Download Intertidal

Intertidal
By Kellianna & Alan
Problem/Purpose
To determine if Maili Beach
Park’s intertidal ecosystem is
healthy
Hypothesis
 If Maili Beach park’s ecosystem is
healthy, then native organisms
should be present that were
observed in the past. If the abiotic
factors are optimal then the
organisms should be where they are
supposed to be and in abundance
Procedures
 1. Get a tape measure, a 5x5 square quad, GPS
locator, data tables, and a pencil
 2. Use the tape measure and measure 10 meters
from where the water starts from the shore until
where the water is 10 meters away
 3. Use the quad and put it down every meter
BEFORE the meter mark
 4. Tally how much of each organism or abiotic
factors there are under quad 1
 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for quads 2-10
Characteristics
Biotic factors (species found frequently):
•
•
•
•
Sea Urchins
Turf Algae
Other Algae
Brown-colored Crust
Abiotic factors:
•
•
•
•
Bare Rock
Sand
Low tide, calm surf
Wind speed (calm to light air – 0 - 3mph)
Energy Flow in an Intertidal ecosystem
SUN
Primary Consumers
(Sea urchins, sponges,
sea cucumbers)
Producers
(Algae/Seaweed)
Decomposers
(plankton, some sea
stars)
Secondary
Consumers
(reef fish, small crab,
some sea stars)
Tertiary consumers
(eels)
Human Impacts
Introduced species:
• Bubble Algae
• Red Algae
Other human impacts:
•
•
•
•
Garbage thrown from roadside
Garbage thrown by beachgoers
Garbage thrown from large beachside homeless community
Garbage collected: plastics, balloons, pieces of nets, glass bottle
shards, plastic bottles, pieces of rubber
Data Table
Blue-Green algae
Brown-Colored crust
Crustose Coralline
Turf Algae
Other Algae
Bubble Algae
Quad 1
4
0
0
0
11
3
Q2
2
0
5
0
0
0
Q3
2
5
10
9
13
0
Q4
4
0
5
18
1
0
Q5
0
6
3
5
8
0
Q6
0
8
0
7
6
0
Q7
4
0
0
8
13
0
Q8
0
0
5
15
0
0
Q9
2
17
2
21
13
1
Quad 10
0
0
0
20
13
0
Avg. Per
Quad
1.2
3.6
2.5
10.3
6.7
0.1
Range
0 to 4
0 to 17
0 to 10
0 to 21
0 to 13
0 to 3
Mode
0
0
0
0
13
0
Median
2
0
2.5
8.5
9.5
0
Data Table (continued)
Red Algae
(Acanthophora
spicifera)
Crab
Other
Inverts
Urchins
Gracilaria
salicornia
Sponge
Bare
Rock
Sand
Quad 1
0
1
0
0
2
0
51
93
Q2
0
0
0
0
1
0
41
92
Q3
0
0
1
0
0
0
23
81
Q4
0
0
1
0
0
0
23
78
Q5
0
0
1
0
0
0
40
84
Q6
0
0
2
0
1
0
81
56
Q7
4
0
1
3
0
0
61
47
Q8
0
0
0
1
3
0
34
57
Q9
0
0
9
1
0
10
16
33
Q10
8
0
11
10
0
0
25
26
1.2
0.1
2.6
1.5
0.7
1
39.5
64.7
Avg. Per
Quad
Range
0 to 8
0 to 1
0 to 11
0 to 10
0 to 3
16 to
81
0 to 10
26 to
93
Mode
0
0
1
0
0
0
23
Median
0
0
1
0
0
0
37
N/A
67.5
Data Analysis
 Some species seem in the right spot
 Native invertebrates like Wana (urchins) are found at their
typical depth - from quad 8 and deeper out
 Turf algae was found everywhere and at every size (quads 1-5,
from .78 to 2 inches tall
 Turf algae is a good thing in an intertidal ecosystem – they give
shade and moisture
BUT!
 Invasive seaweed and algae like Bubble Algae and Red Algae
were found all over in all depths – this is a bad thing – they
choke and shove out native species
 Over 20 species supposed to be found at Ma’ili were completely
missing
 Even though urchins were where they were supposed to be,
many others were found deeper out where there were less rocks
– are they being forced to move out?
 Only 10% of species in O’ahu’s intertidals are invasive… At
Ma’ili, over 12% were invasive/introduced
Is Ma’ili overrun with invasive species?!
Preservation/Restoration Efforts
Clean-Ups by:
• City&County of Honolulu (state govt)
• Wai’anae Coast Neighborhood Board (local)
• A major beach clean up and restoration project started
•
•
•
•
by Wai’anae & state officials on Sept. 4, 2006
Again in Late March of 2007
Clearing beach park of trash
Evicting homelesses living there to homeless shelters
Part of a project to clean up all Wai’anae coast parks
Preservation/Restoration
What Else Can We Do?
• Petition the City & County to do more regular beach
•
•
•
sweeps around the Wai’anae area
Set up homeless shelters more close-by to temporarily
accommodate homeless around there
Publish information about the state of Ma’ili’s condition–
educate the public
Wai’anae residents can mail their representatives about
the problem
Why is Protecting Ma’ili so
Important?
• People should protect the Maili Beach park
•
•
•
intertidal ecosystem because you can’t study the
organisms there if they are gone!
People should restore it because that way other
people can see it when it is healthy
There is evidence that the intertidal zone is
important in food webs of the nearby reefs
Once the intertidal ecosystems on the island are
gone, our last chance at getting information from
them will be gone forever!