The exploration of a lake environment in a freshwater biome Essay

The definition of ecology is "the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms" (Dictionary.com). This is what I hoped to learn by completing my project - I wanted to connect the parts of an ecosystem into a bigger picture. The ecosystem I chose was a lake environment in a freshwater biome. When I researched the different types of animals that ate and were eaten by different organisms in a lake, I achieved my goal. Categorizing different animals together out of thousands of lake organisms was difficult. Sometimes, I couldn't find animals that ate the other animals I had researched and when I moved on to the next animal, I ran into the same issue. However, with enough time and research, things finally came together and organisms like producers, to predators such as quaternary consumers, were pictured on this one poster.
In my pictured interpretation of a lake environment, the producers are the lily pads and green algae. The lily pad provides shelter from the sunlight in times of high temperature and a resting place for animals that are lower on the food web. On the other hand, arguably the more important producer is green algae because it obtains energy from sunlight and releases much of the oxygen animals breathe, in the air. Green algae is eaten by zooplankton and flies, the primary consumers. The algae that is eaten by zooplankton also happens to be their shelter. Zooplankton are small microscopic animals that often float on the surface of the lake. Flies decrease the risk of deoxygenation in the lake water when algae blooms. As a result, underwater life is able to continue to thrive. The bullfrog, one of the largest type of frogs, consumes these flies making it a secondary consumer. Zooplankton and some insects are eaten by the crappie, a fish classified as a secondary consumer in this lake. The crappie consumes a variety of organisms including zooplankton, small fish, and insects. Under the small rocks where the crappie resides, the largemouth bass can also be seen under rocks and logs, waiting for a chance to seize the smaller fish to consume it. The micropterus salmoides, or the largemouth bass, eats as the tertiary consumer. Another tertiary consumer might include the western grebe or the aechmophorus occidentalis. This bird eats small insects on the surface of the lake (floating like a duck) and dives to catch fish like the crappie. Last but not least, the crocodile. The crocodile is the quaternary consumer and consumes everything that crosses its path. The crocodile will be very quiet on the surface of the lake and catch its prey without notice. All the organisms listed above consume its food alive. These animals are either producers, herbivores, or carnivores. The organisms that consume the dead animals are called decomposers. One example of this might include the bacteria that feed on dead matter. Decomposers are essential to a given environment to carry out biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, etc.).