Question

What is the role of animals in Estuaries?

What types of animals are the most prevalent in estuaries?

What types of adaptations do these animals have that let them survive in estuaries ?

Do these animals have to compete for resources? How do they compete?

Do the animals provide any services to estuaries that help maintain it?

Answer 1

1) Estauries are more than just a place for animals and plants to live. they also helps control pollution. water from upland areas often carries sediment and pollutants. the marshy land and plant in estuaries filter these pollutants out of the water.

2) Most prevalent animals in estauries are shore and sea birds, fish, crabs, lobsters,clams, other shellfish, marine worm, raccoons, opossums, skunks and lot of reptiles.

3) In all estuaries the salinity of the water changes constantly over the tidal cycle. to survive in these conditions animals& plants living in estuaries must be able to respond quickly to drastic changes in salinity.

4) animals compete for their resources they need to survive food,air,water,space. interspecific competition occurs so that they can coexist if they have traits for instance , break size, that allow them to specilize on particular resources.

5) They provide goods and services that are economically and ecologically indispensible. they are also called nurseries of the sea. estauries provide provides nesting, feeding habitats for many aquatic plants and animals. they are also helpful to maintain healty ocean environment.