H2O Project Research Questions: Revised

Question 1: What role does water play in the plant and animal ecosystem in Pacific Beach?
The only way an ecosystem works is if everything moves around in one giant cycle. Outside environment can affect the water, which can in turn affect the outside environment. If the water is inhabited by a certain animal, then a land based creature that eats that animal may migrate near to the water so they can feed on that particular creature. Animals aren't the only ones affected by this cycle, either. Plants are a huge part of the process. They need water to survive, so it's far more likely that more plant life will grow near a body of water. There are likely to be more trees, grass, and plants. The beaches would be covered in plant-life, except that humans continue to trample the areas in which seeds are trying to grow. As a result, Pacific beach, much like most beaches, looks relatively barren down near the water - it's all just sand.

Question 2: What outside forces affect the water at Pacific Beach and how?
The main way environment affects the water nearby it is through pollution. When the water gets polluted, either through the air around it or from litter, it affects the quality of the water, and can kill life inside it. Once this happens, it can ruin the whole food chain inside the water. In Pacific Beach, many of the plankton in the water die off due to pollution. As a result of this, the creature that eats the plankton will die, and then the creature that eats that creature will die. This completely throws off the ecosystem. Also, the presence of people in the water is enough to drive many living creatures away, who might otherwise be inhabiting that area.