Essay On Ecosystem

The role that we each play within our ecosystem is different for all species. Every living thing has a habitat and a niche, where they reside and what their job is in contributing to their habitat. The purpose of this paper will be to discuss two different roles within our ecosystem and how the characteristics of the species within those environments are similar and how they are different. I will be comparing my own personal niche as an administrative assistant, mother, and family member, my niche (or job) is to support others in their daily work and life routines to that of a Botanist who studies endangered plants in a tropical rainforest. This paper will cover a description of both niche's, the similarities and difference between them and also the habitat of both. Information will be provided on the characteristics that would provide a survival advantage to those occupying both niche's. I will cover how humans have adapted, difficulties living within the niche's, and any cultural and biological adaptations.

Niche Comparison In my current niche as a full time student, a wife, and a mother of a child who is hearing impaired there are many responsibilities and obstacles to overcome. There is such a variety of things that need accomplished or are done within my personal niche. As a full time student I am taking three classes a semester which require me to attend a seminar for each class that are an hour long one day a week. In addition to the seminar there are

Population explosion, shortage of resources and the pollution are three major problems that challenge people nowadays. While resources on land are beginning to decrease, the ocean, however, still offers hope to satisfy people's needs for present and in the future. With the rapid development of technology, people have extended their activity to the ocean, such as voyage by liners, exploring by submarines, offshore drilling and sea reclamation. Although humans can benefit from doing so, the effect of anthropogenic activity on marine creatures cannot be neglected at the same time. Marine life can be defined as any living plant or animal in the ocean. Marine animals include squids, corals, whales and fish, while marine plants include sea grasses and algae. This essay has attempts to show that human activity has a generally harmful impact on marine creatures. In terms of human activities, this essay analyzes the different kinds of actions made by human, such as adding polluting materials to oceans and human–induced changes in atmosphere and soil. Firstly, human activity in the sea has a generally negative effect on marine life. These activities can produce visible contaminations on the ocean, which might cause poisoning of marine population and a reduction in biotic productivity. Oil spills are one of the most typical human–induced pollutions. These kinds of events such as Gulf Oil Spill in 2010 have created great damage on underwater creatures as well as seabirds. The figures

Ecology An organism has several ways to avoid being prated upon. One way to avoid this is to practice crptis. Crypis is the action of organisms avoiding predation by blending in with their backgrounds and matching the color pattern of a bark, twigs or leaves. Palatable animals often utilize this strategy as well. Another type of defense is aposematism or warning coloratio. Organisms that produce noxious chemicals or accumalate them from food plants, advertise the fact that they are harmful with conspicous color patterns. Mimicry is the resemblence of an organism toward some other organism or an object inthe enviroment, evolved to decieve predators or prey into confuding the organism with that which it mimics. The prey involved within...show more content...

These hypothesis are based on the assumption that the birds realized that the red larvae are more tasteful , while the blue and lime larvae were often distasteful. The focus of this experiment is to find out whether or not mimicry developed and whether the birds either learnt from the effects of mimicry or caught on to the color pattern.

Materials and Methods

The procedure that was utilize from this experiment was very time consuming and involved an assortment of small procedures. The first step was to decide upon the different colors of the food, and which speculate on whch colors would be most efficient for the experiment. In our case we choose red,which represented a kind of dangerous color, blue which was still dangerous but a little more attractive than red and lime which seemed like a nice friendly color. After than the ratios between the models were agreed upon based upon what we thought the colors would represent toward the birds. The pattern that was used is pattern A. The red color had 100% mimicry, (palatable) and 0% for models (unpalatable). The blue color had 75% mimicry (palatable) and 25% for models (unpalatable). The lime had 25% mimicry and 75% for models (unpalatable). After that decision making the class broke up into different groups to facilitate the larvae making process. The class divided into mixers, cutters,those that

Human Impact On The Ecosystem

Human Impact on The Ecosystem

The Ecosystem plays a huge role in animal, humans, and the environments life. An ecosystem includes living things such as plants, animals, and organisms in an area, interacting with each other and their non–living environments such as the weather, sun, soil, and climate. Ecosystems are the foundation of the Biosphere and it determines the health of the entire earth system. Since the Ecosystem plays such a big role on the Earth humans have found a way to help the ecosystem. Humans have also found ways to make the ecosystem worse. Things that people believe are minute are actually huge factors that either contribute to making the human impact on the ecosystem positive or negative. Little things like driving a car to work can weaken the ecosystem by the gas they are burning to fuel that vehicle is going into the air and causing pollution. Even big things like disposing of trash properly can really make a difference in the world. People fail to realize that everything they do finds a way to effect the people around them. Ultimately, humans really do play a big impact on the ecosystem both positively and negatively.

Humans play a huge role on impacting the ecosystem, they are impacting the ecosystem by contributing to pollution, global warming, and deforestation. Pollution has been an issue in the ecosystem for a long time. The United States alone produces more than 147 metric tons of air pollution. In some places the smog caused by air

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How Humans Impact the Ecosystem Essay

Humans play an extensive role when it comes to the sustainability of the environment, our actions now can have repercussions in the future. Learning how humans leave their footprint on the environment will help us to become more conscious of our actions and how they manipulate the world around us. Humans sway the precarious balance of the environment; the ramifications of tipping the scales will be felt by generations to come. Discovering what your ecological footprint is and how your actions effect the environment is a good place to start if you are concerned about ecological sustainability. Ecological Footprint An Ecological footprint is the measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystem. "Think of a terrarium: How big would the...show more content... These types of plants serve as a home and food source for the bacteria that processes and releases nitrogen into the soil. Since many crops in the United States are legumes this is actually raising the nitrate levels in the soil. Even crops that are not legumes like corn, wheat and potatoes are fertilized with nitrogen. Nitric acids have destroyed many lakes and ponds, resulting in deforestation and global climate changes. Many fertilizers used on agricultural crops contain phosphates and when used it can raise the level of phosphates in the soil to heights that can actually kill plants. Phosphates are a limiting factor. It can be a matter of the plant not having enough or when it comes to fertilization, having too much. Fertilizers are actually the most prominent form of human interference in the phosphorus cycle. Phosphates like iron, calcium and potassium are mined in many locations and then used in fertilizers, animal feeds and detergents. What Counts as Pollution? Phosphate levels in the ocean are three times what they used to be. Phosphates are measured in teregrams; one teregram is equal to one million metric tons. Let's put the amount of increase of phosphates in the ocean into perspective: "The natural level of phosphates in the ocean is 8 teregrams, the level now is 22 teregrams which is 14 Tg increase" (Wright, 2011). This is the equivalent to the global use of

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freshwater aquatic ecosystem Essay

Freshwater Aquatic Ecosystems

This paper will discuss freshwater aquatic ecosystem. It will identify impacts associated with agriculture, the effects that a growing human population may have on that ecosystem's resources, including loss or harm to populations of wild species, sustainability and conservation of natural resources in freshwater aquatic ecosystem, risks and benefits of extracting or using one type of nonrenewable and one type of renewable energy resource, assess management practices for sustainability and conservation of natural resources and energy. The Fresh water ecosystems are among the earth aquatic ecosystems, which includes Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, springs and wetlands. About 97.4% by volume is found in the ...show more content...

Human consumption of water has increased naturally with the increase of people, but consumption has also increased because of human lifestyles in which some consume water excessively. Besides consumption, the growing human population has a harmful effect to the overall environment which also contributes to a decrease in supply. Humans require a certain amount of water in order to survive. The more humans that are on Earth, the more water is consumed. Additionally, the more humans there are that populate the world, the more contribution there is to polluting the environment, which is directly connected to freshwater regeneration since the condition of the environment determine how freshwater sources function. Wildlife species that rely on freshwater sources are the first indicators of how well a freshwater ecosystem is functioning. Freshwater fish thrive in a healthy ecosystem and provide certain health benefits for the humans that consume freshwater fish. A polluted global ecosystem, which may or may not be caused by humans, that ultimately affects the freshwater ecosystem will harm its wildlife and cause some of its species to become threatened or endangered. The growing human population is an issue that affects all natural ecosystems. The freshwater ecosystem is specifically and negatively greatly impacted by the growing population around these areas. Due to man–made interference within the freshwater ecosystem is the disposal of waste materials and

The Nature And Ecosystem Of The Ecosystem Essay

Humans seem to forget are bodies are made of organisms which make us the intellect organism in the ecosystem. Since we are the intellect organism, this makes us responsible for the survival of nature and ecosystem. This generation has forgotten our ancestors once lived like all other animals in the ecosystem. They would hunt for food and rely on the land for water, shelter and other basic needs. Nevertheless with time men have evolved and slowly distance from nature. We seem to now think we no longer need nature or the ecosystem for survival. On the contrary we only exist because of nature and ecosystem. Society needs to realize this and start working towards incorporating ways to include ecosystem into our daily lives as an essential. One way we can start is by conserving this earth most valuable natural resource, water. What is the one thing humans, plants and animals have in common? We all need water in order to survive. Water is essential for the growth of greenery and it keeps all mammals bodies working properly. Mammals' bodies cannot survive without water for more than a few days. Water is in blood which carries oxygen to all the tiny cells in the body. Without these cells the body will shut down. Water also helps the digestive system digest the food we eat and the removal of waste through urine and bowel movements. Since water is vital to our existence, why is "more than one billion people on Earth already lack access to fresh drinking water (Barlow

Example Of Terrestrial Ecosystem

What is terrestrial ecosystem? is an ecosystem that exists on land, rather than on water. Such ecosystem is a community of organisms existing and living together on the land. There are a variety of terrestrial ecosystems such as grasslands deserts and forests

Example of an terrestrial ecosystem: TropicalForest

These are tropical forests that receive an average rainfall of 80 per 400 inches annually. The forests are characterized by dense vegetation comprising tall trees at different heights. Each level is a haven for different types of animals. Some types of animals found in tropical forests are

Monkeys

Jaguars

Tigers

Toucans

Parrots

Frogs

What is an aquatic ecosystem?

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. With an aquatic ecosystem, the environment is a watery one. Aquatic ecosystems feature various types of organisms, including:

– Plant life such as seaweeds.

– Fish, whales and other aquatic vertebrates.

– Crustaceans such as shrimp or crayfish.

–Tiny bacteria and other very small organisms.

– Environmental features such as sand and silt.

Example of an aquatic ecosystem : River Rivers and streams are moving bodies of water that flow from a source, such as a spring or melting glacier. Rivers are home to many types of

organisms such as Insects

Minnows

Algae

Freshwater crayfish

Freshwater dolphins

Crabs

What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. For example a tropical forest is a Get more content

An ecosystem is a community of all organisms in a given area, and the physical environment which they interact with. On the land there are terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, grasslands or rain forests; and in the water there are freshwater and marine ecosystems such as lakes and, say, coral reef. The rainforest is an energetic ecosystem. This means that the rain forest vegetation grows quickly and when dead, decomposes extremely quickly. Rain forest biome is very complex. It includes a myriad of different species of plants and animals that are all adapted to rain, and lots of it. There are different levels of plants in the rain forests. The highest are the tall trees that often, particularly in tropical rain forests, form a closed...show more content...

Probably the most obvious are the large and colorful macaws, parrots and cockatoos. Macaws are the largest parrots and they are native to Central andSouth America, Mexico and formerly Caribbean. There are many different species of macaws and some can be up to a meter long. A distinguishing feature of macaws is the leathery path on the face, which has no feathers. Other classics are the famous, long–beaked toucans. Toucans are also found in South and Central America, southern Mexico and Carribean. They are large birds with distinctive, massive beaks. There are about 40 species of them. Hummingbirds are among the world's smallest birds. There are over 300 species of them, and they are all native to Southern, Central and Northern America. They eat nectar from flowers and can hover in the same place in the air and even fly backwards. Most species live in Southern and Central America. Other remarkable birds are the beautiful pink Flamingos. There are six species of them in the world. The most common – Greater Flamingo – is found in southern Europe, parts of Africa, and southern and south west Asia. Lesser Flamingo is found in Africa and India. The other four are found in South and Central America, Caribbean and Galapagos Islands.Rainforest ecosystem, just like other ecosystems, has a trophic structure. Species in an ecosystem can be divided into different trophic levels depending on their main source of food. The first level consists of Get more content

With the support of recent climate studies, it is safe to say that scientists across the globe overwhelmingly support that Earth's climate change is directly related to extra greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The truth is that the negative impact of greenhouse gasses on climate change is having a negative effect on our ecosystem. The question researchers are now faced with is what exactly the consequences associated with these known climate changes are and what can predictive models accurately forecast? By collecting air samples from specific places and analyzing them in a laboratory scientist are able to measure greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Scientists also measure greenhouse gasses using satellites and other instruments all around the world. Factors such as the sun, Earth's orbit, large scale fires and volcanic eruptions affect Earth's climate. Using models to look at all these factors scientists are able to determine how extra greenhouse gasses contribute to climate change (1). Climate change is altering the Northern Hemisphere's polar jet stream, slowing it down and the jet stream moves from west to east. This brings colder than normal air farther south and can slow causing them to stall and dump excessive amounts of snow or rain in one area. Scientists know that Earth's climate will continue to get warmer because humans are using more fossils fuels like, oil, coal, and natural gas more than ever before.

The most analyzed aspect of climate change Get

The Ecosystem of the Coral Reef

Coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive communities on Earth. They are found in the warm, clear, shallow waters of tropical oceans worldwide. Reefs have functions ranging from providing food and shelter to fish and invertebrates, to protecting the shore from erosion. Although many corals resemble plants, they are actually members of the animal phylum Cnidaria. Most corals are colonial, which means that each coral is made up of many individual polyps connected by living tissue (the coenosarc). Each polyp has a cup–like shape with a ring of tentacles around a central opening (pharynx) that functions as both mouth and anus. The tentacles are tipped with stinging cells called...show more content...

The more famous coral forms huge deposits that take on the shape of small, underwater mountains of calcium carbonate. Corals are benthic organisms in the fact that they are stationary for the most part, and do not swim or drift in the ocean. All coral feed on plankton. Soft coral are filter feeders, filtering out plankton as the current passes through the porous structure of the coral. Hard coral have tiny "critters" located inside a limestone shell that rely on plankton that float by as their food source. Since they are very sensitive, coral require a very specific environment in order to survive. They are found generally in warm, shallow areas of the tropical oceans. Although they are best developed in temperatures from about twenty–three to twenty–five degrees Celsius, coral reefs can be found in temperatures as low as eighteen degrees Celsius. Corals are restricted to seawater with a salinity ranging from thirty to forty parts per thousand. They also require a concentrated amount of calcium carbonate to assist in the process of forming their skeleton. The shape, size and structure of the coral are directly related to their location in the ocean, and depth. Coral located near the surface tend to be flexible in order to flex and sway with the wave action and tidal currents. The water currents and wind can also play an important role in the

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Pollution

The air we breathe, the water we drink, the ground where we grow our food, is polluted with harmful things. Pollution is the introduction of harmful or poisonous effects of a substance into the environment. It disrupts the balance of people's lifestyle when they are contaminate. Pollution balance in the environment and ecosystem. The environment is in the process of becoming unsafe or unsuitable to use. Pollution can come in many different form, such as air, water, soil can have pollutant that can wreak havoc on the environment. Pollution can be a form of anything and cause so much harm. It can take the form of chemical substances or energy. When chemicals are released by spill or underground leakage, the soil can become contaminated, which is soil pollution. The release of chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere, is the product of air pollution. The industrial wastes dumped into the rivers and other cause an imbalance in the water leading to its severe contamination and death of aquatic species. The most dangerous form of pollution is air pollution, there are many cause for it. The depletion of the ozone is due to air pollution, which is a threat to human health. In the article, " pollution : Causes and Effect", on the website, http://www.conserve–energy–future.com/, it was said that, "Smoke from chimneys, factories, vehicles or burning of wood basically occurs due to coal burning; this releases sulphur dioxide into the air making it toxic. The effects of

'Business Ecosystem' The network of organizations – including suppliers, distributors, customers, competitors, government agencies and so on –involved in the delivery of a specific product or service through both competition and cooperation(investopedia.com)

Ecosystem

By Maya Townsend, MSOD

Today's organizations are deeply embedded in complex ecosystems. Understanding yourcompany's space in its ecosystem can help you anticipate market challenges and help your company thrive during change. Traditional thinking envisions companies as rivals, battling each other for dominance and profit. Today's organizations operate in a more complex world. They integrate competition and cooperation in innovative and unexpected ways and they need each...show more content... The horse trainer was forced to close her business due to lack of clients. The horticulturist was sued for the embezzled money paid to him. The company from which the bookkeeper had embezzled was forced to lay off staff and close locations. This ecosystem crashed suddenly, dramatically, and fatally. Luckily, most organizations don't experience situations so extreme. However, all companies are part of complex ecosystems that have the capacity to thrive or crash. Understanding your ecosystem–and curing your ecosystem blindness–will help you and your organization thrive. Curing Ecosystem Blindness

Ecosystems are complex and ever–changing. While it is impossible to fully map an ecosystem, leaders can develop insight into the dynamics and interdependencies of their ecosystems. To begin understanding your ecosystem, start by identifying entities. Ecosystem entities are organizations that your company depends on in order to do its business. Entities can include supply chain partners such as suppliers and distributors. However, the ecosystem approach goes beyond the traditional supply chains to examine the more complex web in which a company operates. This web includes the networks, resources, people, and ideas that fuel your company.

To identify entities in your business ecosystem, ask these questions: What and who does the company depend on in order to operate? Most companies have hundreds, if not thousands, of companies, people,

There is a lot of debate going on around climate change and the impact of Man on the planet. Looking at the subject of global change, apart from all the politics involved, it is clear that the planet has been changing before humans and will continue to change long after. But for our survival as a species, we do need to consider how these changes effect our needs and our ability to continue to sustain life as we know it. As our oceans warm, ecosystems within the ocean warm and change, too. And whether the change is a normal one by Earths standards, or man made, these ecosystems affect our species in a major way. Coral reefs, for example, may seem insignificant to the majority of people who don't live near the coast of any continent, but...show more content...

If that seems like a lot, there are many other species found near Australia, the Philippines, and near the U.S. in the Caribbean. With all of these species, you might think that coral reefs must be doing well. After all, how could there be so many species of coral if they were struggling? The giant coral reefs may seem like they could replenish themselves quickly but in fact, they cannot. Coral grows extremely slow. The pictures we see in textbooks and on the Travel Channel show divers swimming near massive reefs but most fail to mention that it took million of years for these ecosystems to get to this point. Changes in their environment can rapidly undo these millions of years of progress for these fragile ecosystems. So why should we be concerned? How does this effect the lives of humans that either live near or even thousands of miles away from these coral reefs? The answer is both simple and very complex. In the simplest form, coral reefs are home to not only the coral, but to thousands of other life forms as well. Lobster, sponges, sea turtles and many species of fish all call these coral reefs their home. Losing coral reefs means losing the ecosystem that supports. But there are numerous other reasons why we should be concerned. Reefs provide very specific benefits to man. On coastlines, coral reefs offer protection from waves that constantly try to eat away at the shore. But beyond basic Get

Ecosystem Services Management Report

While environmentalists and scientists have discussed the idea of ecosystem services for several decades, it only gained attention after an official announcement of its concept, by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) in 2005. As a new field in ecology, I realized that there is much more research needed to be done in terms of management and sustainable development of ecosystem services. Many environmentalists have brought up new ideas and methods to improve ecosystem services and have created programs to promote their sustainability. Despite these efforts, however, the resulting outcomes have not been so successful than expected and ecosystem services still remain under threat. This leads us to question the effectiveness–the validity and reliability–of these programs and how they are managed. My goal in this paper is to analyze the efficiency of current ecosystem service management systems and present my thoughts and ideas on how we can improve them from an environmental, social, and economic perspective.

Ecosystem services are goods and services provided by ecosystems that benefit, sustain and support the well–being of people. They can be grouped into four main categories: regulating , provisioning , supporting , and cultural services. These services, which are key to well–being, including security, sufficient nutritious food, health, and good social relations, can only be maintained if ecosystems–which provide these services–are maintained. Ecosystems are currently Get

Ecosystem

Biotic

Pertaining to living organisms.

Carrying capacity

A maximum number of individuals or maximum population density that a habitat can support.

Community

All the organisms that live within a given area.

Consumer

An organism that obtains food from other living organisms.

Ecological succession

Changes in the species composition of an ecosystem following a disturbance.

Ecology

The study of how organisms interact with their environments.

Ecosystem

All the organisms that live within a given area and all the abiotic features of their environment.

Exponential growth

A model of population growth in which a population grows at a rate proportional to its size.

Life history strategy

The position a population of...show more content...

5.

What organisms are at the base of a food chain or food web?

6.

What role do decomposers play? What organisms function as decomposers in most communities?

7.

Can two species have the same niche in a community? Why or why not?

8.

What is parasitism? What are some examples of parasitism?

9.

What is the difference between commensalism and mutualism?

21.3 Energy Flow in Ecosystems

10.

All organisms need energy in order to grow, reproduce, and perform the activities necessary for survival. Where does this energy come from ultimately?

11.

How does sunlight energy enter the biotic world?

12.

How much of the energy at one trophic level becomes available to the next trophic level, on average? What happens to the rest?

13.

What is an energy pyramid?

21.4 Kinds of Ecosystems

14.

What are some of the factors that determine the types of organisms that live in a certain habitat?

15.

What is the primary variable used to classify habitats into major biomes?

16.

Give an example of a biome where the soil is nutrient–poor, and of one where soil is nutrient–rich.

17.

Why are fires essential to savanna habitats?

18.

What are some features of plants found in desert habitats?

19.

What are the three life zones found in aquatic lake habitats?

20.

What's the difference between plankton and nekton?

21.

What is the intertidal zone, and what are some of the organisms that live there?

21.5 Change in an Ecosystem

22.

What is the difference between primary and Get more content

A Study On Aquatic Ecosystems

Title

Aquatic ecosystems such as the one created in this report help convey the simple yet complex processes that are required in order to establish a stable and thriving environment.

Abstract

In this study a freshwater ecosystem was created to observe the changes that would take place over the period of 5 weeks. This included creating a food web to outline the trophic levels that would take place in the ecosystem as well as developing a hypothesised outcome. Over the course of the experiment measurements and observations were recorded once every week which included how well the ecosystem was thriving as well as trends depicted through chemical data testing. At the end of the 5 weeks it was found that the ecosystem created was fairly...show more content... (Rawi et al., 2014)

Three major groups were included in this aquatic ecosystem. One is the ecosystem's primary producers, in this case vallisneria gigantean and duckweed. They are submerged freshwater aquatic plants which support all other trophic levels by creating energy via photosynthesis, acting as a nutrient filter and providing shelter for other organisms in the system (Wigand et al., 1999). Its survival is integral to the flourishing of the ecosystem with availability of light being a primary deciding factor. The second is the primary consumer in which aquatic snails are used. They are herbivores which eat plant material and algae and ultimately keep the food web in balance. The third is the decomposers in which macro invertebrates are used which consume nutrients from the water and some can also act as decomposers to consume decaying material. They effectively are able to recycle nutrients in the system to sustain the food web and provide nutrient uptake for other organisms (Ribas et al., 2006). Based on these assumptions the hypothesis was made that the plants would photosynthesise and repopulate providing food for the herbivore consumers while others would die off and decay providing food for the decomposers. Ultimately this would be affected by the biotic and abiotic factors as they influence chemical processes such as

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Ecological Restoration Essay

There have been many ongoing debates over the definition of ecological restoration. While there are still many definitions that people use to define this term, ecological restoration is generally defined as "the process of returning, as nearly as possible, a biotic community to a condition of biological integrity" (Callicott, 577). This term, however, means different things to different people. It not only encompasses the environmental aspects, but the cultural, social, historical, political aspects as well. Considering how these aspects are different to different regions, it becomes difficult to develop a term that everyone can agree on unanimously. The campus lagoon, 94 acres in total, is "surrounded on the north, east and west by the...show more content...

The expanded wetlands have also significantly increased the number of birds, animals, reptiles and amphibians. Much of Campus Point is covered with an ice plant, Carpobrotus edulis. These plants grow year round and individual plants compete with native plants by forming mats up to 40 cm thick and 8–10 m in diameter. Examination shows that this ice plant has a very dense tough root system concentrated in the upper 50 cm of the soil, and that new roots form at each node as the plant spreads outward (D'Antonio, 886). In 2006, CCBER planted 2,000 acorns along Campus Point with hopes that in 15 to 20 years a small oak woodland habitat will be reestablished (CCBER). The eastern edge of the Lagoon, near San Nicolas Hall and Parking Lot 5, is dominated by Kikuyu grass, a rhizomatous plant with matted roots. Data from 2009 illustrate that even at that time, the site was completely covered in non–native Kikuyu grass (San Nicolas Slope Restoration Monitoring). Kikuyu grass favors moist areas and therefore it occurs in hydric soils. A Mediterranean climate, the site records rainfall averaging 16–20 inches per year. A myriad of different birds also inhabit the riparian and coastal sage scrub habitats as seen on wildlife surveys done monthly of the site due to the Lagoon Survey requirement (San Nicolas Habitat Restoration Plan). If Manzanita Village does not undergo restoration, the confined underground pipe systems