Learn about environmental issues, their affect on your community and actions for your involvement.

Reconnect with your environmentSP23485

Check out these websitesto learn more:

www.glerl.noaa.gov/http://games.noaa.gov/oscar/www.paseagrant.org

You can read about developments thataffect our environment in the dailynewspaper. Have you read about anyproblems that might affect the Lake ErieFood Web? Can you think of solutions orknow someone who has participated in anactivity to protect the Lake ErieEcosystem? Sendyour ideas forpossible publicationin the weekly “YourSpace” to axm40@psu.edu.

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Why study the Lake Erie FoodWeb? Understanding this foodweb is important for protect-ing key populations from over-fishing, global warming, habitatdestruction and other problemsthat could result in food scarci-ties and extinction.

Food webs distinguish levels

of producers and consumersby identifying and defining theimportance of animal relation-ships and food sources, begin-ning with primary producerssuch as plants, insects and her-bivores. Each organism aboveis connected to and depends onothersforfood.Toomuchproduc-

tionorconsumptionofanyoftheproducersorconsumersdisruptsthis balance.

Knowing how these speciesinterrelate is critical for under-standing how natural and man-made environmental pressuresaffect ecosystems. Invasive spe-cies and destructive pollution

(toxic chemicals such as PCBs,DDT, mercury, and selenium)can break or alter the foodchain. Nutrient pollution canshift whole ecosystems towardnutrient-hungry species. Whencrop fertilizers, sewage and ani-mal waste escape into lakes andstreams, they can cause massive

algae blooms at the expense offish and other species.

Incomingweeksyoucanlearnmore about challenges to theLake Erie Food Web as well aswhat you can do and what othersare doing to protect this impor-tant ecosystem.

— Anna McCartney

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 | Erie Times-News | GoErie.com | 9D