Sci 256 Week 2 Individual

Ecosystem Structure, Function, and Change Paper

SCI/256

October 26, 2015

Ecosystem Structure, Function, and Change Paper

Lake Tahoe is a large and breathtaking lake in the state of Nevada in the United States. The lake surface spans approximately 191,500 square miles. At its deepest, the lake reaches a depth of about 300 feet. Surrounding the lake is a large number different types of plant and animal life creating a ecosystem with a large amount of diversity.

The area around the lake consists of rainforests comprised of several types of trees including; Lodgepole Pines, Jeffrey Pines, and Ponderosa Pines. There are also areas of dry meadows and fields of brush in the vicinity of the lake. The brush field, Ceanothus, is a type of brush that is nitrogen-fixing and is found in large quantities in the area of the lake. This brush has the ability to increase the fertility of the soil that it grows in making it a essential part of the local ecosystem.

One of the major concerns to the ecosystem of the lake is eutrophication. This process is caused by the activities of people in the area of the lake and consists of the fertilization of a body of water with nitrogen and phosphorus. This process can lead to drastic changes in the animals and plant life in the area of the body of water affected by the process. In the Lake Tahoe area, the Zooplankton community has faced the greatest changes.

The area the lake is located in also experiences drastic changes in weather conditions throughout the year. These conditions range from the extreme heat in the summer months to sub-zero temperatures in the winter months. These extreme temperature changes cause the vegetation surrounding the lake to respond in different ways including changes in vegetation color and density. The changes in weather patterns throughout the year also affect the behavior patterns of the animal life surrounding the lake.

Due to the natural beauty of the area surrounding the lake, there has always...