Transcript Great Lakes Non-Indigenous Species & Their Environment

Great Lakes Native and Invasive
Species & Their Environment
Presented by Deb Chopper
Monday May 10,2004
Great Lakes Aquatic
Environment
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The ecology of the Great Lakes needs to be
described to understand the type of native
plants and aquatic organisms that have their
habitat there.
Aquatic Environment
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Basin Characteristics-drainage basin,soil,
vegetation, ground water hydrology, land use,
pollution
Water chemistry-hard water versus soft
water(components of calcium carbonate and
magnesium), alkalinity (ability to buffer amount of
nutrient), pH( concentration of hydrogen ions (pH
<7 acidic-pH >7 basic, phosphorus (point and
non-point runoff:transference from bottom of
lake), sulfate, nitrogen in varying forms(nitrites,
nitrates, ammonia and organic decomposition
from decaying plants and animals, sediment
composition from other organic materials
Natural Forces
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Mother Nature does the best job at providing the
optimal aquatic environment
Sunlight-photosynthesis for plant production of
oxygen
Wind-stratification of waters to better mix
nutrients, control temperature, development of
habitats for different organisms
Oxygen- critical for plant and animal survival,
production of oxygen through photosynthesis,
decomposition and respiration
Photosynthesis
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Photosynthesis is essential for rooted plant
growth. It is the process by which plants use
CO2 and water to break down sugars which
produces oxygen as a by product.The
sunlight needs to permeate through water to
reach aquatic life and particular organisms
for their continued growth and survival.
Stratification
The process by which layers of water are
cooled and heated creating different water
densities.
 Mixing of water and its nutrients by the
wind.
 Different organism types require different
temperatures for survival
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Oxygen
Oxygen is critical for fish and other
organisms to survive.
 Photosynthesis is critical but oxygen will
can also be released by the plant through
respiration and decomposition. These
processes would occur at points where the
sun does not reach..
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Water Layers
Upper Layer-epilimnion
 Middle Layer-metalimnion
 Deepest Layer-hypolimnion
 Each layer has decreasing temperature at
varying depths. Cold water holds more
oxygen. Organisms differ per temperature,
light needed and available nutrients.Spring
and fall turnover refers to the mixing of
these waters.
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Water Movement
Seiches-tidelike effects where on exposure
of land,(which had been under water), a
transfer of heat, gases, and nutrients can be
exchanged
 Langmuir Circulation- process of long
alternating spirals of water that flow parallel
to the current which meet at a windrow,
where debris and nutrients are carried along
with the tide
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Water Residence Time
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The speed at which water moves over a
lake’s basin can affect the time required to
remove pollutants after pollution has
desisted
Limnologists
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Scientists who study water chemistry and its
effects on natural habitats
Native Aquatic Plant
Communities
Limnologists divide lakes into zones
 Littoral zone-shallow part of lake-where
aquatic plants grow
 Pelagic zone-open water too deep for rooted
plants but enough light for algae
 Profundal zone-below pelagic zone-light
does not penetrate-sediment on bottom of
lake
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Littoral Zone
Grazed by organisms
 Influence open water of lake by trapping silt
and nutrients
 Plants act as refuge for fish, insects
 Referred to as nursery
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Pelagic Zone
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Open water
Where most phytoplankton produced (algae)
which is an important part of food chain due to the
multitude of fish, crustaceans, microscopic
organisms that feed on it/high nutrient value
Some organism types called zooplankton include
water fleas, copepods and rotifers
Other organisms would include phantom midges
(they are transparent), fairy shrimp, scuds and
amphipods
Copepod
http://lakes.chebucto.org/ZOOBENTH/copepod.jpg
Water Flea-Daphnai lumholtzi
http://www.wdc.keystone.edu/Virtual/Daphnial_lumholtzi.jp
g
Profundal Zone
Located in the hypolimnion
 Very cold temperatures and reduced light
 Organisms that dwell here are detritivoresbacteria, protozoa,invertebrates, and
oligochaetes ( aquatic earthworms)
 Nutrients form basin sediment
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Oligochaetes
http://trem.upperarlington.k12.oh.us/infobank/askrob/robgraphics/%20Oligoch
aetes.jpg
Zooplankton
http://www.mna.it/italiano/Scopri_Antartide/img/zooplankton
.jpg
Native Aquatic Plants to the
Great Lakes
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Large algae
Pondweeds
Slender naiad
Canada waterweed
Coontail
Water milfoil
Yellow & white water lily
Reed
Bulrush
Cattail
White Water Lily
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=naturegraphics.net/
bf093%2520white%2520water%2520lilies.JPG&imgrefurl=h
ttp://naturegraphics.net/flowers01.htm&h=191&w=250&sz=1
2&tbnid=ZOa8rfnFFi4J:&tbnh=80&tbnw=104&start=2&pre
v=/images%3Fq%3Dwhite%2Bwater%2Blily%26hl%3Den%
26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DG
Slender Naiad
http://www.pkc.gov.uk/herbarium/implant%20habs/i
mplant%20habs%206/slender%20naiad.jpg
Coontail
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Rarely a nuisance
Submerged 1-20 feet
Free floating plant
Important habitat for
aquatic species
Durable in different
water types
http://www.apms.org/plants/coontail.jpg
“Invasive Species”
Defined as alien to native ecosystem
 Introduction causes/likely to cause
environmental harm, harm to humans or
wildlife
 Can be plants, animals, microbes
 Human action primary mode of
transmission
 $137 billion yearly in economic losses
 Disturb natural systems, transportation
systems,endanger protected species survival
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www.nwf.org
Means of Transmittal
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Almost all invasive plant and animal species in the
Great Lakes area has been introduced by human
interaction
Very important that individuals are educated to
break the chain of survival for invasive species
Methods-empty any water/plants from boat at lake
you are leaving, do not introduce new organisms
to lake, dry off portals that may carry water to
reduce transmission of microscopic organisms
Mode of Transmission
Non-Indigenous Plants of the
Great Lakes
Green algae
 Blue-green algae
 Purple loosestrife
 Water Chestnuts
 Eurasian Water Milfoil
 Water Hyacinth
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Purple Loosestrife-
Water Chestnuts
Green Algae
www.ftexploring.com/ me/pyramid.html
Blue-Green Algae
http://www.algae.info/bgreenbloom.jpg
Native Organisms to the Great
Lakes
First Level Carnivores-perch, sunfish, small
mouth bass-feed on zooplankton, insects
and invertebrates
 Top Carnivores-Lake trout, walleye, large
mouth bass-feed on smaller fish
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Invasive Organisms to the Great
Lakes
Sea Lamprey (eel-like)
 Ruffe (spiky-fish)
 Carp (large minnow)
 Round Goby (small fish)
 Spiny water flea
 Potential threat- “killer” shrimp
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Sea Lamprey
Parasitic fish observed in Great Lakes in 1938
 Larva live 4-7 years
 Larva in stream beds
 Leave wounds on large fish
 Females lay 95,000 eggs yearly
 Use sharp teeth to devour, suck
 Fish die of loss of body fluids
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www.saudeanimal.com.br/ lampreia.htm
Zebra Mussels
www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/invasive/ 8zebramu.html
Zebra Mussel Info
Introduced to Great Lakes
 Brought into Lakes via ballast waters off of
ocean going vessels
 Accumulate in such mass proportions that
they can block pipes, interrupt natural flow,
main concern now is on the food chain
 Zebra Mussels can accumulate pollutants in
their bodies at much higher concentrations
and pass it through the food chain via their
feces-transmit to fish/birds/humans
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Ruffe
Perch-like
 Too small to fish
 Competes for food
 Competes for habitat
 Too spiny for predators
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http://www.vandh.free-online.co.uk/fcc/tom/pictures/ruffe.jpg-
Round Goby
Compete with other fish for habitat
 Eat other fish eggs
 Spawn frequently
 Survive in poor quality water
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http://www.iisgcp.org/EXOTICSP/images/goby.jpg
Lake Production
Basin Morphology
 Watershed Characteristics
 Nutrient Supply
 Climate
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Classification of Lakes
Oligotropic-High O2 in hypolimnion, little
plankton, clean, deep, low in nutrients
 Entropic-Limited O2, high nutrients,
shallow, algae
 Mesotropic-Characterized between the other
two types of lakes
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Lake Restoration (In Lake
Measures)
Aerate and circulate water
 Reduce water levels
 Dredge to remove sediment
 Remove non-indigenous plants
 Use of chemicals to control algae
 Maintain fish populations
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Great Lakes Great Facts
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95% of the United States’ freshwater covers over
295,000 square miles
Spread across the continental United States , the
Great Lakes would submerge the country under
9.5 feet of water
The Great Lakes shoreline is 10,900 miles long
and is equal to almost 44% of the circumference
of the world
33 million people live within its watershed
It sustains forests, wetlands, marsh, and dune
communities while sustaining over 3500 species
of plants and animals
Facts from the National Wildlife Federation/www.nwf.org
Legislative Solutions
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Several bills have been introduced by Congress to control the continued
invasion of exotic species into the Great Lakes.
Noxious Weed Control Act of 2003-a program providing finances to weed
management programs to control or eradicate harmful, nonnative weeds from
private and public land
National Invasive Species Control Act (NISCA)-this bill codifies the
Executive Order that established the Invasive Species Council which is
responsible for coordinating all invasive species activities across the Federal
government. There are twenty different Federal agencies involved in the
prevention, eradication, control, monitoring, research and out reach efforts
dealing with the threat of invasive species.
The National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2003(NAISA)seeks to reduce
the invasion of alien aquatic species in the U.S.via ballast water that threatens
the diversity and abundance of native wildlife, the ecological stability of
infested waters and the commercial and recreational dependent on such waters
The Species Protection and Conservation of the Environmental
Act(SPACE)addresses protection, conservation and restoration of native fish,
wildlife and their natural habitats on federal and nonfederal lands through
cooperative incentive based grants. Encourages efforts to control, mitigate and
eradicate harmful nonnative species on private, state, tribal and federal lands
including our National Wildlife Refuge
Conclusion
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The Great Lakes are an international treasure that
needs to be protected. The displacement of native
plants and animals in their habitat by invasive
species will be an ongoing problem for anyone
who interacts with this unique resource. Measures
have been taken within the lake community.
Public policy has been established to protect the
lakes. It is a national resource that needs to be
continually monitored.
Resources Used In Research
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www.nwf.org ( National Wildlife Federation)
www.apms.org (Aquatic Plant Management
Society Inc)
nas.er.usgs.gov ( Non-Indigenous Aquatic
Species)
www.epa.gov ( Environmental Protection Agency)
www.invasivespecies.gov ( Invasivespecies.gov)