Existing comment:
Life In The Inland Sea:
Few Species: Great Abundance:
Mono Lake's food chain is simple. Bacteria break down decaying matter, providing nutrients for tiny plants called algae. Brine shrimp and alkali flies eat the algae, and are themselves eaten by birds.
Although there are few species, they are incredibly productive. Trillions of shrimp hatch yearly, providing food for millions of birds.
Vital Yet Endangered:
Abundance does not guarantee stability, however. A simple food chain is vulnerable to environmental damage. For instance, if the brine shrimp died out, huge flocks of birds would starve. The Mono Lake brine shrimp, a species unique to Mono Lake, and alkali flies have adapted to the lake's harsh chemistry over thousands of years. If that chemistry changes too much or too quickly, they will become extinct. For example, between 1941 (when stream diversions began) and 1941, Mono Lake lost half its volume of water and doubled in salinity. Research shows that as a salinity increases, the shrimp and alkali flies become less and less productive, until finally the species cannot continue to survive at Mono Lake. |