Lake Observations

             The location I selected for my long term outside observations report was that boarding Lake Ripple. I chose a spot encompassing a small five square acres located down the path from the football field. I found this area to be thriving with life and the enclosed water from the lake made it the perfect location to view changes throughout the year. I chose the spot because of its overall beauty and the plethora of information that could be obtained from such a small piece of earth. Many organisms and materials, both living and dead, could be seen in this five square meter area. Biotic components such as the green grass, brown moss, lichen, small gray fish (eventually named Pedro), water plants, water spiders, green ferns, small shrubs with brown/green leaves, bees, three large trees, purple flowers, drift wood, spider and web, fallen brown leaves, long wheat-type sprouting grass, tree roots, acorns, pine needles, birds, and small black bugs. All of the biotic components played a role, either big or small, in my micro ecosystem. Most components were in the ecosystem to provide food for the other members, making them producers. Examples of this include all the plants; ranging from the small grasses, to the larger bushes, to the aquatic plants, right up to the giant trees. These producers also supplied food in the form of berries, seeds, and nuts. Biotic organism such as the bees, spiders, and bugs would feed off these the plants themselves and also the objects they produced. Even in the water, the fish gained energy it needed to survive my feasting on the numerous water bugs and on the aquatic plants. The plants themselves also needed to receive energy from other places to survive. The plants, producers, created their own food. The producers took in sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make this needed food, keeping the micro ecosystem flourishing. The materials needed for the producers to grow are examples of the abiotic components located in my area.