Balancing Ecosystems

The Asian carp can only hurt the Great Lakes ecosystem. Because they eat the same food as the filter feeding fish in the food chain, competition is great. If the fish at the bottom of the food chain do not have food, then they will die off. This means that the bigger fish that eat the small fish that have died off will have no food, and so on. Therefore, there will be a mass starvation and the ecosystem will be destroyed. The native fish, such as trout and walleye, would be starved off. This will kill the fishing industry in the Great Lakes. The CBC broadcast also mentioned, “[The invasion of the Asian carp] would unravel the aquatic food web and threaten the region’s $7 billion fishing industry, and on the Ontario side, a commercial fishery worth up to $215 million a year.” With that much loss at risk, it is worth the money it is going to take to stop and prevent the Asian carp from taking over the Great Lakes.

: Larchwood Lake may not ever be the same again. The story about Larchwood Lake is not that uncommon. Without doing extensive research into possible things that could occur by lowering the lake level, the Larchwood Lake Homeowner’s Association destroyed the very thing they were trying to protect. Carelessness and poor planning are not the only root causes however. There are a number of reasons that led to the degradation of Larchwood Lake that happen to relate to more macro level environmental issues. Those reasons are poorly designed environmental policy created by the E.P.A., poor understanding of lake ecology by the managers of the land, and false confidence in poorly planned ideas. By looking at how these factors contributed to the degradation of the lake, hopefully we will be able to make more ecological sound decisions in the future.

Why are Asian Carp such an issue? Although they are mostly not direct predators, they eat up to one third of their body weight. Asian Carp to not eat other fish, but they eat plankton leaving native fish lower on the food chain competing for food to survive. Asian carp also reproduce rapidly and abundantly. A female Bighead Carp can carry up to one million eggs in a lifetime. In result of such profuse reproduction, Asian Carp are overpopulating the Great Lakes. Since, they are so outsized, they take up much space in the lakes. Asian Carp are also among the largest populated species. If Asian Carp continue to establish themselves permanently in

As well as pollution, invasive species are damaging the lake ecosystems and food chains, made fragile by pollution and overfishing. The introduction of a new species throws off the balance of food chains. Some common invasive species include the sea lamprey, Asian carp, and zebra mussels, among many others. Zebra mussels have dramatically influenced and affected stable food chains by reducing the amount of zooplankton and phytoplankton. This presents a problem, as fish mostly feed on the drifters, and so they go hungry and die, leaving no food for larger fish to prey on. In addition to underwater disruption, it affects us as well, but only slightly. Plankton and algae especially are the most productive aquatic producers of oxygen, and by the decreasing population, we lose oxygen as well. The sea lamprey is also a problem, though it is not so influential to ecosystems as the zebra mussel.

Maintaining ecological diversity is necessary for the survival of a biological community. In the United States, American citizens are on the verge of irrevocably damaging one of the country's most unique and diverse treasures - the Florida Everglades. This national park is now the only remaining patch of a river that used to span 120 miles from Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Bay. Dikes and levees created by the Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1940's drained this river to reduce flooding and increase useable water for the development of the region. This major diversion of water lead to a trickle down effect causing the continual decline of the environmental state of the Everglades. Since then, debates over the

Ecosystems can be restored by retaining and restoring the ecological sustainability of watersheds, forests, and rangelands for present and future generations.

Invasive species make bad situations into worse situations. Having a species from a different ecosystem makes them invasive species. Such as a toad or even bacteria being in another ecosystem other than their natural habitat.

These great sceneries have the power to inspire a great many of people to conserve and protect the natural environment that Florida has to offer. These trees and waterways have a great potential, in that they have the ability to inspire the next generation of scientists and policy writers, simply because they enjoyed walking through the park during their childhoods. This is extremely important, as ecology directly involves how people interact with their environment based off of the knowledge and respect they have for it.

The 7th graders took a nature hike and observed the nature around the Portage River. There, a nature expert talked about invasive species, seed distribution, and plants. When the water rises the seed pods come off of plants and float on the water, the seeds then are carried to new places. The 7th graders talked about how the monarchs are declining because of the lack of milkweed. They also talked about plants like goldenrod and poison ivy. Around the Portage River there are habitats like prairies, forests, and floodplains. Plants in the riparian zone help to filter the water before it goes into the river.

The major negative effect of invasive plants is that they replace the native plants. Other negative effects of invasive plants are reducing native wildlife habitat, reducing forest health and productivity, altering the ecosystem, and degrading recreation areas. These plants should be removed immediately because they grow and reproduce rapidly, meaning, that they grow a lot faster than the native plants and more in abundance. They also affect the native plants by competing aggressively on resources. To resolve the problem invective plants is by removing them and adding more native plants. Also, another way to stop invective plants is by not planting them in new

Introduced species are seldom a positive addition to an ecosystem as they cause great stress and harm to the populations of native species. Many introduced species become invasive as they have no natural predators in their new environment, therefore they thrive, and crowd out all other animals. Some examples of invasive species in Ontario waters include the round goby, zebra mussels, eurasian ruffe, goldfish, northern snakehead, rainbow smelt, and rudd, to name a few. A great example to show how destructive an introduced fish can be is the asian carp, this species spreads very aggressively and it is considered the greatest threat to aquatic ecosystems in Ontario. These fish grow to be very large in size, up to 40 kg and 1 meter long. The asian

Invasive species are organisms that harm a new environment that they are not native to. Many invasive species like Eurasian milfoil are easily able to reproduce and can do so fast. Due to this, the limited space in a body of water or area of land is quickly taken over by the invasive species so other native plants face the risk of death or even extinction. Overall, these invasive species can do great harm to an ecosystem or an economy, causing problems that are destructive to numerous organisms.

The Smithton Sportsman's Club is one of the most beautiful places in Smithton, Illinois. Upon entering, it does not look like much, but as I pull up on the gravel road next to the first pavilion, the first lake becomes visible. Trucks rolling along the gravel road and singing frogs are the only sounds that I can hear. Large trees reflect perfectly off the still water. Occasionally a frog jumps in or a fish makes a splash: making the only movement in the water. Separating the first two lakes is a dam that allows me to walk across to the third lake. When standing on the bank, I look through the clear water and see small bluegill swimming around in search of food. As I walk towards the third lake I see trees perfectly lined up to make relaxing

1. (a) How might one best define ecology today? (b) Please define the term “environmental problem”? (c) Briefly describe the relationship between the science of ecology and our understanding of environmental problems?

People tend to focus on the flaws when it comes to humanity’s ability to provide goods and services. News stories on income inequality, lack of adequate healthcare services for hundreds of millions of people, the large number of people who go hungry every day, etc. often capture the attention of humanity better than any other type of story. Combine this with an increasing population, the doomsay predictions about global warming, and the recent economic recession, and it appears that solutions to many of the world’s current and future problems are out of reach. This, though, is not the viewpoint taken by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kolter in their book Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think. They acknowledge that the world have