Biotic Components

Biotic Components

Biotic Components of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge
Bart Anderson
University of Phoenix
SCI / 256
Kristen Hagen
1/26/2010

    Since the mid 1800’s, the Pacific Northwest has seen both gradual and drastic changes to the natural scenery, resources, and wildlife once abundant in different areas. Over the past few decades residents and conservationists have spearheaded efforts to restore and revive waning plant and wildlife populations native to the region.   The Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1992, lies in the floodplain of the Tualatin River basin and is a testament to the valiant efforts in rectifying the damage humankind has caused in this area which is rich in habitat diversity and complexity.   Even though humans, over time, have drastically affected the biochemical cycles in this ecosystem and seriously disrupted the dynamics of the food chain, heightened awareness of these problems have allowed diminishing plant and animal life to bounce back from near collapse and, in many cases, flourish once again.  
    In the past, the dumping of raw sewage, clear cutting of trees and shrubs along the Tualatin River, the construction boom throughout the Tualatin River Valley, and the pollution and litter that comes with an encroaching human population almost destroyed the interconnecting habitats in and around the river and its surrounding wetlands. Not only did the elimination of trees and shrubs along the riverbanks drastically diminish the water’s ability to be filtered of toxins by their roots, but it also created a giant fracture in the area’s biota.   Large scale construction removed vital vegetation from the area and drained the wetlands and flood plains, eliminating crucial nesting grounds and food sources for a great variety of animal life, while at the same time, causing mass erosion along the riverbanks.   With the absence of these swampy low-lying areas, large amounts of rain water, pesticides and other harmful...