Freshwater System: Limnetic zone

1. Freshwater System:Limnetic zone

2. Climate • The Limnetic area of a lake or pond temperatures can range from hot to cold because of the sunlight being translucent through the water. • In many lakes or bodies of freshwater all of the oxygen may be used up in the summer there is not a mixing of the different layers. Mixing occurs when the temperature of the lake becomes more uniform from top to bottom, usually in the spring and/or fall. The mixing replenishes oxygen to the bottom waters and releases nutrients and food to the top waters

3. The Limnetic zone is located near the shoreline, and where sunlight is unable to penetrate. This zone is nothing but open water so a lot of organisms are located in this area like, phytoplankton, the phytoplankton biomass exceeds the biomass of vegetation rooted from the shore line. Geographic Information

4. Animals Plankton Zooplankton Nekton Rainbow Trout Bass Plants Algae Phytoplankton Planktonic Algae Cyanobacteria Chlorella Native Species

5. Sea lamprey are eel-like fish native to the coastal regions of both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. They entered the Great Lakes through the Welland Canal about 1921. They added greatly to the decline of whitefish and lake trout in the Great Lakes. Since 1956, the governments of the United States and Canada, working jointly through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, have implemented a successful sea lamprey control program. Invasive Speciesin the Limnetic Zone Sea Lamprey

6. Flowering Rush Invasive Species • Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus) is a frequent plant from Europe and Asia that was introduced to the Midwest as a decorative plant. It grows in shallow areas of lakes as a developing bud, and as a submerged form in water up to 10 feet deep. Its dense strands crowd out native species like bulrush. The developing bud form has pink, umbellate-shaped flowers, and is three feet tall with triangular-shaped stems.

7. Predator/Prey Relationships • Many types of freshwater fish, such as Bass and Lake trout, feed on the plankton that occupy the Limnetic Zone. • Phytoplankton oxygenate this zone of the lake and are then consumed by the slightly larger, zooplankton Phytoplankton

8. Major Environmental Concerns • The land-water interaction with the Limnetic zone can be described by occurrences of enclosing surrounding land formations, turbidity, erosion, runoff including pollutants, and flood cycles.

9. Relationship to Surrounding Biomes • Ponds and lakes generally are isolated from one another and from other various water sources such as open oceans.

10. Unusual Creatures or Features • In very small lakes or ponds the Limnetic zone may be absent • Freshwater • The zone where the rate of photosynthesis is equal to the rate of respiration. • Freshwater systems such as lakes and ponds can range in size from just a few square meters to thousands of square kilometers • Many of the plants that occupy the limnetic zone are all variations of algae.

11. Geographic Kenya lies along the equator on the eastern coast of Africa. Kenya is bordered in the north by Sudan and Ethiopia, in the east by Somalia, on the southeast by the Indian Ocean, on the southwest by Tanzania and to the west by Lake Victoria and Uganda. Kenya is notable for its' geographical variety. The low-lying, fertile coastal region, fringed with coral reefs and islands, is back by a gradually rising coastal plain, a dry region covered with savanna and thorn bush. The People Currently there are 40 different ethnic groups in Kenya The main tribes are Kikuyu (21%), Meru (5%), Kalenjin, Luyha, Luo (14%), Kisii, Kamba, Swahili, Masai, and Turkana . Kenya Africa

12. Kenya Africa • Language • The Kenyan official national language is English, and it is wide spoken. There also another national language, Kiswahili. Both Languages are taught throughout the country. • Religion • A large proportion of the Kenyan population are Christians found mainly outside the coastal and eastern provinces. Muslims make up some 30% of the population found in the coastal areas and in the eastern side of the country . The rest is a combination of other minority religions such as Hindus, Bhuduist and those who follow their ancestral tribal beliefs.

13. Northern Pike • Kingdom: Animalia • Genus-species name: Esox lucius • Means of Locomotion: Swims • Means of Reproduction: Northern pike are considered to be random spawners, not nest builders. Spawning occurs in the Limnetic Zone and lasts for approximately five to ten days after the female leaves. The male will remain in the spawning area but generally do not protect the eggs. At this point, the eggs are very susceptible to predators and those eggs that do survive hatch in about 2 weeks. Spawning generally occurs in the spring. • Habitat: The Northern Pike can be found in almost every type of freshwater, from cold, deep lakes, to warm shallow ponds. Having a broad range of tolerances for water temperature and oxygen content allows the Northern Pike to be one of the most adaptive fish. • Behavioral/ Physical Adaptations to biome: The northern pike migrates only during the spawning season and is relatively inactive at other times.

14. Planktonic Algae • Kingdom: Viridiplantae • Genus-species name: Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (a type of Blue-Green Algae) • Feeding Habits: Planktonic algae are generally suspended in the top few feet of water of a lake where light is bright enough for them to produce food by photosynthesis. • Means of Locomotion: Planktonic algae are floating microscope plants. • Means of Reproduction: Planktonic algae reproduce asexually

15. Planktonic Algae • Behavioral/Physical Adaptations to Biome: There are millions of floating planktonic algae and these color the water the different shades of green, blue-green, brown or variations in between. Planktonic algae that color the water are often referred to as a "bloom" or "algae bloom". Many different species of algae are involved in algae blooms and these species change over time based on temperature, light, nutrients, and various other factors. • Planktonic algae are the beginning of the food chain. In fact, fertilization programs are often used to increase algae blooms and thus supporting a larger fish population. Too much planktonic algae can cause oxygen depletions and kill fish. • Can be toxic to animals

16. Works cited "The Fresh Water Biome." University of Calafornia Museum of Paleontology. 1996. UC Berkeley, Web. 17 Oct 2009. <http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/freshwater.php> "Aquatic Biomes." World Biomes. 01/22/2002. SCLinks, Web. 15 Oct 2009. <http://www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_aquatic2.htm>. "Classifying Lakes and Ponds." Aquatic Biodiversity. 04/09/2009. US Environmental Protection Agency, Web. 20 Oct 2009 <http://www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/aquatic/classify.html>. Lefevre, R. 1999. "Esox lucius" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 20, 2009 at <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Esox_lucius.html.> Lynch, William E. "Planktonic Algae in Ponds." Ohio State University Fact Sheet. Ohio State University, Web. 19 Oct 2009. <http://ohioline.osu.edu/a-fact/0009.html>.

17. Works Cited "Chlorophyta." Wikipedia. 10/02/2009. Wikipedia, Web. 20 Oct 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyta>. Chiras, Daniel D. “Envoirmental Science". Google Science books. 2009 <http://books.google.com/books?id=_3zLQvhENVMC&dq=fresh+water+limnetic+zone&source=gbs_navlinks_s>. "The Africa Guide". The Africa Guide. 1996-2009 <http://www.africaguide.com/country/kenya/>. Christine, Manninen. "Invasive Species in the Great Lakes Region". GLIN. June 18, 2009 <http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flora-fauna/invasive/invasive.html>.

18. Works Cited (Images) • http://www.lakedoctors.com/images/weeds/algea/planktonalgae.jpg • http://www.co.durham.nc.us/departments/swcd/images/stormwater_goes.jpg • http://www.geocities.com/oceanking_uk_2003/Plank.gif http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/US_map_-_rivers_and_lakes3.jpg