The Bay and its surrounding watershed provide ideal growing conditions for numerous plants and suitable homes for many types of animals. It's estimated that more than 2,700 species of plants grow in the Bay watershed. Without these plants, the Bay ecosystem would not exist. Plants produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis. Using energy from the sun, carbon dioxide and water are combined to form high-energy organic compounds.
Plants are the ecosystem's primary food producers.
All other organisms in the system must feed, directly or indirectly, on the organic material produced by plants. Many plants also serve as habitat. For example, underwater Bay grasses function as protection for young finfish and blue crabs . It's difficult to estimate exactly how many species of animals are in the Bay watershed at any given time. Because animals use different parts of the watershed for different purposes, the number fluctuates constantly.