Mississippi River Delta Food Web
Wetland
Southern Louisiana, United States — Gulf of Mexico
Description
The Mississippi River Delta is a vast coastal wetland system where the largest North American river meets the Gulf of Mexico. This productive estuary supports major shrimp, oyster, and menhaden fisheries. Coastal land loss from subsidence, reduced sediment supply, and sea level rise is shrinking the wetland base of this food web.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Delta bacteria
Fiddler crabs
Polychaete worms
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Bottlenose dolphin
American alligator
Bald eagle
3 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Redfish
Blue crab
Brown pelican
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
White shrimp
Mullet
Nutria
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Spartina grass
Phytoplankton
Submerged aquatic vegetation
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- River-borne nutrients fuel phytoplankton production in the coastal zone
- Nutria overgrazing accelerates marsh erosion and land loss
- Shrimp migrate between marsh nurseries and open Gulf waters as they mature
- Seasonal hypoxic dead zones force mobile species to migrate or perish