Ecosystems and Food Webs

How do Aquatic Invasive Species affect our lakes?

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County

A food chain illustrates the movement of energy in an ecosystem.

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County

A food web is a diagram of a complex, interacting set of food chains within an ecosystem

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County

Parts of a Food Chain

• Sun• Plants• Primary consumers• Secondary consumers• Decomposers

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County

This aquatic food pyramid illustrates energy transfer and relative biomass in an aquatic ecosystem.

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County

In an aquatic nutrient cycle, energy and vital elements (nutrients) transfer through trophic levels.

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County

Carrying Capacity

• The maximum number of individuals or inhabitants that an environment can support without detrimental effects on the habitat or to the organisms over time

• Nature’s checks and balances

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County

Balance

• Ecosystems evolve over time through interrelationships of its living and nonliving components

• An ecosystem in balance is sustainable

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County

What happens to the ecosystem’s balance when AIS are introduced?

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County

Small Group Discussion

1. What link is your AIS in the food chain (what does it eat and what eats it)?

2. How does this species affect the aquatic ecosystem in the short term?

3. How does this species affect the aquatic ecosystem in the long term?

4. Are there any methods of control for this species?

AIS · Aquatic Invasive Species Education for Otter Tail County