Aquatic Systems 1

Analyze the function and condition of freshwater aquatic systems such as rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands and watersheds.

## Indicators

**a. Explain how to measure the condition of an aquatic ecosystem using chemical factors, physical factors and biological indicators including indicator species, keystone species and invasive species.**

https://www.nwtwaterstewardship.ca/en/how-aquatic-ecosystem-health-measured-allows for water analysis. -EB.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/aquatic-ecosystem-assessments-rivers - This websight explains how profesionals measure the condition of an aquatic ecosystem using chemical factors, physical factors and biological indicators including indicator species, keystone species and invasive species. This page explains everything on example of a river/riperian area. It has 6 chapters, each chapter explains how to assess and what to look for and how it affects the environment quality. - AZ

**b. Identify how the presence or absence of traditional medicines can serve as indicators of water body health.**

https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-4269-3-14 the traditional medicines of the indgenous peoples include plants herbs bark animals and other things found in nature the traditional medicines are the enviroment are connected is healthy cause there is a full complementive species intact water shed and genitic diversity and climate regulation. kw

**c. Measure abiotic factors (e.g., turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and particulates) of an ecosystem using a variety of techniques and technologies (e.g., probe ware, pH paper, Secchi disk, Imhoff settling cone and chemical water quality test kit) effectively and safely.**

https://d3dqsm2futmewz.cloudfront.net/docs/gios/SCENE/Abiotic-Components.pdf This activity has students measure the abiotic factors of an open water source by using different tools and materials. This page explains what some abiotic factors are as well as help student conduct various tests to find data. https://slideplayer.com/slide/7081177/ This other link identifies multiple tools for measuring various abiotic factors, using and reading them, and what they do to the measured material. - RL

**d. Examine the diversity of life in a specific aquatic ecosystem through water sampling, classifying aquatic biota, assessing biodiversity and calculating a water quality index and/or algal productivity.** https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/lake/

this website describes the lake health and how people and other plants and animals use it. There is the lake classification which describes how to classify lakes and what they can be classified as. This website contains information of how we can keep lakes healthy and it also shows what cause a lake to become unhealthy. ZB

**e. Assess the interdependencies between abiotic (e.g., pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, total dissolved solids, phosphorous, nitrogen, stream flow and biochemical oxygen demand) and biotic factors in a functioning aquatic ecosystem.**

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/marine-ecosystems/ - Aquatic/marine ecosystems include a variety of abiotic and biotic factors. The abiotic factors determine which biotic factors are present in the area. On the other hand, the nutrients from the decomposition of biotic factors may also affect the abiotic factors of an area. For example, sunlight is an abiotic factor that affects the plants and animals in different areas of the ocean. Scientists have classified different marine animals based on the amount of sunlight that reaches them. Depending on the amount of sunlight that reaches the animals, they may or may not need to adapt to different conditions. Animals in the deeper areas of the ocean where there is a limited amount of sunlight may adapt by producing a light of their own. SR

**f. Investigate bacterial content in surface water and compare the presence of coliform bacteria to surface water quality standards following appropriate safety procedures.** https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/sites/default/files/2021-06/Guideline-2003-01-01-RRPL-DrinkingWaterQuality-v01.pdf The websites talks about how much bactreia there is untreates water. It says was treatments the water goes through to gte the bacterias out of the water. Public drinking water will should not have any bacteria in the water. If you boil the water it will get all of the bacteria out of the water.D.S

**g. Assess how an integrated watershed management approach can address issues (e.g., water supply, drainage, storm water runoff, habitat protection and water rights) that affect water quality and the health of all living things within a watershed.**

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11676-016-0293-3 This website discusses many different concepts of integrated watershed management. The website includes many sections such as the evolution, technologies and tools, issues, future research, and case studies based on the integrated watershed management approach. It talks about the process of addressing issues associated with a watershed. It starts with the analysis, and identification of the issues, and ends with the undergoing of the protection. The website offers case studies of watershed management in China, Europe and, Canada. Each case study includes the setting and issues, and the management that occurred to resolve the problem with the specific watershed. I picked this website because it discusses many important topics based on watersheds and their protection along with the quality of human health because of watersheds and their quality. The website has lots of information with lot's of examples, pictures, case studies, and more! -TC

https://ccme.ca/en/res/summaryofintegratedwatershedmanagementapproachesacrosscanada.pdf - Integrated Watershed Management is a process of managing human activities and ecosystems at the watershed scale that integrates multiple concepts and methods. Some methods are water and land use management, as well as evaluating effects from environmental stressors. This PDF further goes into detail about their plans to protect aquatic ecosystems in Canada, the issues with watersheds, the development of IWM in Canada, challenges with watersheds, principles of IWM, such as ecosystem and precautionary approaches, and more. - KTMP

**h. Describe the benefits of the ecological goods and services provided by riparian zones and wetlands (e.g., marshes, swamps, bogs and fens) in protecting water resources.**

http://www.rivanna-stormwater.org/wetlands.pdf - Riparian zones are highly effective at removing pollution from the water, as shown in the lab provided. Sediment pollution is stopped by plants located in the water. Certain nutrients responsible for algal blooms are also used up by those plants. The extensive microbial structure also helps divert manmade chemicals such as pesticides from reaching other water sources. They have a side benefit of being helpful to the local wildlife, providing them with a source of food, water, and shelter. This pdf also includes the zones of the buffer, with runoff control, managed forest, and undisturbed forest, respectively. They also recharge aquifers with the water trapped by the land and plant life. AK

**i. Recognize different characteristics of lakes from naturally oligotrophic to eutrophic as well as possible causes (e.g., clearing of land, excessive fertilizer runoff and treatment plants) and consequences of cultural eutrophication.**

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-oligotrophic-mesotrophic-and-eutrophic-lakes.html

this explains the differences between oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes jk

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/eutrophication.html- this website explanes the differentses between the lakes and what the culture is like-WDP