urBFF's+Tide+Pool+Report

__Tide Pool Ecosystem Report__

Hi! I’m urBFF912. I go to the __[|Amigos School]__ in [|Cambridge, MA,] where we speak English and Spanish. Our science teacher is converting us into scientists in training little by little. We are studying ecosystems, and we went on numerous field trips to discover more on the topic. I’m doing my wiki on the Deer Island tide pools (which is actually a peninsula) because marine life is so different from all other life on earth. I love how it feels to be near the ocean or on the beach, and this wiki will hopefully interest you to learn more about tide pools like the field trip did for me.

Our field trip started off with us piling into a hot, odorous bus to get to[| Deer Island,] which is near the [|Boston Harbor]. The wind was incredibly strong; it blew my hair into my eyes and obscured my view. The rough, gray rocks (which varied in size) were everywhere, and almost hid the disgusting garbage that should’ve been in a faraway trashcan. The sun shone feebly because it was fall, but it still cast its reflection on the salt water. We used plankton nets, magnifying glasses (for a closer look), thermometers (the air was 64 degrees Fahrenheit and the water was 63 degrees Fahrenheit), and contraptions to test the pH level (a perfect 7!), ammonia level (medium), nitrate level (none or low), turbidity (clear) and dissolved oxygen (42%) of the water. It was a very hands-on experience.

The Deer Island tide pools were filled with a variety of organisms. Our class discovered many decomposers such as microbes, bacteria and mold. We also encountered many producers such as rockweed, knotted wrack, plankton, Irish moss and algae. Finally, we uncovered some consumers such as rock crabs, green crabs, periwinkles, snails, sea sponges, mussels and barnacles. Of those, the primary consumers, or herbivores, were snails, fish, sponges, mussels and barnacles. Most of these organisms consume plankton, but some, such as fish, include seaweed in their diet. The secondary consumers, or omnivores, in this habitat were sea sponges, snails, barnacles, mussels, crabs and fish. These animals consume a variety of food such as plankton, seaweed and smaller fish. The tertiary consumers, or carnivores, of the tide pools were fish, crabs and snails. These critters snack on smaller fish and plankton. You might have noticed that some of these creatures belong to more than one group, and the reason for that is that there are many different types and subspecies of these animals.

For this ecosystem, the energy pyramid is far from complicated. The decomposers decompose all the organisms that are no longer living, and that is all that they need for their diet. The sun, which is constantly shining, lends its energy to the producers, who also use H2O and CO2 to make photosynthesis. The primary consumers can then use the producers as food. The secondary consumers use the producers and their fellow consumers for nourishment. Finally, the tertiary consumers consume the meat of less powerful consumers. The cycle repeats over and over and over again, creating the perfect ecosystem. Check out __ig's__ energy web and ig's pyramid!

I chose the Deer Island tide pools for my wiki topic because it has life that varies from all other life on the planet. All of us 6th graders scaled unsteady rocks and coated our clothing in muck just so that we could get 1 single glimpse of a crab to observe and record its behavior. We cast plankton nets like major league baseball pitchers to capture strange and unknown organisms. We trekked and stumbled up jagged rocks for and overhead view of the sun glistening on the salty water. It was awesome to finally get my hands dirty. Of all the field trips, that particular one was the one I enjoyed the most because it felt like and adventure as well as a study session (did you know that the warmer the water of a body of water is, the less dissolved oxygen, and therefore less organisms, there will be?) it was an amazing, hands-on experience.