ESTUARY
WHERE RIVER MEETS OCEAN BY NOLAN AND ZACH
JOIN THE BEST ESTUARY WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI (AND EAST)
ESTUARIES ARE THE COOLEST PLACE AROUND! THIS IS WHERE RIVERS EMPTY INTO THE OCEAN. SPOOKY FISH LIVE HERE LIKE THIS BIG CRAYFISH.
*MEOW MEOW* SAYS THE CRAYFISH. I LIVE IN LOUSIANIAN ESTUARIES.
*ROGHENIRUGIERGN* SAYS THE FAT TURTLE. I LIVE IN ASIAN ESTUARIES.
*OTTER OTTER* SAYS THE OTTER. I LIVE IN AMERICAN ESTUARIES.
JUST KIDDING THERE ARE MORE THAN JUST AMERICAN ESTUARIES
THERE ARE ESTUARIES ALL AROUND THE WORLD LIKE THE ORANGE ESTUARY IN AFRICA, OR THE AMAZON RIVER IN SOUTH AMERICA.
BEAUTIFUL AMAZON RIVER. ITS VEEEERYYY BEEG
WEATHER YOU ASK? IT'S ESTUARICAL
THINK THE BOONIES WHEN YOU THINK OF ESTUARIES. IT IS VERY SWAMPY KIND OF LIKE WHERE SHREK LIVES. IT IS VERY HUMID, SO IT SUPPORTS A LOT OF LIFE. SOME PEOPLE THINK IT IS ICKY. THE WEATHER CAN DEPEND ON THE TIME OF YEAR AND PLACE ON THE GLOBE. THESE ARE JUST GUARANTEES.
ADAPTATIONS AND VARIATIONS yay
THE ADAPTATIONS OF ANIMALS THAT LIVE IN ESTUARIES ARE VERY SWAMPY. THERE IS NOT MUCH HUMAN FOOD IN ESTUARIES MAKING THE ANIMALS VERY DIVERSE. FROGS CAN BREATH IN WATER WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG AND AIR WHEN THEY MATURE TO AVOID PREDATORS. SOME CROCODILES LOOK LIKE LOGS ATTRACTING PREY. MANGROVE TREES ARE SPECIAL BECAUSE THEY HAVE ADAPTED TO THE SALINITY IN THE WATER TO SURVIVE. MANY ANIMALS SUCH AS CROCODILES VARY DEPENDING ON THEIR ESTUARY. THEY COME IN DIFFERENT COLORS TO MATCH THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND REMAIN STEALTHY TO CATCH PREY. ORINOCO CROCODILES ARE A SANDY TAN TO MATCH THEIR ENVIRONMENT IN NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA.
SYMBIOSIS? YOU GOT IT BUD
IN SOUTHERN USA ESTUARIES, SHRIMP DIG HOLES IN THE MUD MAKING SHELTER FOR CRUSTACEANS AND FISH. IN RETURN, THE ANIMALS USING THE HOLE DO NOT EAT THE SHRIMP. IN AFRICAN ESTUARIES, CROCODILES GET THEIR TEETH CLEANED BY BIRDS. BIRDS GET FOOD, AND THE CROCODILES GET CLEAN TEETH.
If you removed crab...
It can be expected that the biome and its balance will not be overly affected with the removal of crabs. This can be inferred from the food web because of the lack of predators to crabs. Most likely, the mussel and worm populations will increase but not detrimentally because of the lack thereof or only one food source. Many organisms already eat plankton which is the most abundant organism in the estuary biome, including mussels. Therefore, the removal of crabs will not disrupt the balance of an estuary.
WHAT IF WE ADDED THE TOTALLY REAL KRAKEN?
IF WE ADDED A CONSUMER THAT WAS SUPERIOR TO EVEN THE QUATERNARY CONSUMERS, SUCH AS THE KRAKEN, THE LIVES OF ALL OF THE OTHER CONSUMERS WOULD CHANGE DRASTICALLY. WITH THE QUATERNARY CONSUMERS BEING PREYED ON, OVERPOPULATION MIGHT OCCUR AT THE TERTIARY LEVEL. THE SECONDARY CONSUMERS WOULD THEN BECOME PREYED ON MUCH MORE THAN BEFORE, RESULTING IN UNDER-POPULATION IN THE SECONDARY LEVEL, COMPLETELY THROWING OFF THE ECOSYSTEM.