CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:20)
Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, images, and additional information follow below.
All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-15-16.
TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO
From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of July 18, 2016.
SOUND - ~ 4 sec
That’s the sound of an underwater recording in a river in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. If you were under a few feet of water in the Bay or one of its river tributaries, what aquatic vegetation might you find submerged there? This week, 16 Virginia high school students give us a quick lesson on that subject. Have a listen for about 25 seconds.
VOICES - ~25 sec
Males: American Pondweed! Curly Pondweed!
Females: Horned Pondweed! Sago Pondweed! Slender Pondweed!
Males: Eelgrass! Muskgrass! Redhead Grass!
Females: Water Stargrass! Widgeon Grass!
Males: Common Waterweed! Hornwort!
Females: Wild Celery! Southern Naiad!
You’ve been listening to the names of 14 kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation found in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The names were shouted out by students from Achievable Dream High School, located in Newport News, Virginia, during the students’ two-week visit in July 2016 to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, is the formal name for plants and plant-like organisms that grow underwater in areas shallow enough that light can penetrate to the bottom. In the Chesapeake Bay region, between about 15 and 25 such organisms are common or are otherwise ecologically significant, and collectively they’re often called Bay grasses. Despite that common name, none actually are grasses; that is, they’re not classified in the grass family of plants. Some—like Muskgrass—aren’t even plants, but rather are algae, which are not classified as true plants.
Those confusing details aside, there’s no confusion about the ecological importance of Bay grasses. They’re a major source of food for waterfowl, as seen in names like Redhead Grass and Widgeon Grass; they provide habitat for fish, crustaceans like Blue Crabs, and other organisms; their leaves and roots harbor food sources for many animals; and they improve water quality by stabilizing sediments, taking up nutrients, and producing oxygen. For all of these reasons, the extent of Bay grasses is an annually measured indicator of the Chesapeake’s overall health. In 2015, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’ annual aerial survey reported 91,000 acres [Editor’s note: actually, over 91,600 acres were measured in 2015], a significant improvement over the record low of about 39,000 acres in 1984.
One goal of Chesapeake Bay-restoration efforts is to have 185,000 acres of Bay grasses. That, and other challenging Bay-restoration goals, will take a lot of work. But it’s not hard to imagine some of that work being done a few years from now by one or more of the Achievable Dream High School students you heard this week, who are already working to achieve their own challenging goals. Thanks to those students for lending their voices to this episode.
SHIP’S BELL
For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463. Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.
AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to students and teachers in Achievable Dream High School in Newport News, Va., for their participation in this episode. The students who called out names of Chesapeake Bay submerged aquatic plants were the following:
Kameren Bluiett
Cassie Broadhead
Richard Cotman III
Anastasia Davíla
Arahs Dixon
Daja Goodrich
Burt Hatton IV
Alonda Johnson
Johnell Judkins
Trent Kinney
Elijah Lydell
Rashid Normal-Jones
Caleb Weekes
Shealtiel Weekes
Markel Wiggins
Destiny Williams.
More information about Achievable Dream schools in Newport News is available online at http://achievabledream.nn.k12.va.us/.
Thanks to John Gray Williams, John Seiler, and Maggie Furrow, all in the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment, for their help with this episode.
The underwater sounds in this episode were recorded by Raven Harris, of Newport News, Va., on the Appomattox River in Petersburg, Va., on April 18, 2014; used with permission. Thanks to Mr. Harris for providing the sounds. Paddling videos by Mr. Harris are available online at https://vimeo.com/stickmanghz.
IMAGES
Top: Eelgrass; middle: Widgeon Grass; bottom: Wild Celery. All photos courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, from their “Bay Grass Identification Key,” online at http://dnr2.maryland.gov/waters/bay/Pages/sav/key.aspx.
EXTRA FACTS ABOUT
CHESAPEAKE BAY REGION SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION (“BAY GRASSES”)
Following is a list
of Chesapeake Bay submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV, or “Bay grasses”),
compiled from several references. The
list is divided into species native to this area and those that are
non-native. The scientific name is given
in parentheses and italics. The format
for common names and the scientific names are according to the 2012 Flora of Virginia, except as noted for
three organism groups not included in the Flora
of Virginia. Notes on habitat, occurrence
in Virginia, and ecological significance are from the Flora of Virginia (page numbers indicated). The numbers, corresponding to the references
given below the organism list, indicate the reference(s) that the organism.
Natives
American Pondweed (Potamogeton
nodosus) – “...ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers...infrequent.” (p. 1136)
Common Waterweed (Elodea
canadensis) – “Slow...waters of rivers and streams; tidal freshwater
aquatic beds in the Coastal Plain.... Frequent
in the mountains; infrequent in Piedmont and Coastal Plain.” (p. 1132)
Eelgrass (Zostera
marina) – “...tidal aquatic beds of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
...Infrequent in the outer Coastal Plain but often abundant where found.” (p.
1360)
Horned Pondweed (Zanichellia
palustris) – “...tidal aquatic beds of the Chesapeake Bay and its
tributaries; ...ponds and sluggish streams in the mountains. ...Infrequent to
locally common in the Coastal Plain.” (p.
1340)
(Common) Hornwort (or Coontail) (Ceratophyllum demsersum) – “Submerged in tidal aquatic beds,...tidal
marshes, ponds, and sluggish streams; ....
Locally common in estuarine waters of the Coastal Plain; rare in the
Piedmont and mountains.” (p. 500)
Muskgrass (a group of algae species: Chara spp.) – not included in Flora
of Virginia.
Redhead Grass (Potamogeton
pefoliatus) – “Tidal aquatic beds; also nontidal waters. Infrequent in the Coastal Plain.” (p. 1337)
Ribbonleaf Pondweed (Potamogeton
epihydrus) – “Ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers.... Infrequent and local throughout, except
absent from southwestern Virginia.” (p. 1335)
Sago Pondweed (Stuckenia
pectinata) – “...ponds, lakes, and estuaries. Infrequent; scattered throughout the state;
locally common, especially in brackish maritime ponds and estuaries.” (p. 1339)
Sea Lettuce (a species of algae: Ulva lactuca) – not included in Flora
of Virginia.
Shoal Grass (Holodule
wrightii) – Not included in Flora of
Virginia; for more information, see this
link.
Slender Pondweed (Potamogeton
pusillus) – “Ponds, lakes, and streams...infrequent throughout.” (p. 1338)
Southern or Common Naiad (or Bushy Pondweed) (Najas guadalupensis) – “Rivers, streams, and impoundments...Infrequent,
scattered throughout.” (p. 1134)
Water Stargrass (Heteranthera
dubia) – Slow to medium-gradient rivers and large streams Locally common in the Piedmont and mountains,
especially along the Potomac, Shenandoah, James, New and Clinch rivers. (p. 1332
(Large) Water-starwort (Callitriche
heterophylla) – Swamps, floodplain pools and ponds, upland depression
swamps and ponds, impoundments, ditches, and muddy ruts; typically in shallowly
seasonally flooded habitats.... Frequent
in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont; more local in the mountains.” (p. 780)
Widgeon Grass (Ruppia
maritima) – “...tidal aquatic beds of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries;
pools in salt marshes and salt pannes. Locally
common in the lower estuarine and maritime zones of the Coastal Plain.” (p. 1340)
Wild Celery (Vallisneria
americana) – Slow or still waters of rivres, lakes, and...estuaries.... Infrequent but locally common throughout.” (p.
1135)
Non-natives
Alligator-weed (Alternanthera
philoxeroides) – “Alluvial and tidal swamps, canals, sloughs, ditches, and
ponds. ...In the past several decades,
this weedy, introduced, semiaquatic species has spread and become rampantly
invasive in parts of southeastern Virginia; its continued spread into new areas
can be expected.” (p. 211)
Curly Pondweed (Potamogeton
crispus) – “Ponds, lakes, and streams....
Frequent and locally common throughout the mountains and in scattered
areas of the Piedmont and Coastal Plan; a problematic, invasive exotic in
favorable aquatic habitats.” (p. 1335)
Eurasian Water-milfoil (Myriophyllum
spicatum) – “Tidal swamps, ...tidal aquatic beds, ponds, disturbed tidal
(or formerly tidal) habitats. Mostly
infrequent or rare, and scattered throughout; locally abundant in tidal reaches
of the Potomac River and its major tributaries, in Back Bay, and possibly other
estuaries.” – p. 636)
Hydrilla (Hydrilla
verticillata) – “Still or slow waters of ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers
(nontidal or tidal). Infrequent
throughout but usually abundant where found; most current records are from the
Piedmont, but the species is rapidly spreading and can be expected in new
areas. One of our most invasive aquatic
weeds, often clogging waterways and boat motors and outcompeting native
aquatics.” (p. 1132) Additional note 10/19/16: For more on Hydrilla in the Potomac River, please What’s up with the green stuff invading the Potomac River?,
Washington Post, 10/15/16.
Parrot Feather (or Brazilian Water-milfoil) (Myriophyllum brasiliense or aquaticum) –
“Swamps, ponds, ditches, sluggish streams and rivers. Infrequent to locally common in the coastal
Plain and Piedmont; rare in the mountains.
This invasive exotic appears to be actively spreading and increasing in
abundance.” (p. 635)
South American Elodea (or Brazilian Waterweed) (Egeria densa or Elodea densa in some sources)
– “Sluggish or still water in rivers (nontidal or tidal, streams, and
impoundments. Infrequent to rare
throughout, but often locally common where found; most frequent in southwestern
Virginia.” (p. 1131)
Spiny Naiad (or Spinyleaf Naiad, Brittle Naiad) (Najas minor) – Ponds and lakes. This introduced species is rapidly spreading
in Virginia and is quite tolerant of polluted waters.” (p. 1134)
Sources
for This List
Chesapeake Bay Program, “Field Guide of Bay Grasses,” online
at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/categories/category/bay_grasses_sav.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, “Guide to Underwater Grasses,” undated,
online at http://www.cbf.org/Document.Doc?id=188.
L.M. Hurley, Field
Guide to the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation of the Chesapeake Bay, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (PB 90-187402), Annapolis, Md., 1990.
Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson, Life in the Chesapeake Bay, 3rd
Ed., Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Md., 2006.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, “Bay Grass
Identification Key,” online at http://dnr2.maryland.gov/waters/bay/Pages/sav/key.aspx.
Alan S. Weakley et al.,
Flora of Virginia, BRIT
Press/Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, 2012.
SOURCES USED IN AUDIO AND FOR MORE INFORMATION
Peter W. Bergstrom et al., Underwater Grasses in Chesapeake Bay & Mid-Atlantic Coastal Waters: Guide to Identifying Submerged Aquatic Vegetation, University of Maryland Sea Grant Publications, College Park, Md., 2006. Information about this 76-page guide is available online at http://ww2.mdsg.umd.edu/store/books/sav/index.php.
Karl Blankenship, Bay grasses make a comeback but annual survey is in jeopardy, Bay Journal, 7/10/16.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, “Guide to Underwater Grasses,” undated, online at http://www.cbf.org/Document.Doc?id=188.
Chesapeake Bay Program, “Bay Grasses,” online at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/issue/bay_grasses; “Underwater Bay Grass Abundance (Baywide),” online at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/indicators/indicator/bay_grass_abundance_baywide; and online field guide Bay grasses, July 2016, at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/categories/category/bay_grasses_sav.
L.M. Hurley, Field Guide to the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation of the Chesapeake Bay, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (PB 90-187402), Annapolis, Md., 1990.
Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson, Life in the Chesapeake Bay, 3rd Ed., Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Md., 2006.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, “Bay Grass Identification Key,” online at http://dnr2.maryland.gov/waters/bay/Pages/sav/key.aspx.
Alan S. Weakley, et al., Flora of Virginia, BRIT Press/Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, 2012; information about the Flora of Virginia Project is available online at http://floraofvirginia.org/.
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, “Chesapeake Bay Report Card,” online at http://ecoreportcard.org/report-cards/chesapeake-bay/.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, "SAV in Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bays," online at http://web.vims.edu/bio/sav/.
RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES
All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html)
Previous episodes on the Chesapeake Bay include the following:
Episode 279 - 8/24/15
Episode 280 – 9/7/15
Episode 305 – 2/29/16.
A previous episode on aquatic and wetland plants is the following:
Episode 146 – 1/28/13.
SOLS INFORMATION FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS
This episode may help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science Standards of Learning (SOLs):
Grades K-6 Earth Resources Theme
4.9 - Va. natural resources, including watersheds, water resources, and organisms.
Grades K-6 Living Systems Theme
2.5 - living things as part of a system, including habitats.
3.5 - food webs.
4.5 - ecosystem interactions and human influences on ecosystem.
6.7 - natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems; Va. watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; and water monitoring.
Life Science Course
LS. 4 - organisms’ classification based on features.
LS.6 - ecosystem interactions, including the water cycle, other cycles, and energy flow.
LS.8 - community and population interactions, including food webs, niches, symbiotic relationships.
LS. 10 - changes over time in ecosystems, communities, and populations, and factors affecting those changes.
LS.11 - relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.
Earth Science Course
ES.8 - influences by geologic processes and the activities of humans on freshwater resources, including identification of groundwater and major watershed systems in Virginia.
ES.10 – ocean processes, interactions, and policies affecting coastal zones, including Chesapeake Bay.
Biology Course
BIO.8 - dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.
The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social Studies SOLs:
Civics and Economics Course
CE.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
World Geography Course
WG.2 - how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.
WG.10 - cooperation among political jurisdictions to solve problems and settle disputes.
Government Course
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.
