EGRET Fellows ProgramExploring the Geographical Region and Ecosystems of the Tar-Pamlico Watershed

SUMMER INSTITUTEJune 23-25, 2015

Presented byUNC INSTITUTE FOR THE ENVIRONMENTGOOSE CREEK STATE PARKA TIME FOR SCIENCE NATURE AND SCIENCE LEARNING CENTER

Funded by THE EDDIE AND JO ALLISON SMITH FAMILY FOUNDATION

Do You Live In A Watershed?

We All Live in a Watershed

A watershed is all the land that drains to a common point

How to ID your streamGoogle maps (terrain and earth view)Google EarthTopographic maps (store.usgs.gov)Aerial photographs (any of the above or GIS

office)

Falkland Elementary School, Greenville. Images from store.usgs.gov, 2013, 1985, 1954.

Goose Creek 2013 and below is goose creek 1954 topographic map.

Your 5 x 5 Meter Plot

The Water Cycle

How surfaces change Transpiration, Evaporation, Runoff and Infiltration

The River Foodweb

Sources of Dissolved Organic Matter• atmospheric deposition• Trees• Plants• organic soil• roots and fungi• aquatic sediments• aquatic organisms

Leaf Leachate (tea)

Maple Poplar Oak

What is the bacteria doing?

Bacteria send enzymes to break apart DOMBacteria eat polysaccharides

DOM

polysaccharides

The Microbial Loop

Exploring EcosystemsBiomes are ecological zones primarily defined by the

dominant vegetation that occur in particular temperature and rainfall (climate) conditions around the world.

An ecoregion is a region that contains similar soils and landforms where similar types of ecosystems can be found. The boundaries of ecoregions approximate the original extent of natural communities prior to major land use change. Ecoregions are generally smaller, more defined units than biomes.

An ecosystem is the interaction between a community of living (biotic) things and the nonliving (abiotic) environment.

Biomes and Ecoregions

Ecosystems we’ve explored

Forest Ecosystems

Wetland Ecosystems

Freshwater Aquatic