middleto799
Registered: November 2011
City/Town/Province: Whitmore Lake
Posts: 1
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Location: Brills Lake, Jackson Michigan
Biome: Mesotrophic Lake.
Physical Characteristics of a Lake: There are three classifications that scientist categorizes lakes under to determine the condition it is in based upon the amount of nutrients it contains for the organisms; Eutrophic, Mesotrophic, or Oligotrophic lakes. A eutrophic lake contains nutrients for plants to grow in and organisms to survive off of. While an oligotrophic lake doesn't have very many nutrient concentrations, making it an unpleasant environment for organisms to live in. A Mesotrophic lake has the characteristics of both the eutrophic and oligotrophic lakes as that it is able to contain organisms but it does not have the right amount of nutrients to provide for too many.
The biome that I research over the summer would classified as a Mesotrophic lake because it contains seaweed, fish and many more aquatic organisms that require nutrients that would be found in a eutrophic lake, but it also has some algae and dead material at the bottom of the lake just like you would find in a oligotrophic lake.
Location:
I am sitting on the dock, where I am able to see all organisms that are in the yard and on the water. The water is so clear that I can see organisms under the bluish green water to the bottom that is covered in sand, and seaweed that hasn't quite made its way to the top of the water. On the land side of the dock I can see several insects crawling around in the grass and dirt near the fire pit. Across from me is a big tall oak tree that creates a lot of shade of the organisms that occupy this location.
Matter cycling through ecosystem:
Marine organisms that help to recycle matter: 1) producers such as phytoplankton; 2) consumers such as fish; and 3) decomposers such as bacteria.
Abiotic Factors (physical and chemical):
* Wind - Creates even distribution of the water, evened out across the body of water via movement.
* Oxygen Concentrations - Determine how many organisms will be occupying this location, ands the survival rate in the environment. This is required for aerobic respiration in animals and this can vary due to the temperature of the water.
* Carbon Dioxide is required for photosynthesis and can effect the pH levels in the water.
Biotic Factors (living):
* Fish - Rely on the oxygen in the water
* Plants (seaweed) - Need Carbon Dioxide for the process of photosynthesis.
Biotic and Abiotic factors are interrelated. If one factor is changed or removed, it impacts the availability of other resources within the system.
Trophic Levels:
Scientific Names for Organisms of Brills Lake:
Deer - Cervidae
Duck - Anatidae
Grasshopper - Caelifera
Frog - Anura
Sand - Hill Cranes - Gruidae
Spider - Araneae
Swan - Cygnus
Turtle - Testudines
Wild Turkey - Meleagris Gallopavo
Description of Interdependence among the community:
* Many of the animals in the community depend upon each other in order to live, grow, and reproduce. For example, bees depend for their food on pollen and nectar from the flowers. Flowers depend on bees for pollination. Bees and flowers are therefore, interdependent.
Symbiotic Relationship:
* A symbiotic relationship is a relationship between two organisms which is beneficial to both parties of the relationship. For Example: The bumble bee extracts the flower's pollen for protein and its nectar for energy, while collecting these sources he brushes pollen from one flower to another to ensure the flower's reproduction process begins. The bumblebee needs the flower to survive, the flower needs the bumblebee to survive.
Ten Minute Animal Observations:
Fish June 16,2011
* Minnows and Blue Gills swimming above the strands of seaweed,
they are a greenish brown color with a grey fin and a black stripe down
the side. The fin moves the fishes around and they seem hard at work.
The eyes of the fishes are a Gold filled with a Black pupil and bulging
out of the head of the fishes body, that is outlined in Gold.
* Behavior of Fish: Swimming around in the water in a school trying to avoid
any predators, if one comes close by they will scatter as if they weren't there
* Evolutionary Significance: They learned this technique so that they wont become endangered when whey are being attacked. If they are able to use this method effectively they they can maintain their population capacity.
Sand Hill Crane - Gruidae June 18,2011
* The Cranes are very tall, with brown feathers and red heads, they
have really long like a flamingo, legs and would stand as tall as me if I
were next to them. They have the body type of an Ostrich (but the thin
version).
* The Cranes are standing in the water that is took over by tall grass,
and are in search for food.
* The sounds that I hear are the calls of the Cranes cooing/crowing. It
seems as if they are close to me and talking to each other, but it might
just be the echoing.
* Behavior of Sand-Hill Cranes: They use their calling to talk to each other
and allow one another to know what other animals are around them so keep safe.
* Evolutionary Significance: This allows them to maintain population capacity and know if they are endanger when a predator is around.
Spider - Araneae July 5,2011
* Gray, fat spider creating a web. It looks as though she is about to
have babies ans she is getting ready to lay her eggs ( nesting).
* Another Spider is next to the gray one and he has black legs with a
gray boy, on his body is orange “eye's (dots) in the center of his body;
this might seem like a tactic to blend in with his surroundings and to trick
his prey.
* Behavior of Spider: The spider swings around in the air in order to create
a very advanced webs to catch bugs and other prey so they are able to feed themselves and their babies.
* Evolutionary Significance: This allows them to gather enough food in order to survive and continue to multiply.
Duck - Anatidae July 6,2011
* On the lake at the same time as the Swans, so they are watching every movement on the lake to make sure they are not in danger of being caught
but the Swans.
* Ducks have a black head with brown feathers on their bodies, and have
white spots on their wings outlined in black.
* Just flew past me gliding along the water getting ready to take off; when
they fly above me I can hear their wings glide in the air, and flapping.
* Behavior of Duck: The ducks would often practice to to fly in a fast manor so that they are able to get away from their predators.
* Evolutionary Significance: This is good for them to practice so that they are able to maintain their carrying capacity.
Swan - Cygnus July 10, 2011
* Swan babies dipping their noses into the water trying to drink water
and find food to eat.
* Swan noses are gray with black outlining, boys have gray and white
feathers (growing up and changing colors) While girls are born with white feathers and will have white feathers through out their whole life.
* Behavior of Swan: The Swan often gracefully swims on top of the
water, and tricks their prey when they set out to attack.
* Evolutionary Significance: This allows them to get more food and survive
for a longer period of time.
Deer - Cervidae July 17,2011
* Deer drinking water from the opposite side of the lake from where I am
located. Their front paws are standing in the water while the hind legs are standing on the grass; occasionally look up to check on their surroundings.
* Deer standing tall above the high grass. They are tan with a white belly
and a white tail, with black hooves and fur shining in the sun.
* Behavior of Deer: Even though deer are feeding upon the grass they still listen very closely and look up occasionally to see if they are in danger.
* Evolutionary Significance: Keeps them aware of their surroundings.
Turtle - Testudines August 1,2011
* Turtle poking his dark green head out of the water. His head is a dark
green with light green stripes along the side.
* The turtle has exited the water and came up on shore to sit in the sun
(sunbathing) After five minutes of observing the turtle in the sun she begins
to dig a hole and lay her eggs.
* Turtle has a hard dark shell with hexagonal shapes upon it; yellow and black spots.
* Behavior of Turtle: The turtle contains a hard shell that allows them to be protected when they are in danger
* Evolutionary Significance: This allows them to maintain carrying capacity.
Frog - Anura August 15, 2011
* The frog is a dark green and seems loves the water. He jumps in and out of the water and then into the sun, to sun bath, but then once dry he will then
jump back into the water to wet him self again.
* Dark green with brown spots on his back, his body doesn't look to soft, but doesn't look to rough either; looks slimy and small.
* Behavior of Frog: Frogs are able to jump at high levels and far lengths when endanger.
* Evolutionary Significance: They can get away from the predators fast enough when they are in danger.
Grasshopper - Caelifera August 21, 2011
* Light green grasshopper with his legs pulled back on his back, brown stripes down his sides and he is outlined in black.
* The grasshoppers eyes are big and black and stick out/ pop out of his head.
* If I walk near him then he bounces about three inches across (length) and two to three inches high (height) away from me, and he blends in with the grass it is hard to find him after. He uses this to get away from predators.
* Behavior of Grasshopper: Able to jump high when needs to keep away from predators.
* Evolutionary Significance: Allows them to reach carrying capacity.
Wild Turkey - Meleagris Gallopova August 31, 2011
* The wild turkey has dark brown and light brown feathers on his lower body
with a red neck and white head. He tail is long and has tall gray legs.
* The wild turkey was walking around and searching for food in the yard.
* Behavior of Wild Turkey: Feed on all of their surrounding so they will never die out because they can eat most of their resources.
* Evolutionary Significance: Maintain carrying capacity.
This biome is an endangered environment by humans because they effect the every day life of the aquatic organisms that live in this location; by spraying weed killer and fertilizer on the lawns and on the beach, and the draining of water due to the construction on the north side of the lake. When we do these simple activities near this kind of environment we are putting the life of native organisms at risk and endangering their health.
Across the lake from where I am observing I can see some construction trucks that have been working on the highway roads to make it an easier transit for the everyday human activities, but have we ever thought about who or what it might be effecting?
The highway construction effects the organisms in the surrounding locations, when they drain the lake water in order to prevent dirt and dust from entering the air that humans are occupying. While in the long run making it a hazardous location for the native organisms that spend their whole life in this location. When humans drain the water from the lake they are off setting the balance of the natural nutrients that the under water organism use to survive, and make it hard for the natural processes to take place, such as photosynthesis.
Another reason this location is endanger due to human activity is when we place fertilizer on the lawn or spray it with weed killer. The runoff from these chemicals into the water leads to nutrient enrichment, which creates a production of algae, depletion of oxygen and killing of fish. This is not good for the environment nor the organisms living in it and can lead to endangered animals.
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