Aquatic Biomes

    I. The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary
        A. Three main estuarine communities:
                1. Phytoplankton
                    a) diatoms and dinoflagellates
                    b) ecological role: base of the aquatic food chain

                2. Submerged aquatic vegetation: the bay grasses
                    a) anatomical adaptations:
                            (1) why do the aerenchyma tissue have air spaces (lacunae)?
                            (2) where are the chloroplasts located?
                            (3) what are the leaf characteristics?
                            (4) what kinds of roots do they have?
                            (5) how is pollination accomplished?
                    b) What are the ecological roles of submerged aquatic vegetation?

                3. Marsh grasses: salt marsh and tidal marsh areas
                    a) what kinds of adaptations do they have?
                    b) what are the ecological roles of marsh grasses?

        B. Video: The Chesapeake Bay today: ecological concerns.
                1. Why is the ecological productivity of the Chesapeake Bay declining?