWD in estuaries
Increased nutrient inputs + carbon to estuary
Increased Habitat Complexity
Cover for juvenile fishes
Hydraulic variability
Helps in formation of sediment bars
65
What breaks down wood in estuaries?
Wood boring crustaceans
Wood boring molluscs
Fungi
Bacteria
66
What general categories of estuary contamination have impacted Burrard over the past 120 years?
Resource based contaminants: Organic wastes
Legacy contaminants: Related to WWII and increasing industry
Urban nonpoint contaminants from stormwater: metals
67
List three factors that make urban estuary restoration especially challenging?
Land-use is challenging as its usually occupied
Industry that is already present
Toxic legacy contaminants may be released when you remove infrastructure
Social values (not everyone wants to lose the seawall or other infrastructure)
Abandoned properties (can't find who owns it)
EXPENSIVE
Shipping channels must remain clear
68
List at least 3 species ou Guest speakers consider to be INVASVIVE to the Fraser River Estuary and a threat to its ecosystem
Non-native cattail
Reed canarygrass
Yellow-flag iris
Purple Loosestrife
Non-migratory Geese
69
Dan Stewart's MSc research looked at cryptic invasion of non-native cattail. What two levels of treatment did he apply to the plots?
He treated one with ONE CUT/year
And the other on with TWO CUTS/Year
He also established leaf litter exclusion zones to test leaf litter effect on native
Plants
70
By what natural mechanism are tidal marsh habitats resilient to gradual sea level?
They just move up in elevation naturally
Tidal marshes are naturally depositional environments. The natural
sedimentation processes, which are enhanced by marsh vegetation that traps
sediment, may gradually increase bed elevation. marsh vegetation may
migrate upland in response (in the absence of coastal squeeze).
71
Three hypotheses for the tidal marsh recession along Sturgeon Bank
Goose herbivory
Lack of sediment as a result of training structures
Rising sea level + Coastal Squeeze
Changing salinity as a result of training structures
72
Do stream type or ocean type Chinook spend tend to occupy the Fraser River estuary for longer duration as juveniles?
Ocean type stay longer (30 days!)
73
Carbon is stored in:
Living above ground biomass
Non-living above ground biomass
Below-ground biomass
Sediments (SOIL)
74
Restoration Techniques to enhance carbon sequestration
Salt Marshes
- Restore hydrologic connectivity and hydrodynamics
- Suppress invasive plant species
- Erosion control/ sediment
Cap and trade system
-Total cap. If an individual hits it you can buy more from another company.
If you can reduce your emissions enough, then someone else can buy your unused emissions
Carbon Credit
- An action is taken to REDUCE release of CO2 into atmosphere
- In forestry, do partial harvesting then you can sell it to an emitter.
- Action must meet the test of additionality
