SAV It s What s for Dinner

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1 Teacher Background: SAV It s What s for Dinner Submerged aquatic vegetation is important to the Bay ecosystem for a number of reasons. The roots, rhizomes and stolons help reduce erosion and provide shelter for benthic invertebrates. The leaves provide shelter, support and an increased oxygen supply for many species of aquatic animals. The plants are also a source of food for a large number of aquatic invertebrates and fishes, and for other birds and mammals that visit aquatic habitats. SAV also uses dissolved nutrients for growth, which helps reduce algae blooms by making the nutrients unavailable for the algae. But one of its most overlooked functions is its food value for many species of waterfowl, including canvasbacks and redhead ducks. The tubers and seeds are especially nutritious, but leaves, stems and roots are also eaten. Canvasback ducks (Aythya valisineria) traditionally depended on the tubers of wild celery (Vallisneria americana) for food during migration and over the winter. This relationship is reflected in their scientific names. The canvasback s large webbed feet are adapted for diving and their bills are designed for digging the tubers out of the substrate. In the late 1930s, studies showed that four-fifths of the food eaten by canvasbacks was plant material. In the early 1950s there were 225,000 canvasbacks wintering in the Chesapeake; this represented one-half of the entire North American population. By 1985, there were only 50,000 ducks wintering here or one-tenth of the population. Canvasbacks were extensively hunted around the turn of the century, but federal hunting regulations restrict their harvest, so hunting was ruled out as a cause for the decline. Scientists have now concluded that the decline in duck populations was due to the decline in SAV acreage. An interesting thing has happened, however. While nowhere as common as they once were, the population of canvasbacks has stabilized and is even increasing slightly. Studies have now shown that by the 1970s four fifths of the ducks diet was made up of Baltic clams, which are very common in the Bay. The ducks have been able to adapt to the decline in SAV by changing their diet! Unfortunately, redhead ducks, which also feed on SAV tubers, have not been able to adapt, and their population remains low.

2 Activity: 1. Engage students in a brainstorming discussion. Record answers on the board or have students take notes. o Write the words canvasback duck and wild celery on the board and ask the students if they see any connection between these words. o Then write the words Aythya valisineria and Vallisneria americana on the board. Explain that these are the scientific names for the canvasback duck and wild celery. Is there a connection? They should come to the conclusion that canvasbacks probably eat wild celery. How about redhead ducks and redhead grass? The connection is the same. Both species depended on SAV as a main component of their diet. o The students should know that the amount of SAV has declined significantly in the Bay. Tell them that they are going to find out what impact the decline in SAV has had on the populations of canvasback ducks and redhead ducks. 2. Allow students to complete the SAV: It s What s for Dinner student worksheet. They will graph the data given to them, using a computer spreadsheet or by hand, using colored pencils and graph paper. 3. Have students read the article Diving Duck Distribution, Abundance, and Food Habits in Chesapeake Bay by Perry, Osenton and Lohnes in order to determine if and how canvasbacks and redhead ducks have adapted to the decline of SAV.

3 Diving Duck Distribution, Abundance, and Food Habits in Chesapeake Bay MATTHEW C. PERRY, PETER C. OSENTON, and EDWARD J. R. LOHNES INTRODUCTION Diving ducks wintering in Chesapeake Bay during the last 50 years have accounted for 23% of Atlantic Flyway and 9% of North American populations based on aerial surveys. Continental and local factors have affected these population changes. Loss of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) due to degradation of water quality, has been a contributing factor, although, many other factors related to human population increases have been implicated in the changes in the distribution and abundance of diving ducks. METHODS The locations of diving ducks in Chesapeake Bay during the winter was determined by aerial surveys conducted by USFWS and state wildlife agencies. Surveys are conducted during midwinter and ducks are identified and population size is estimated. Scaup (lesser and greater), and scoter (black, white-winged, and surf) are not separated by species during aerial surveys. Present food habits were determined by analyses of ducks obtained from hunters or from law enforcement personnel. The gullet (esophagus and proventriculous) and gizzard were removed and maintained separately for analyses. Both organs were used in interpreting food choices from a diversity perspective, but because of the problem of bias associated with gizzard samples, the gullet samples received more attention in interpreting food choices from a quantitative perspective. Organisms were separated by species, and dry weights and volumes were determined for each sample. Frequencies of occurrence, average weight, and average volume of the food items were determined for each duck species. Grit content was determined and calculated separately from food items. Historic food habits data for sea ducks on the Chesapeake Bay were reexamined and compared to present food habits. RESULTS The Chesapeake Bay has wintered approximately one million birds on average during the last 50 years that surveys have been conducted. Diving ducks have had a significant decline during this period and now the Bay winters approximately 200,000 diving ducks. Results of mid-winter surveys show a decline in all pochard species (canvasback, redheads, and scaup), ruddy duck, and goldeneye. Although there have been major changes during some periods the long term trends of seaducks (long-tailed duck and scoters) show that numbers in the 1990s are similar to the numbers of these species during the 1950s. Diving ducks that have shown increases in populations based on mid-winter survey data include the bufflehead and mergansers. New food habits research is being conducted to further explain the changes in distribution of

4 diving ducks in Chesapeake Bay that are related to habitat conditions. Some species of diving ducks have shown major long-term changes in the food eaten in Chesapeake Bay, whereas other species show no change in diet. The percentage of invertebrates in the diet of most pochards and ruddy ducks has increased as SAV declined. The Baltic clam (Macoma balthica) constitutes over 90% of the food of canvasbacks. Both species of scaup feed on hooked mussels (Ischadium recurvum), but also rely on clams and barnacles. The redhead did not alter food preference for SAV, and populations of this species have declined from over 100,000 to less than The food habits of goldeneye show that hooked mussels and the Baltic clam are important foods. Bufflehead also feed on the Baltic clam, but also feed heavily on the dwarf surf clam (Mulinia lateralis). Seaducks rely heavily on mollusks especially the hooked mussel and several species of clams. The long-tailed duck appears to select the gem clam (Gemma gemma) at rates higher than other divers, but food habits of this species show a diverse diet of other mollusks and crustaceans. CONCLUSIONS Factors affecting diving duck populations include direct and indirect causes, including excessive development of Bay tributaries, increased year-round boat traffic, and increased levels of contamination. Food habits indicate major changes in some species of diving ducks especially the pochards, since SAV has declined. Other species of diving ducks, show little changes in food habits and still are feeding on mollusks species that have traditionally formed the bulk of their diets. Species, like the pochards, that feed in shallow water are probably more affected by environmental changes in the Bay than species that feed in deeper water. Figure 1: Ches. Bay Figures for Diving Ducks Figure 2: Chesapeake Bay Food Habits Diving Ducks.

5 SAV It swhat s for Dinner Student Worksheet Both canvasback ducks and redhead ducks depend on the nutritious seeds and tubers of SAV, especially wild celery and redhead grass, to get them through the winter. As you know, the number of acres of SAV has declined significantly in the Chesapeake Bay. In 1937, there were approximately 200,000 acres of SAV. By 1978, there were only 41,000 acres left. What effect might this loss of SAV have had on the populations of canvasbacks and redhead ducks? You are going to graph the acres of SAV and the duck populations to see if there is a correlation. You will make a line graph using colored pencils on the graph provided, then answer the following questions: 1. Read the article Diving Duck Distribution, Abundance, and Food Habits in Chesapeake Bay by Perry, Osenton and Lohnes. How have canvasbacks and redhead ducks adapted to the loss of SAV? 2. What, in particular, has happened to redhead ducks? 3. Both canvasbacks and redhead ducks are migratory; they winter in the Chesapeake but breed farther north. What other factors may have contributed to the decline in those populations?

6 Acres of SAVs / Numbers of Ducks Procedure: Use the following data to graph the acres of SAV and the populations of canvasbacks and redhead ducks from 1940 to 2004 on a single graph. Each table should represent a different color line on your graph. Table 1. Average number of acres of SAV in the Chesapeake Bay: Year Acres of SAV , No info , No info , , , ,200 Table 2. Average # of canvasback ducks in the Chesapeake Bay: Year Average # of ducks , No info , , , , , , , , , , ,000 Table 3. Average # of redheaded ducks in the Chesapeake Bay: Year Average # of ducks No info No info , , , , , , , , , , , SAV Acreage, Canvasback and Redhead Duck Populations, Years

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