The Caloosahatchee River

The Most Endangered Florida Estuary

Manatee K-8Mrs. Judith Nova’s Class

Florida's Endangered EstuaryThe Caloosahatchee river is approximately 67 miles long and runs on the gulf coast of Florida.

The river forms a tidal estuary

along most of its course.

Which provides a nursery for many

endangered species.

How The Caloosahatchee River Was Formed

The Caloosahatchee river was formed by sediments from the sea called Pliocene and Pleistocene. This process happened over one million years ago. Then after sea levels receded it left a series of lakes and rivers and this left the Caloosahatchee river.

In the 1500’s Spanish explorers first named the Caloosahatchee river the Calusa. Then after the 1700’s it adopted its current name along with lake Okeechobee

Water QualityThe Caloosahatchee river has a water salinity

of brackish freshwater. The type of salinity can support the Apple Snail or the Harvest organism the Trochus Snail.

The water quality is impacted by Cyanobacteria Blooms which rob the Oxygen saturation and deprive the sunlight from penetrating the surface.

Due to the Algae Blooms through-out the warmer seasons this estuary is subject to eutrophication.

Human Impact on the EstuaryMassive discharges from Lake Okeechobee Seriously threaten the health of the

Caloosahatchee Huge influx of lake water is killing coastal fishing

grounds Triggering toxic algae blooms Covering the surface of the water making life

underneath it malnourished.Contains phosphates that are found in fertilizersCyanobacteria is absorbing the fertilized water

and this is causing major algae bloom.

Consumers of the River

West Indian Manatee

American Crocodile

Mangrove Snapper

White Ibis/ Florida Water Snakes Cyanobacteria

Mangrove Tree Crab

Shrimp

Wood Stork

Oysters

Producers of the River

Manatee GrassTurtle Grass

Widgeon Grass

Paddle Grass

Star Grass

Decomposers of the RiverMarine Fungus

Bacteria

Caloosahatchee Food Web

Cyanobacteria- Consuming Organism

Cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria , also know as blue-green

algae, is a algae that lives in brackish water, like the Caloosahatchee River.

Cyanobacteria blooms is when most of the effects that Cyanobacteria cause happen.

Blue-green algae has one main weapon, it’s toxin.

Consuming Organism Answers- A and B The trait that gives Cyanobacteria an advantage

over all the other organisms is it’s toxin. Some types of Cyanobacteria can produce a variety of toxins. Though there seem to be two main toxins, Microcystins and Anatoxin A.

The Cyanobacteria “attacks” happen a lot during the Cyanobacteria Blooms. The Blooms are most common during the summer, though Cyanobacteria “attacks” can happen anytime. The “attacks” can cause a lot of issues but some are, fish kills, keep sunlight away from sea grasses and other bottom dwelling organisms and can kill domestic animals.

Consuming Organism Answers- C and D The Cyanobacteria birth rate is low and

decreasing. Though, in 72,80 and in-between degree water, Cyanobacteria grows rapidly. One of the Cyanobacteria’s predators is the Apple Snail.

Cyanobacteria is always growing but was not noticed because they don’t grow rapidly. During the end of summer and the beginning of fall, Cyanobacteria grow the most because of the temperature changes, seeing as it is at the highest temperature (22-80 degrees F.)

Apple Snails

How Apple Snail’s will Save The Caloosahatchee River The Florida Apple

Snails is our base organism.

Apple Snail Fast Facts The species name is Pomacea paludosa The Caloosahatchee temperature is 24.96° C The Apple Snail water temperature tolerance is 20-

28° C Apple Snails reproduce sexually Common names include:

Mystery Snail Chinese Mystery Snail

Habitat Apple Snails are found in:

Southeastern America Northern South America Most of the inland area of Africa Southern Asia Eastern South America

How Apple Snails kill CyanobacteriaApple Snails kill Cyanobacteria by putting small amounts of

the bacteria into it’s mouth. In disgust, the Apple Snail consumes small amounts of the Cyanobacteria, while

spitting out larger amounts. If we bred the Apple Snail with a snail dependent on Cyanobacteria then the offspring would

be the solution to the river pollution issue.

Trochus SnailThe Trochus Snail is our harvest organism.

This organism is what we are breeding with the Apple Snail.

Trochus Snail Shapes and Colors

There are some traits in the Apple Snail that we would like to replace with the Trochus Snail traits. These Traits are: The over arching trait that we would like to

replace is how much the Apple Snail consumes One of the other traits is How the Trochus

Snail cannot live without the Cyanobacteria. We want the Apple snail to have the ability to have the Cyanobacteria apart of the Apple Snails diet.

Modified Traits

We have decided to mutate and translate only one trait. We have decided to give the Apple Snail the ability to consume large amounts of the Cyanobacteria. It will benefit the Apple Snail because it will help them take in more Cyanobacteria which means that it will help control the rivers large consumer.

Trait And How It Benefits The Base Organism

The base organism has a trait that allows them to eat some of the cyanobacteria, though they spit most of it back out. Luckily we have found an organism that has traits to eat large amounts of cyanobacteria with out spitting it out. We’ll be using selective breeding chart and punnett square to track the alleles of both organisms. We will breed the Apple snail (homozygous recessive) and the Trochus snail (homozygous dominant) until the homozygous recessive alleles don’t show up in any of the offspring and they all become homozygous dominant. By having the offspring being homozygous dominant, all of the offspring will have the trait of eating cyanobacteria.

Process of Apple Snail & Trochus Snail Offspring

Selective Breeding processApple snail Trochus snail

E e EeEe

Ee

EE Ee Ee ee

EE EeEE Ee

EE EE EE EE

F1

F2

F3

F4

P1 EEee

Conclusion and EthicsThe selective breeding and the project overall doesn’t invade

or violate any animal rights. Therefore, this project idea would not be prohibited if we decided to conduct this experiment in real life.

Humans have a large impact on the Caloosahatchee River in a variety of ways. Some are beneficial others are through damage. The amount and timing of freshwater flows into the lower Caloosahatchee/San Carlos Bay Estuary have been significantly altered, at times denying the system its historical supply of fresh water and at other times deluging it. The barrier (filter) built between the San Carlos bay and Caloosahatchee is supposed to be used to clear water of algae and other potentially dangerous organisms, it can be considered inefficient.

How has the base organism exerted successful population control over the monopolizing consumer?

The Apple Snails are physically able to consume the Cyanobacteria. Therefore the more Apple Snails being reproduced, the less Cyanobacteria damaging the Caloosahatchee River.

The Impact of the New GMO Organism on the Ecosystem

The new organism, The GMO Apple Snails, will greatly impact the Caloosahatchee River in a positive way.

When the Cyanobacteria is consumed by GMO Apple Snails,

the other organisms will flourish from a restore ecosystem.

Resulting in larger populations and diversity of organisms in the Caloosahatee Estuary.

Healthy and viable Ecosystem!

Impacts on Human PopulationPeople will be able to return to using the

river for recreational activities as there will be a large reduction in harmful toxins.

People will be able to enjoy a healthy estuary producing an ongoing abundance of life.

Benefits and Balance of GMOThe GMO will increase control of

cyanobacteriaSnail Kites can feed upon the GMO

controlling its population size.Both Apple Snails and Trochus are native

species.There will be more benefits than negatives to

introducing them to the Ecosystem.We will promote the release of the GMO

snails in an attempt to control The algae blooms.