What is an aquatic ecosystem?
Agenda for Tuesday Sept 20th 1.Outside to collect water samples/data2.Finish aquatic ecosystem presentations
Learning Targets1. Describe a pond and its characteristics2. Identify parameters that constitute a healthy
pond/wetland
Rivers and streams
• Start at headwater and flow to mouth
• Characteristic change as you go down a river– Slow water vs fast water– Plants and animals differ
Lakes and Ponds• 4 zones– Littoral – sunlight reaches the bottom, closest to shore– Limnetic – open water area that well lit (sunlight does
not reach bottom)– Profundal – no light, colder– Benthic - bottom
What makes a healthy pond?
Agenda for Wednesday Sept 21st 1.Finish notes2.Testing
Learning Targets1.Describe a pond and its characteristics2.Identify parameters that constitute a healthy
podn/wetland
Transitional Aquatic Ecosystems• Wetlands• Estuaries– Freshwater merges with saltwater (river to ocean)– Salt tolerant species– Used for nurseries for young
Marine Ecosystem
• Intertidal zone – Ocean meets land– Organisms are adapted to
changes – tide
• Open ocean ecosystem– 4 zones – photic, aphotic,
benthic, abyssal– Species diversity decreases
with depth
Marine Ecosystem
• Coastal ocean and coral reefs– Most diverse ecosystems– Protect shorelines from erosion– Sensitive to change
Ponds/Wetlands• Also known as marshes, bogs, swamps
• A lot of species– Amphibians, reptiles, birds, insects, mammals– MN, 43% endangered/threatened species use wetlands
• Benefits– Recreation (hunt, bird watch, fish)– Improve water quality (absorb contaminants and N2)
– Help control flooding
List 2 uses for a pond/wetland
Agenda for Thursday Sept 22nd 1.Finish testing/looking for organisms2.Go over chemical testing – what does it mean3.Start research
Learning Targets1.Describe a pond and its characteristics2.Identify parameters that constitute a healthy
pond/wetland
Chemical testing – what does it mean?• pH– normal range for most ponds is from 6.8 to 7.8– natural daily fluctuations– Limestone raises pH
• Dissolved Oxygen– About 10 ppm is normal– DO below 3 ppm stress most warmwater species of fish– below 2 ppm will kill some species/stress fish
Nitrogen• Sources– Fish waste– Too many fish in a body of water that is too small– Fertilizer run-off– Decaying plants and insects
• High Levels = increased plant growth– Eutrophication – rapid plant growth• Uses oxygen and gives off toxins• Kills plants/animals
Phosphate
• Sources– living and decaying plant and animal remains– Sediments, soils, rocks– partially treated and untreated sewage,– runoff from agricultural sites – some lawn fertilizers
• Levels
Phosphate
• Importance– key element necessary for growth of plants and
animals • growth limiting nutrient
– low levels limit the production of freshwater systems – Unlike nitrogen, phosphate is retained in the soil – Not toxic unless they are present in very high levels
PhosphateTable 7. Phosphate-phosphorus levels and effects
Total phosphate/ phosphorus* Effects
0.01-0.03 mg/L Amount of phosphate-phosphorus in most uncontaminated lakes
0.025 mg/L Accelerates the eutrophication process in lakes
0.1 mg/L Recommended maximum for rivers and streams
* If an orthophosphate test cube or ortho/metaphosphate color disk gives you values above the total phosphate/ phosphorous values given above, there is cause for concern.
What happens when there is too much phosphorous in a pond?
Agenda for Friday Sept 23rd 1.Finish notes2.Start research
Learning Targets1.Describe a pond and its characteristics2.Identify parameters that constitute a healthy
pond/wetland
Animals
• Predictable results• Invertebrates are relatively sedentary and representative of local
conditions• Large number of species involved
– Exhibit a range of sensitivities to contaminants
• Ubiquitous• Fish and other aquatic organisms are used sometimes
What does it mean if our pond is very diverse?
Agenda for Monday Sept 26th 1.Finish research and presentation
Quiz Wednesday
Learning Targets1.Describe a pond and its characteristics2. Identify parameters that constitute a healthy
pond/wetland
Research• Look up information about ponds/wetlands– Specific to MN and other places– Animals, chemical testing requirements– Other (uses for ponds, habitats for specific organisms)
• Compare to our pond– Draw conclusions – how does our pond compare?– Is it healthy? Why or why not– What could we do to improve?