Smooth Soft Shell Turtle
By: Zach Ernst
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is very important because it ensures sustainability for the ecosystem. The soft shell turtle eats fish, insect, and crustaceans. Since this turtle eats these animals they can help keep the species population stable also it can keep the specie evened out.
Reasons to save softshell turtle
These turtles are very important because they are a large part of the food web. The turtles prey on small fish and crustaceans, but they are also prayed on by larger animals. raccoons and other animals also prey on the eggs of the turtle.
These turtles have a large range across US so they are a large source of food for many animals. They can live in many climates so they are able to live in many places.
These turtles are also affected by pollution because the waters they swim in are polluted by many human populations. Also humans hunt these turtles so they aren't only killed by other animals in the ecosystem but also hinted by humans.
solution
My solution to this problem is we need to preserve the species and protect them some what. There needs to be a smaller limit of how many turtles you can kill in a season. We also should preserve the sandbars along the river so that there habitat isn't losing places to live. Also a few times a year make efforts to clean rivers and sandbars so the habitat of the turtle is clean and it being destroyed by humans. A very big way to help the habitat of the turtle is to stop or limit the pollution that is flowing into the rivers where they live.
conclusion
The softshell turtle is an important contributor to Iowa and the food web in Iowa. The turtle feeds on many spices that may grow in population very rapidly if the turtle is extinct. Also other animals that feed on the eggs and the turtle would lose a major source of food. the turtle lives in the river and along the rivers throughout many states but so do many other spices so with the efforts to clean and protect the habitat of the turtle it could also protect many other spices and help them grow and become more diverse.