Introduction
    Drainage Basin Characteristics
    Lake Basin Characteristics
    Water Quality
    Biological Characteristics (Introduction)
    Biological Characteristics (Plants)
    Biological Characteristics (Invertebrates)
    Biological Characteristics (Fish)
    Biological Characteristics (Wildlife)
    References

Biological Characteristics (Introduction)

Introduction

When most people think of life in a lake, the first things that come to mind are fish, usually large sport fish like trout, walleye or Northern pike. After a little more thought, many people recall "bugs" and perhaps "green slime" and "weeds". The general wish of most recreationists is "More fish! No bugs! No slime! No weeds!". However, in lakes, as on land, the lives of plants and animals are all delicately entwined, each life form interacting with the others. With no minnows and insects to eat, there would be no trout or pike or walleye. With no insects there would be no minnows, and with no plants there would be no insects. The plants, also called "primary producers", are powered by sunlight to convert carbon and oxygen and trace elements into organic matter. Primary consumers are animals that feed on the plants. Secondary consumers are animals that feed on the animals that eat the plants. In water, the form of the organisms is different than on land because they are adapted to an aquatic environment, but the roles remain essentially the same.