The physical processes that drive the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem sustain the many habitats and organisms found there.
Complex relationships exist among the living resources of the Bay watershed.
Even the smallest of creatures plays a vital role in the overall health and production of the Bay. Forests and wetlands around the Bay and the entire watershed filter sediments and pollutants while supporting birds , mammals , and fish . Small fish and crabs find shelter and food among lush beds of underwater Bay grasses . Unnoticed by the naked eye, phytoplankton and microzooplankton drift with the currents, becoming food for copepods and small fish. Clams and oysters pump Bay water through their gills, filtering out both plankton and sediment.