Aquatic Communities: Lake Characterization

 

We will use Lake Raleigh (A) on Centennial Campus OR Lake Wheeler (B) to obtain physical data and biological samples for use in the lab this week.

A.  B.

 

Spring 2020 – Samples were collected at Lake Raleigh – Physical Data will be added right before lab meets.

– Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday AM lab sections Plankton/Data were collected Sunday at 1:00 PM Mar. 1st – see data sheet Mon/Tue/WedAM.

– Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday AM lab sections Plankton/Data were collected Wednesday   11:30 AM Mar. 4th – see data sheet WedPM/Thu/FriAM.

To see how the physical data changes over the course of a day or days of a week:

Fall 2015 Data spanning a whole week 3X/day

Spring 2016 Data spanning a whole week 3X/day

• In-Lab Ecology Week I – group work- tips on graphing Plankton data with Excel.

 

Aquatic Communities End of Lab Assignment

Lake Zones and Photosynthesis

 

Lake Zones

Where would you find the trophogenic, tropholytic and profundal zone?

 

What defines these zones?

 

 

 

Food Chain and Food Webs Glossary and Activities!

Lake Organisms

Organisms traveling independently: Fish Amphibians Turtles Zooplankton Insects

Organisms directed by water movement: Plankton (Living Organisms) Zooplankton Phytoplankton Bacterioplankton Detritus (Dead Organisms) Internal- produced within the lake External- washed in from the watershed

Organisms living on the lake bottom: Animals Quatic Insects Mulluscs (clams, snails) Other Invertebrates (worms) Plants Macrophytes Periphyton (attached algae) Bacteria & Fungi Sewage sludge Mixture of algae, fungi, and bacteria

Sampling Equipment and Materials:

• Plankton Sampling Video
• Secchi Disc Video
• Measuring Dissolved Oxygen Video (good background first 3 minutes of 13:09)
• We will use a YSI Meter to measure Dissolve Oxygen.
• Using a different sort of Dissolve Oxygen meter (good information with down home music) 3:52
• Dissolved Oxygen Info Sheet
• Macroinvertebrates and water quality
• Biotic Index (longer video, 11:41) but very good).

Plankton Sampling (Schindler-Patalas Trap)
Sediment Sampling (Sediment Grabber)
Light Penetration/Compensation Depth (Secchi Disk)

 

Resources to help you identify organisms in the Plankton and Sediment samples

• Visual Key to Zooplankton – click on “Use the Key”
• Visual Key to Algae
• Aquatic Life Key
• See/Use posters, drawings and books in lab

See news releases relating water pollution and aquatic community health