PREFACE 



The Chesapeake Bay Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

 has as a principal objective the development of a Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Manage- 

 ment Plan. A major problem for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and other agen- 

 cies that are responsible for the living resources in the Bay has been the significant decline 

 in the submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). It is hypothesized that the reduction in abun- 

 dance and distribution of SAV is the result of changes in water quality. 



Through an interagency agreement, FWS and EPA are cooperating to develop informa- 

 tion concerning the ecology and value of SAV in the Chesapeake Bay. To serve as a base 

 of reference, A Conceptual Ecological Model for Chesapeake Bay was devised to indicate 

 the major components of the ecosystem and to illustrate their interrelationships. Funding 

 to support this report was provided by Region 3, Chesapeake Bay Program, EPA, through the 

 coordinating efforts of the Office of Biological Services, FWS. 



Any suggestions or questions regarding this publication should be directed to: 



Information Transfer Specialist 

 National Coastal Ecosystems Team 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

 National Space Technology Laboratories 

 NSTL Station, Miss. 39529 



This report should be cited as follows: 



Green, K. A. 1978. A conceptual ecological model for Chesapeake Bay. U.S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service, Biological Services Program. FWS/OBS-78/69. 22 pp. 



IV 



