I was delighted to read something about a topic other than trees and plants. Although they aren’t a bad thing to read about, its refreshing for something new. It was interesting to learn how many different types of organisms live in the marsh and waters surrounding Manhattan. It is a habitat for fish, shellfish, insects, plants, and others. There is so much diversity in the landscape (water, sand, marsh) that this is possible to sustain. Living very close to the Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay, I can relate to what I am reading as I encounter a lot of these organisms on a daily basis when I’m at the beach or exploring other wetlands nearby.
It seems to be a self sustaining ecosystem as there is a seemingly never ending chain on the food pyramid. From raccoons digging up sand creatures to large fish eating smaller ones, it seems almost self sustaining. However, human intrusion has ruined the peaceful cycle that once was. Human interaction creates random die offs of species because of changes of pH in the waters, fishing and hunting practices, as well as sewage dumping. One example of this is the sewage can cause a rapid decrease in oxygen levels in the water. A decrease in oxygen will inhibit the necessity respiration and cause a mass die off of organisms within the ecosystem.
Reading about all different issues that humans cause by interacting with once 100% natural land makes me wonder if we are really doing a bad thing for the big picture. I agree with the point that we have done harm to places that were once fruitful, but what I question is are we only doing what is necessary for our own survival as well. We are using all the bodies of water surrounding us to harbor ships, get food, and dispose of wastes that would otherwise cause great harm to our livelihood. All these things are being done to be able to sustain human life in its current state. If we didn’t use these bodies of water, the advancement of our species would be much farther behind. This all bears the questions of “is what we are doing worth it in the long run as much as it is in the short?” and “is harming one body of water not a problem if we are preserving another?”.
