Cody's+Journal

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My group chose to do an ecological study on this place because we thought it'd be an interesting place to examine. The constant change in environment due to the erosion and disruption of life by humans make it a prime spot to research, taking note of the change and the effect on the wildlife that live in the area. The river is the spot we chose to examine most closely, but we're also taking note of the beach. The river used to be connected to the ocean, but over time sand had built up and dammed the river. This had made the water stagnant - a prime spot for bacteria and fungi to grow. Due to this, the river has become an ecosystem in itself. My partner and I both live in Kaneohe, which also made this project a bit more convenient for the both of us.

The notes below this are just what I put down on my paper that I felt was important (I was mainly taking pictures). The main species of fish that populate the water is talapia. They are able to survive of the fungi and other organic sources of food that happen to find its way into the water. The birds and pigeons seem to eat the fish as well, patrolling the side of the river. Strangely enough, we saw that some of the fish actually followed the bird around (don't know why... sorry). Some of the local fauna that we found was Pine, Naupaka, and Coconut. The erosion of the beach nearby main eventually lead to the destruction of the "natural" dam. This would therefore relink the stream to the ocean and would probably devastate the population. Most of the fungi in the water requires a stagnant environment in order to prosper, after all.

- Stream was cut off from the ocean - Fungi growing under bridge and towards the deeper part of the water - Talapia populate the stream - Birds and pigeons would follow the fish (predator) - Fish would sometimes follow the birds (?) - Pine Trees (w/ cones), Naupaka, Coconut were located around the stream - Erosion of beach taking place nearby stream (can see cinder blocks) - Stream goes as far as Enchanted Lake -

After coming back here for a second examination of the area, I only saw a difference in water levels and the turbidity of the water. The fish were sticking to the center, but it was hard to tell because it was so brown and murky. The plant life that we found at the first visit was still there, and sand was still blocking off the steam from getting to the ocean. The water levels rose about 1 and a half feet, probably due to high tide with the moon and it being winter and all. I think my partner and I are going to experiment on how the murkiness of the water affects the fish (pH, oxygen, liveliness of food sources). I've already looked at some websites to give me an idea of what to expect, so I'll compare those with what I find at the stream.

At the third observation, I water levels were consistent with what they were at the previous observation. Talapia were lively and water was still murky :) I looked at some sites to find out the average pH levels of water normally, and it showed that oxygen levels in kailua waterways were in horrible condition - oxygen couldn't be found until half way down. I didn't get to take a test of the water as I didn't have the required materials to do so, but I did record down the condition of the fish during the examination. They were all in good condition, staying close to the inside of the lake. I had to walk to towards the center to see them through the mud and the sand. The other things that I noted was the trash hanging around the bridge (homeless people live under the bridge, so their stuff is bound to fall in the water at one point or another). I also noted where the algae grew most - in the darkest, deepest areas of the stream. Tons of algae could be found under the bridge and at it's foundations and it could also be found in the center of the lake, where the murk and debris collected. This is possibly the reason as to why the fish aren't too active. They stay in the center because that is where their food source is, not because the birds or other predators are cornering them there. They also behave in a lazy fashion because they don't have to expend energy to get the food since they're already so close.

After going to the observation site for the fourth time, I was surprised to see the ENORMOUS changes in the environment. After the huge amount of rain, the sand dune that was once blocking of the stream to the ocean was completely gone. The stream had been reconnected to the ocean, but the water was opacity was high. I couldn't see the bottom of the water from the edges at all, and there were no fish in sight. The sand had probably fell into the river. At this time I also took pH readings of the water in the stream and the ocean to compare them. It turns out that the pH levels were only different by .3. I also could see that the water levels at the beach were a lot lower. They seem to had lowered back to their normal height since most of the water had been displaced into the ocean. A lot of things changed over a the period of a day.

Below are the Assigned Journal Entries I took after going to the observation site for the past few weeks. Feel free to download them and take a look at what I found out.

Journals - 1) Talks about the zone my partner and I picked for this project and what we found at first glance. 2) Talks about the intereactions I see with the organisms in that environment (direct or indirect) 3) Talks about what drives Natural Selection in my eco-zone. 4) Talks about how the Carbon Cycle works in my eco-zone.