Environmental Science

1
Environmental Science

• Chapter 7 Lecture Notes
• Aquatic Habitats

2
Targets Freshwater Ecosystems

• 1. I can describe the 5 factors that determine
  where an organism lives in an aquatic ecosystem.
• 2. I can classify the 3 major groups of organisms
  living in aquatic biomes.
• 3. I can name and describe the 3 major groups of
  Illinois freshwater biomes.
• 4. I can identify and describe the 8 specific
  types of freshwater biomes.
• 5. I can explain the differences between a pond
  and a lake.

3
Aquatic Ecosystems
T1

• Mainly determined by waters ____________
• Freshwater
• Marine
• Estuary
• Other abiotic factors that determine where
  organisms are found in a body of water
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________

4
Classification of Aquatic Organisms
T2

• 3 Major Groups
• __________ microscopic float freely in water
• Heterotrophs ________________
• Autotrophs ________________
• ___________ swim actively in open water
• __________ bottom-dwelling often attached to
  hard surfaces
• Decomposers

5
THREE major groups of Illinois Freshwater
Habitats
T3

• ____________
• ______________
• _____________________

Lakes and Ponds Video
6
LAKES
T3

• Non-free-flowing bodies of water
• 6 or more acres in size
• Large enough to have wind-swept beaches
• Lake Michigan
• Carlyle Lake
• Rend Lake

?
?
7
PONDS
T3
T5
PONDS LAKES
________ ________
________ ________
Top and bottom water generally have the same temperature May have dramatically different temperatures from the surface to bottom waters
_________ _________
Affected by local climate Affect local climate if large enough

• Non-free-flowing bodies of water
• Less than 6 acres in size
• Usually not large enough for winds to blow/create
  waves that would wash away plants trying to take
  root

8
RIVERS AND STREAMS
T3

• Free-flowing deep water habitats
• Contained within a ______________

9
Different Types of Lakes, Ponds, Rivers and
Streams
T4

• 1. Glacial Lakes
• Created 2 million years ago
• Formed from glaciers
• Great Lakes (H.O.M.E.S.)
• Lake Zurich

10
2. Oxbow Lakes
T4

• Crescent-shaped lake next to winding river
• Formed as erosion and soil deposits
• ____________________________

11
Formation of an Oxbow Lake
T4

• (1) On inside of loop, river travels more slowly
  leading to deposits of silt.
• (2) Water on outside edges flows faster, erodes
  banks making the loop even wider.
• (3) Over time the loop of the meander widens
  until the neck vanishes altogether.
• (4) The meander is removed from the river's
  current and the horseshoe shaped oxbow lake is
  formed.

Oxbow Lake Formation Video
12
3. Impoundments / Reservoirs
T4

• Formed by blocking river with a ________
• Man-made
• Carlyle Lake formed by damming water of Kaskaskia
  River
• Often used for _________________ in central and
  southern Illinois

13
4. Ponds/Storm-Water Detention Basins
T4

• Created by digging out or expanding a lowland
  area
• _______________

14
5. Perennial Streams / Rivers
T4

• Water flows through channel ____________________
• In Illinois, there is no legal distinction
  between a river or perennial stream

15
6. Intermittent Stream
T4

• Water flows through a channel ____________________
  ______

16
7. Tributary
T4

• Smaller stream/river that ________________________
  ____________
• Major tributaries of Illinois River are the
  Kankakee, Des Plaines, Fox, Spoon, Sangamon and
  Mackinaw Rivers

17
Targets Freshwater Ecosystems

• 6. I can name sources of water for freshwater
  biomes and explain the importance of the
  hydrologic cycle and watershed to their
  condition.
• 7. I can define limnology and explain what a
  limnologist does.
• 8. I understand what is meant by "temperature
  stratification" and can describe how it explains
  why lakes don't freeze from the bottom to the
  top. Also I can name the temperature at which
  water is the heaviest.
• 9. I can identify factors that affect the levels
  of dissolved oxygen in a lake.
• 10. I can demonstrate the use of the Secchi disc.

18
Lakes and Ponds Have 3 Main Sources of Water
T6

• 1. ______________________
• 2. ______________________
• 3. ______________________
• -The amount of water in a lake or pond depends
  on the _____________________
• ___________ includes lake/stream/river and all
  surrounding land which drains toward it
• Any area of the watershed may contribute water
  and pollutants to that lake/stream/river

Watershed Animation
19
LIMNOLOGY
T7

• Scientific study of ______________________________
  _, especially lakes, ponds, and streams
• Limnologists study factors which affect fresh
  bodies of water

20
ABIOTIC PROPERTIES
T8

• Temperature
• -Many Illinois lakes are deep enough to
  __________ (form layers w/ different temps
• -Occurs because water density changes with
  temperature
• -Water is heaviest at __________ gt above/below
  this temperature, water becomes less dense
• -In fall, surface water cools to 4oC and ______
• -As lake continues to cool, colder water
  floats on top and forms ice

21
SPRING TURNOVER
T8

• Occurs when ice melts and surface water warms
  above 32oF (0oC)
• Wind action and increasing density of warming
  water cause surface water to sink and mix with
  deeper water

Autumn
Winter
Spring
Summer
4º
22º
4º
0º
20º
4º
4º
2º
18º
4º
4º
4º
8º
4º
4º
4º
6º
4º
4º
4º
5º
Thermocline
4ºC
4ºC
4ºC
4ºC
22
SUMMER LAYERING
T8

• Occurs in lakes deeper than 10 feet
• The lake stratifies into three layers of water
  called _______________________
• A. _________________ - circulating warm water.
  Oxygen levels medium to high. Fish often confined
  to this zone which may be up to 20 feet deep.
• B. ____________ - zone of rapid temperature and
  oxygen change. Fish will select this zone if
  oxygen is present.
• C. ______________ - cold, non-circulating water.
  Oxygen levels are low or absent. Fish cannot live
  here very long due to low oxygen levels.

Lake Stratification Animation
23
Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.)
T9

• Oxygen enters a lake 2 ways
• __________________________
• __________________________

24
4 factors that affect D.O. levels
T9
T18

• _________________
• _____________ mixing across lake surface
• Amount of decomposing matter (BOD)
• -_______________
• ____________________
• -? decay ? Oxygen
• Temperature ______________
• -Lower oxygen in hypolimnion (WHY?)

25
Total Suspended Solids (T.S.S.)
T10

• Concentration of all materials suspended in a
  lake
• EXAMPLES erosion of rocks and soil
• algae
• decaying plants and animals
• SECCHI DISC

Using a Secchi Disc Video
26
Targets Freshwater Ecosystems

• 11. I can explain how the amounts of phosphorus
  and nitrogen in a lake can affect it.
• 12. I can draw the pH scale, label where acids
  and bases range, identify what pH is neutral and
  what the pH is for the strongest/weakest acids
  and bases and state the pH of most Illinois
  Rivers.
• 13. I can label the following areas LITTORAL
  COMMUNITY, LIMNETIC COMMUNITY, PROFUNDAL
  COMMUNITY
• 14. I can recite the differences between the
  following lake types OLIGOTROPHIC, MESOTROPHIC,
  EUTROPHIC, HYPEREUTROPHIC.
• 15. I can explain the differences between Point
  and Nonpoint Source Pollutants.

27
Phosphorus and Nitrogen

• Amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen in a lake
  control _____________________
• Algal Blooms
• EXCEPTION Ammonia, form of N produced during
  decomposition, can kill aquatic life
• SOURCES sewage
• fertilizers
• detergents

T11
28
pH
T12

• Review of pH Scale
• Most lakes have pH of 6.5 gt 9
• Rainwater in Illinois is acidic (4.4), but most
  of our lakes are able to offset this because
  of natural buffering compounds in the
  lake water and watershed

29
BIOTIC FACTORS
T13

• Lake ecosystems divided into 3 separate
  communities
• 1. ________________________
• -extends from shoreline
• -a lot of plant and animal growth
• -bottom-dwelling insects submerged,
  floating-leaf and emergent plants fish and frogs
• 2. ________________________
• -open water area
• -phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish
• 3. ________________________
• -little or no sunlight and low in oxygen
• -bacteria and fungi found here

30
COMMON LAKE PROBLEMS
T14/T17

• __________________
• -Lake filled with nutrients ? More plants grow
• -Decaying plants cause lake to fill in (100s
  of years to occur)
• -Lakes are classified as
• A. __________________ young lake clear
  with little plant growth
• B. ___________________ a little older more
  plant life
• C. ___________________ old lake peak of
  plant growth filled with fish and other
  animals
• D. __________________ humans cause by using
  fertilizers or causing soil erosion (also
  called Cultural Eutrophication)
• Eutrophication Video

31
Other Lake Problems . . .
T15

• Pollutants (2 Types)
• A. ________________ discharge from factories
  and sewage treatment plants
• B. ____________________ stormwater, run-off
  from land, septic systems, also duck, goose and
  livestock wastes
• ________________________________

32
Targets Wetlands

• 1. I can define a wetland.
• 2. I can list the 2 ways wetlands are formed.
• 3. I can describe the 3 major things to consider
  when determining if an area is a wetland.
• 4. I can describe the 4 features used to classify
  different wetland types.
• 5. I can name the most important environmental
  factor determining the kinds of plants living in
  a particular wetland.

33
What Are Wetlands?
T1

• Have natural supply of water.
• Cover 6 of Earths land surface
• Water sources include tidal flows, flooding
  rivers, or groundwater
• Covered/soaked with water for at least part of
  the year
• Between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Wetlands Video
34
Illinois Wetlands
T2

• In the Midwest, wetlands were formed 2 ways
• -_________
• -________

35
How do you know a wetland?
T3

• 3 major things to consider when determining if an
  area is a wetland
• 1. ____________
• 2. ____________
• 3. ____________
• One factor may be enough to determine the
  presence of a wetland but if more factors exist,
  there is a much better chance that a wetland
  environment is present.

36
The Water
T3

• An area may look completely dry and still be a
  wetland
• A wetland is any area that is flooded or
  saturated with water for at least _________ of
  the plant growing season.

37
The Soil
T3

• _______________
• Waterlogged
• Low in oxygen

38
The Plants
T3

• ____________ plants adapted to life in water or
  saturated soil

39
Classification of a Wetland
T4

• Once you determine an area is a wetland, you must
  study 4 things in order to classify what type of
  wetland it is . . .
• ______________________
• ______________________
• ______________________
• ______________________

40
Types of Wetland Soils
T4

• 2 types of wetland hydric soils
• 1. _____________________
• -Made of sand, silt, clay, and elements such as
  iron and manganese
• -Upper layer gray with specks of red, black or
  yellow.
• -Often second layer is gray, green gray, or
  bluish gray.
• 2. ______________________
• -Also called peat or muck
• -Thick layer of slowly decaying plants
• -Dark brown

41
Water Supply (Hydrology)
T4

• Water will be supplied to a wetland by either . .
  
• ____________________
• ____________________

42
Wetland Plants (Hydrophytes)
T5

• Water __________ (rainfall) determines what
  plants will live in a wetland
• ? water depth ? plant diversity

43
Comprehension Check

• Name the 3 things that would be studied to
  determine IF an area were a wetland?
• Hydric Soil
• Hydrophytes
• Saturated soil 7.5 of plant growing season
• Once it has been shown that an area is a wetland,
  what 4 things must be studied to determine what
  TYPE of wetland it is?
• Climate
• Organic vs. Mineral Soil
• Water supply
• Organisms present
• How were wetlands formed in Illinois?
• Glaciers
• Rivers

44
Targets Wetlands

• 6. I can name, define and give examples for the
  six main types of wetland plants.
• 7. I can recite the EIGHT wetland types and list
  2 main distinguishing traits of each
• 8. I can write out a food chain with at least 4
  organisms that could be found in a wetland.
• 9. I can name 3 beneficial things wetlands do for
  humans and the environment.

45
Wetland Plant Types
T6

• 1. __________________
• -Example water lilies
• -rooted deep below water with broad, flat leaves
  that rest on waters surface

46
2. _________________
T6

• Example Duckweed
• Not rooted, but remain on the waters surface,
  with dangling roots

47
3. __________________
T6

• Example cattails
• Grow with roots in wet soil and send up leaves
  that stand ABOVE waters surface

48
4. __________________
T6

• Example Pond weeds (Elodea)
• Rooted in soil and stems/leaves remain completely
  under water

49
T6

• 5. Moist-soil Plants sedges and buttonbush
• 6. Moist-forest trees tamarack, bald cypress and
  silver maple
• -These live in the drier portions of wetlands
• Wetland Classification some wetlands contain all
  of these plant types, but others only have one or
  two

50
Hydrophytes
T6
51
Types of Wetlands
T7

• 1. ______________________
• -occur along streams and rivers
• -frequently flooded
• -many rotting logs
• -mineral soils
• -trees include silver maple, cottonwood, red
  maple and sycamore

52
2. _________________
T7

• Dominated by emergent plants
• Water depths range from 0 (saturated soil) to 6
  feet
• Organic soils

53
3. ______________________
T7

• Dominated by trees
• Top layer of soil is organic with mineral soil
  beneath
• Found in southern Midwest

54
4. ____________
T7

• Found in northern Midwest
• Formed by glacial depressions with poor drainage
• May be forested, grassy or have shrubs
• Highly acidic soil
• Plants include sphagnum moss, orchids, poison
  sumac, tamarack and carnivorous plants (sundew
  pitcher plant)
• Organic soils
• Peat forms a floating mat over the water

55
5. _______________
T7

• Form from groundwater that cant penetrate
  downward
• Water is only from underground sources

56
6. ___________
T7

• A wet meadow fed by a seep
• Must have soils with neutral or basic pH
• Organic soils

57
7. ___________________
T7

• Organic soils saturated with water
• Drier than fens
• Some standing surface water is usually present in
  winter and spring
• Most have been drained and are now farmed

58
8. ______________
T7

• A depression between slopes that provides for
  drainage
• Occur around the sandy shores of the Great Lakes
• Usually contain grasses

59
Food Chains in a Wetland
T8

• ? ? ?
• algae ? mayfly nymph ? pickerel ?
  Great Blue heron

60
Think about this before the next slide . .
.Determine which TWO functions of a wetland
are the most important for the the village of
Lake Zurich and WHY.

61
Environmental Functions of Wetlands
T9
62
Targets Marine Ecosystems

• 1. I can explain why the ocean appears blue.
• 2. I can compare the difference between ocean
  tides and currents. I can explain what causes
  each.
• 3. I can define what an estuary is and why
  estuaries are important to the environment.
• 4. I can describe what brackish water is and what
  happens when fresh and salt water combine.
• 5. I can label the major zones found in the
  ocean.
• 6. I can explain the difference between a sea and
  ocean.
• 7. I can describe advantages and disadvantages to
  living in the intertidal zone.
• 8. I can identify and label the 5 major oceans on
  a world map.

63
OCEANSMost Commonly Asked Questions
T1

• Why is the ocean blue?
• -Water absorbs more of the ________________ in
  sunlight
• -Seawater does not absorb ___________________,
  so blue light is reflected outwards
• Some Oddly-Colored SeasThe Red Sea often looks
  red because of red algae that
  live hereThe Black Sea looks almost black
  because it has a high concentration of hydrogen
  sulfide (which appears black)
•  

64
Why is the ocean salty?

• Run-off water picks up salt and carries it to
  rivers
• Rivers carry it to seas
• Since this has been happening for millions of
  years, the oceans now have a lot of saltabout
  one cup per gallon!

65
Tides
T2

• __________ rising and lowering of sea level
• Greatly controlled by gravitational pull of sun
  and moon.
• Although sun has a stronger gravitational
  attraction than moon, the ________ is closer to
  earth so its gravitational pull is twice as
  strong as the suns.

66
How does the Moon Affect Ocean Tides?
T2

• Gravitational pull of moon creates two tides
  high and low
• Gravitational attraction of the moon causes
  oceans to bulge out toward it
• Another bulge occurs on opposite side, since
  Earth is also being pulled toward the moon (and
  away from the water on the far side)

67
Tidal Facts . . .
T2

• Tides are highest when there is a full or new
  moon.
• If you are on the coast and the moon is directly
  overhead, you will experience a _____________
• If the moon is directly overhead on the opposite
  side of the planet, you should also experience a
  high tide.
• During the day, Earth rotates 180 degrees in 12
  hours and the moon rotates 6 degrees around the
  earth in 12 hours.
• This means any given coastal city experiences a
  high tide every ___________________________

68
Currents
T2

• _________ circulation of ocean waters
• Major causes of ocean currents include
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________

69
Estuaries - Where Rivers Meet the Sea
T3/4

• Partially enclosed body of water where seawater
  is mixed with fresh water ? ______________________
  _
• Examples bays, sounds, salt marshes, mangrove
  forests, mud flats, swamps, and inlets
• Transition from fresh to salt water, a small
  disturbance here can cause serious problems

70
Estuaries are important ecosystems
T3

• _________________________
• Remove sediments/nutrients from rivers before
  water reaches ocean
• Prevent valuable soil and nutrients from being
  flushed into open seas where they could not be
  used
• __________________________
• Act as natural buffers between land and ocean
• Porous soils/grasses absorb flood waters and
  buffer storms
• Help protect human lives, upland animals, and
  real estate

71
Zonation in the Ocean
T5

• _______________ ocean bottom
• _______________ the water itself (water column)
• Pelagic zone divided into the _______________
  and the _______________

72
Oceanic zone divided into 3 levels based on
amount of sunlight they receive.
T5

• _________________ sunlight penetrates to allow
  photosynthesis
• __________________ very small amounts of light
  penetrate
• _________________ 90 of the space in ocean
  lies in midnight zone, which never receives
  sunlight

73
T5
74
What is a sea?
T6

• A branch of one of the five "oceans"
• Partially enclosed by land 

75
What are the world's largest seas?
T6

• 1. The South China Sea 2. The Caribbean Sea 3.
  The Mediterranean Sea

76
The Intertidal Zone
T7

• Area exposed between high and low tides
• Part of day spent in open air and rest spent
  covered in water
• Some advantages
• _____________________________________
• _____________________________________

77
How many oceans are there in the world?
T8

• There is really only one big ocean.
• One can sail in a boat to every known "ocean" and
  "sea
• Five main areas in one big ocean 
• 1.Pacific Ocean
• 2. Atlantic Ocean
• 3. Indian Ocean  
• 4. Southern Ocean at Antarctica and South
  Pole
• 5. Arctic Ocean surrounds North Pole,
  smallest "ocean, frozen most of the time,
  except at its edges

78
Identifying the Worlds Oceans
T8