Editing Chesapeake Bay (section)

==Flora and fauna==
[[File:Chesapeake Waterbird Food Web.jpg|thumb|right|[[Food chain]] diagram for waterbirds of the Chesapeake Bay]]
The Chesapeake Bay is home to numerous fauna that either migrate to the bay at some point during the year or live there year-round. There are over 300 species of fish and numerous [[shellfish]] and crab species. Some of these include the [[Atlantic menhaden]], [[striped bass]], [[American eel]], [[eastern oyster]], [[Atlantic horseshoe crab]], and the [[Callinectes sapidus|blue crab]].<ref>{{cite book |title=A Comprehensive List of Chesapeake Bay Basin Species |date=2007 |publisher=Chesapeake Bay Program |url=https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo61614 |access-date=11 October 2015}}</ref>

Birds include [[osprey]]s, [[great blue heron]]s, [[bald eagle]]s,<ref name=twsT18>{{cite news |author=Elton Dunn, Demand Media |title=Chesapeake Bay Kayak Tours |newspaper=USA Today |date=2011-04-20 |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/chesapeake-bay-kayak-tours-2207.html |access-date=2011-04-20 |archive-date=2023-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601102801/https://traveltips.usatoday.com/chesapeake-bay-kayak-tours-2207.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[peregrine falcon]]s, the last two of which were threatened by [[DDT]]; their numbers plummeted but have risen in recent years.<ref name=ESAC>{{cite journal |last=Blankenship |first=Karl |date=September 1995 |title=Endangered Species Around the Chesapeake |volume=5 |issue=6 |url=http://www.bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=916 |journal=Chesapeake Bay Journal |access-date=2011-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623020828/http://bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=916 |archive-date=2011-06-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[piping plover]] is a [[near threatened]] species that inhabits the wetlands.<ref name=ESAC/>

Larger fish such as [[Atlantic sturgeon]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/atlantic_sturgeon |title=Atlantic Sturgeon |publisher=Chesapeake Bay Program |access-date=December 21, 2014 |archive-date=November 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108034822/http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/atlantic_sturgeon |url-status=dead}}</ref> varieties of sharks,<ref>The Chesapeake Bay News. 2010. [http://www.chesapeakebay.net/blog/post/are_there_sharks_in_the_chesapeake_bay Are there sharks in the Chesapeake Bay?]. Retrieved on December 21. 2014</ref><ref>Shinkman D.P. [http://wtop.com/news/2012/08/sharks-in-the-chesapeake-more-likely-than-thought/slide/1/ Sharks in the Chesapeake: More likely than thought]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220224520/http://wtop.com/news/2012/08/sharks-in-the-chesapeake-more-likely-than-thought/slide/1/ |date=2014-12-20 }}. The [[WTOP-FM]]. Retrieved on December 21. 2014</ref> and [[stingray]]s visit the Chesapeake Bay.<ref name=LifeInTheChesapeakeBay /> The waters of the Chesapeake Bay have been regarded as one of the most important nursery areas for sharks along the east coast.<ref name=TNA>The National Aquarium. [http://www.aqua.org/care/a-blue-view/14-10-21-sharks-among-us Sharks Among Us: Chesapeake Bay Species] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024192911/http://www.aqua.org/care/a-blue-view/14-10-21-sharks-among-us |date=2014-10-24 }}. Retrieved on December 22. 2014</ref> [[Megafauna]]s such as [[bull shark]]s, [[tiger shark]]s, [[scalloped hammerhead shark]]s, and [[basking shark]]s<ref name=TNA /> and [[manta ray]]s are also known to visit. Smaller species of sharks and stingrays that are known to be regular to occasional residents in the bay include the [[smooth dogfish]], [[spiny dogfish]], [[cownose ray]], and [[bonnethead]].

[[Bottlenose dolphin]]s are known to live seasonally/yearly in the bay.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/bottlenose_dolphin |title=Bottlenose Dolphin |publisher=Chesapeake Bay Program |access-date=December 21, 2014 |archive-date=December 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221184415/http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/bottlenose_dolphin |url-status=dead}}</ref> There have been unconfirmed sightings of [[humpback whale]]s in recent years.<ref>O'BRIEN D.. 1992. [https://www.baltimoresun.com/1992/03/15/whale-in-chesapeake-provides-reminders-about-nature/ Whale in Chesapeake Provides Reminders About Nature] . ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''. Retrieved on December 21. 2014</ref><ref>The Southside Sentinel. 2010.  [http://www.ssentinel.com/index.php/community/article/whale_sighted_in_the_chesapeake_bay/ Whale sighted in the Chesapeake Bay] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220230629/http://www.ssentinel.com/index.php/community/article/whale_sighted_in_the_chesapeake_bay/ |date=2014-12-20 }}. Retrieved on December 21. 2014</ref> Endangered [[North Atlantic right whale]]<ref>[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]. 2010. [http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20101101_shipstrike.html NOAA: Ship Speed Restrictions to Protect Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales]. Retrieved on December 22. 2014</ref> and [[fin whale|fin]], and [[Minke whale|minke]] and [[sei whale|sei]] whales have also been sighted within and in the vicinity of the bay.<ref name=LifeInTheChesapeakeBay />

A male [[manatee]] visited the bay several times between 1994 and 2011, even though the area is north of the species' normal range. The manatee, recognizable due to distinct markings on its body, was nicknamed "Chessie" after a [[Chessie (sea monster)|legendary sea monster]] that was allegedly sighted in the bay during the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesapeakebay.net/blog/post/four_rare_chesapeake_bay_oddities_to_learn_about_this_leap_year |title=Four rare Chesapeake Bay "oddities" to learn about this leap year |publisher=Chesapeake Bay Program |date=February 27, 2012 |access-date=December 21, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2011-07-15-bs-gr-manatee-20110715-story.html |title=Chessie the manatee is back in the Bay |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |date=July 15, 2011 |author1=Kilar, Steve |author2=Wheeler, Timothy B. |access-date=January 29, 2017 |archive-date=September 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923190436/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-07-15/features/bs-gr-manatee-20110715_1_manatee-beck-usgs |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2011/10/fieldwork5.html |title=Famous Manatee "Chessie" Sighted in Chesapeake Bay After Long Absence |work=Sound Waves |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |date=September 2011 |author1=Beck, Cathy |author2=Pawlitz, Rachel |author3=Bloomer, Jen |access-date=January 29, 2017 |archive-date=November 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171104062319/https://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2011/10/fieldwork5.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The same manatee has been spotted as far north as [[Rhode Island]], and was the first manatee known to travel so far north.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2006/09/research2.html |title=Manatee Traveler in Northeastern Waters Not Chessie |work=Sound Waves |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |date=September 2006 |author1=Hamilton, Hannah |author2=Puckett, Catherine |access-date=January 29, 2017 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202054640/https://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2006/09/research2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other manatees are occasionally seen in the bay and its tributaries, which contain sea grasses that are part of the manatee's diet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/07/16/manatee-spotted-in-tributary-off-chesapeake-bay-near-waldorf-md/ |title=Manatee spotted in tributary off Chesapeake Bay near Waldorf, Md. |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 16, 2015 |author=Hedgpeth, Dana |access-date=January 29, 2017}}</ref>

[[Loggerhead turtle]]s are known to visit the bay.<ref name=LifeInTheChesapeakeBay>{{citation|author1=Lippson J.A. |author2=Lippson L.R. |year=2006 |title=Life in the Chesapeake Bay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BhCbWmyKrZcC&q=chesapeake%20bay%20whale&pg=PA280 |pages=275–281 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |access-date=2014-12-21 |isbn=9780801883385 }}{{dead link|date=March 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The Chesapeake Bay is also home to a diverse flora, both land and aquatic. Common [[submerged aquatic vegetation]] includes [[Zostera|eelgrass]] and [[Ruppia maritima|widgeon grass]]. A report in 2011 suggested that information on underwater grasses would be released, because "submerged grasses provide food and habitat for a number of species, adding oxygen to the water and improving water clarity."<ref name=twsT31>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Chesapeake Bay Program to release new data on underwater grasses in bay, rivers |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 20, 2011 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/chesapeake-bay-program-to-release-new-data-on-underwater-grasses-in-bay-rivers/2011/04/20/AFDaghAE_story.html |access-date= 2011-04-20}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Other vegetation that makes its home in other parts of the bay are [[wild rice]], various trees like the [[red maple]], [[Pinus taeda|loblolly pine]] and [[bald cypress]], and [[spartina]] grass and [[phragmites]].<ref>Domes S., Lewis M., Moran R., Nyman D.. "Chesapeake Bay Wetlands". Emporia State University. May 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-14.</ref> [[Invasive species|Invasive plants]] have taken a significant foothold in the bay. Plants such as Phragmites, Purple loosestrife and Japanese stiltgrass have established high levels of permanency in Chesapeake wetlands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wetlands |url=https://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/whats-at-risk/wetlands |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Chesapeake Bay |language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, plants such as [[Egeria densa|Brazilian waterweed]], native to South America, have spread to most continents with the help of aquarium owners, who often dump the contents of their aquariums into nearby lakes and streams. It is highly invasive and has the potential to flourish in the low-salinity tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Dense stands of Brazilian waterweed can restrict water movement, trap sediment and affect water quality. Various local K-12 schools in the Maryland and Virginia region often have programs that cultivate native bay grasses and plant them in the bay.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}