Riparian Zone RetreatRiparian Zone Retreat

Levi Gaynor,

Biology I,

Period 4

Primary ConsumerPrimary ConsumerEastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus CarolinensisEastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus Carolinensis

• The Eastern Gray Squirrel is a commonly found mammal in our area they are found in the woods and trees in many areas. Also the live in cities where there is large deciduous trees. They spend most of their lives in trees.

• The Squirrel eats nuts and small bugs off of trees in their habitat, they are consumed but humans and other wildlife animals such as the fox and other carnivorous animals.

Primary Consumer (Continued)Primary Consumer (Continued)

• The squirrel has two litters a year one is the Spring and the other in late Summer, they usually have two to three babies in each litter.

• The food the squirrel eats includes acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts and beechnuts. The squirrels tail is to help balance the squirrel and to shade itself and protection from the rain.

• The squirrel mates in winter and you may see the male chasing the female squirrel up, down, and around trees. Once they breed the male and the female make their nest together.

Food Chain of The Gray SquirrelFood Chain of The Gray Squirrel

First in the food chain is the oak tree this tree supplies food to the squirrel through the acorns it produces. The squirrel is next it eats the acorns and other nuts from trees and produces food for the bobcat. The bobcat is a carnivore and it eats the squirrel and the bobcat gets its energy by consuming the squirrel. Then the human will consume the bobcat to gets its energy and the food chain is all started from the nuts that supply the squirrel with food.

Producer

Autotroph

Primary Consumer

Herbivore

Secondary Consumer

Carnivore

Tertiary Consumer

Omnivore

Food Web of The Gray SquirrelFood Web of The Gray Squirrel

The Gray Squirrel is a primary consumer and a herbivore so it eats berries and nuts, then the animals higher up on the food chain consume the

squirrel.

Herbivore

Producer Omnivore

Carnivore

Carnivore

ProducerProducer

Herbivore

Herbivore

Stream Quality Data & AnalysisStream Quality Data & Analysis

• The graph shows that the stream is a healthy stream. The amount of the class one organisms is more than double the amount of class two organisms. This shows that the stream is healthy.

• There are 126 organisms in the class one section, and there is 49 in the class two section. And 0 in the class three section, this shows that the stream has no to little pollution.

• The stream quality is important to find the organisms that we found, the majority of the organisms that we found are mot tolerant to pollution.

Water Testing Data & AnalysisWater Testing Data & Analysis

• The oxygen level should be high(9-15) for a stream to carry healthy organisms, the nitrate and phosphate levels should be near zero. You want the pH to be a 6.5 to 7.5 for a neutral level.

• My organism would live better by a healthy stream because it needs to drink water and to have a healthy food source to eat off of. The oak tree would not be able to produce as much food for the squirrel if it didn’t have a clean water source

• The lower temperature of the water, the more oxygen the water can hold. The lower the turbidity of the water the clearer it is and this is a advantage to hunters, and a disadvantage to prey that need to hide.

Positive and Negative FactorsPositive and Negative Factors

•The current stream would be good for the gray squirrel because it needs a good water source and not a polluted one.

•There are many types of pollution in PA, there are many farms in western PA. The farms have animals who have runoff from their waste and this will effect the stream and hurt the riparian zone of the Gray.

•The polluted stream would effect the gray squirrel by not being able to have a good quality water to drink and there wouldn’t be good water for the plants to grow which would cut off the supply of food for the squirrel.

ConclusionConclusion

•I learned that the slightest change in the environment can have major effects on the way many animals live and survive. The little things in the environment are what makes a big difference in the riparian zone.

• I found that the gray squirrels tail is used as a multi-tool. It is used as a rudder when it swims and used as a umbrella for shelter and for many other tools as well.

• I would like to research a topic of how things that occur in the environment can change how animals live their lives.

Work CitedWork Cited

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/eastern_gray_squirrel.htm

http://gme.grolier.com/article?assetid=0274770-0

http://gme.grolier.com/article?assetid=0183150-0