Rosa Teal

Sci/275
Balancing Ecosystems

Balancing Ecosystems

To Whom It May Concern:

Being the new appointee of this project on the grass carp, it has been brought to my
attention that in the town of Glimmer Ville have been experiencing some of the
same similar problem in their ecosystems as well due to the over populated grass
carp. In the beginning it was essential or the longevity of the grass carp being
added into our reservoir to get the overgrowth of vegetation in our waters due to a
particular fertilizer that is used by our farmers. Unknowing to our community these
fish grow and populate at tremendous rates and have since been pushing our game
fish and other species completely out. The bass and other game and species of fish
are a vital part of the success of our aquatic ecosystem and the economy of our
community as well.
Being brought on board to this address the situation in our community as whole we
had to address first a balance order of our reservoir there are any options to weigh.
First order we had to acquire an understanding of what a balanced ecosystem was
and what consisted of achieving that goal. An ecosystem is a balance homeostasis
or in other words known as meaning the same. Organisms that are like in the sense
help balance the ecosystem and keep it in the natural order of things. Growth and
reduction factors work hand and hand to make the system run smoothly. Growth
factors allow a species say such as predators to grow and multiply whereas
reduction factors allow for decrease in such numbers. There are also natural factors
that play a part in then scenario as well such as climate change, rainfall and of
course temperature. The grass carp grew into to great numbers at such a fast rate
because biotic factors.
The carp, being such an abrasive species impact our ecosystem in two ways, they
reduce the over growth of vegetation in the reservoirs and they also push out at a
high volume any other species of fish which includes the bass which is the top
predator in our waters. The role of the bass being that it is a native fish in these
waters they consume smaller fish and other reproductive species keeping them in
order. As well as the role they play as a predator they can also become at times
problem by consuming too many smaller fish and causes others to die off because
of lack of food.

In understanding how to successfully produce a solution we also have to understand

the two main objectives in the equation which are the carp and the bass. The carp
are not a native species unlike the bass to our waters. But since the introduction of
the carp it has make the balance of our ecosystem become unbalanced and in
danger, thus we must devise a solution that will allow the ecosystem to thrive
naturally while allowing the carp to control the vegetation and the farmers to
continue to use the fertilizer that is sustaining the food in our community. Also there
must be a balanced flow of energy within our ecosystem in order or our aquatic
community to thrive successfully again. Without a correct balance it could continue
to allow the invasive species to thrive while pushing out the native species.
So there are four possible solutions to our problem 1. Introducing the native fish
back into the ecosystem to balance out the invasive species. By increasing the
numbers it will attract fisherman and tournament fishing to fulfill economy needs. 2.
Acquire Asian industries interesting in purchasing the carp which will control
numbers but may however put a strain on our economy due to importing. 3.
Finding a known predator to the carp and introducing the species in the ecosystem
to control numbers. 4. Find a less abrasive fertilizer to control vegetation growth in
the waters, but the downfall may decrease food supply to sustain our community.
If as a whole we fail to maintain the problems we have put upon our ecosystem we
may soon see irreversible and devastating results. It is imperative to begin a plan
of action in order to restoring the natural order of our ecosystem.