Water Quality in Local Lakes and Ponds

Aquatic Ecology Unit

Warm-up question

• What organisms (animals, plants, and other living things) do you think live in this lake?

Aquatic life

• Lots of things live in our lakes and ponds!

• In what ways can humans affect them? Do we ever change their habitat?

Eutrophication

• It happens when lots of nutrients get into a lake or pond.

• Definition: over abundance of algae and plants (green organism that make their own food)

Field trip to local park

• We’ll study:– Water quality– Tiny algae (phytoplankton) and animals

(zooplankton)

Map of lakes