Aquatic ecology

Golfers often have a love-hate relationship with water features. Depending on your lie, they can be diabolical hazards or attractive landscape features. No matter how you choose to view them, streams, wetlands, ponds and lakes are integral components of many golf courses that serve a number of important functions; they provide water for irrigation, mitigate flooding by holding stormwater and can serve as important design features. Water features are rich, complex, living ecosystems that provide…

guiding principles for management. The development of flow assessment methodologies is used for prescribing environmental flow requirements. Environmental flow regimes in streams and rivers are the primary determinant of the structure and function of aquatic and riparian ecosystems (Poff et al., 1997; Hart and Finelli, 1999; Bunn and Arthington, 2002). Environmental flows are defined as the ‘quantity, timing and quality of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and…

ecological components that included behaviour, condition, habitat use, energy intake and inter/intra specific interactions, etc. Accurate description of fish diets and feeding habits also provides the basis for understanding trophic interactions in aquatic food webs. Conceptually, trophic relations of fishes begin with foods and feeding behaviour of individuals or species. Diet composition analysis can be used to evaluate effects of ontogeny, or the establishment of exotic species (Gelwick &…

Nitrogen and phosphorus are the major limiting nutrient elements in a variety of aquatic ecosystems and are altered by anthropogenic activities; such as row crops, feed lots, and humans (Elser et al. 2007). Larger inputs of nitrogen cause an abundance of phytoplankton and macrophyte production (Ferree and Shannon 2001).The purpose of this study was to examine nitrogen and phosphorus levels at Ada Hayden Lake in the comparative context of their effect on phytoplankton abundance as well as…

the world today is freshwater pollution and the negative effects it is having on freshwater aquatic life. Pollution is creating a positive feedback loop in our freshwater aquatic life, including the killings of many of freshwater wildlife. Through the analysis of several different articles and books, this review will look over how eutrophication, acid rain, and heavy metal pollution effects freshwater aquatic life. Eutrophication is a process in which there are extra fertilizers, and other…

This study examined the effects of physical factors on diversity in freshwater environments by observing invertebrate diversity in riffles and pools in a freshwater stream. It was hypothesized that differences in invertebrate diversity between riffles and pools would be due to physical factors in the environment. To test this hypothesis, invertebrates were collected from each environment and classified by their taxa, and Shannon-Simpson indices were produced from these data to analyze the…

According to DeGraaf & Yamasaki, green heron’s habitats are found in a variety of freshwater and saltwater habitats that are primarily shrub or forested wetlands. They are also found in brushy areas that are margins of slow-moving rivers, lakes, and ponds. Frequently inhabits marshes, beaver’s ponds, salt marshes, mudflats, harbors, and human-created canals and ditches. To feed, they have to be near wooded wetlands near shallow bodies for feeding. These waters should be abundant in small fishes,…

An aquatic ecosystem is a community of organisms that live within a body of water such as freshwater system or a saltwater system. The application of understanding aquatic ecosystems is how species adapt and inhabit a specific body of water that they reside in and the role that different water systems play in the survival of these various species. It is also important to understand the biodiversity within aquatic ecosystems to recognize why and how a wide range of diverse species can maintain a…

as a barrier for fish and other aquatic animals from possible predators. Some examples of edible marginal plants are, Vietnamese Mint, stonecress, and rainbow parsley. Oxygenating plants, have roots submerged in the soil, but their leaves unlike with the floating plants are completely submerged underwater. Oxygenators help keep the water clear by absorbing excess nutrients, as well as release oxygen which helps support aquatic life such as fish, and beneficial aquatic insects. Submerged plants…

Ecology and evolution are considered sister disciplines of the life sciences. Natural selection, life history, development, adaptation, populations, and inheritance are examples of concepts that thread equally into ecological and evolutionary theory. Fresh water ecosystems is a living community of interacting organisms and their physical environment and habitat. Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. Some of those aquatic ecosystems include lakes, ponds, rivers,…