1. By Erica Lamar

2. Standard III.5 Ecosystems

All students will explain how parts of an
ecosystem are related and how they interact;
explain how energy is distributed to living things
in an ecosystem; investigate and explain how
communities of living things change over a
period of time; describe how materials cycle
through an ecosystem and get reused in the
environment; and analyze how humans and the
environment interact.
◦ It is within ecosystems that communities of living things
interact.

3. An ecosystem is an area where plant and

animals interact with each other. They
feed, mate, and share the same place in the
environment.
There are many different ecosystem, like

lakes, forests, cities, etc. We will be studying
one major ecosystem near us. Lake Michigan
and the plants and animals that live in them.
We will study:
◦ The Lamprey Plant Life
◦ Trout Animals around Lake Michigan

5. Lake Michigan is one

of 5 lakes that
surround Michigan
It is on the left side

of Michigan with
Wisconsin on the
other side.
It houses many

species of animal and
plant life and we will
review 3 of them

6. There are several

species of Lamprey
in the Great lakes:
◦ Silver Lamprey,
◦ American Lamprey,
◦ Northern Brook
Lamprey and
◦ Chestnut Brook
Lamprey.

7. Lamprey are a marine animal that live in fresh water all

around the world. They are not found in Africa’s coastal
regions because Lamprey larvae have a fairly low tolerance for
warm/ high water temperatures.

8. Lamprey have cartilage

skeleton and have a
jawless mouth. Their
mouth is circular with
many rows of teeth.
They bore into
fish, mainly Lake Trout
in Lake Michigan and
Streams. They are a
pest because they have
no natural enemies and
affect fishing in lakes
and streams. Lamprey
are NOT fish.

9. Because Lamprey feed Seeing that we have
 
on trout they have an already learned about
affect on plants in lake the food web, what
Michigan and humans. other ways might
Lamprey affect the
◦ They affect fishing for
natural balance in the
people that enjoy have
trout for dinner. Great Lakes
◦ Because there are less
trout in increase the
amount of small fish that
live in Lake Michigan
◦ Which in turn increases
plant life in Lake
Michigan

10. Many Trout are

camouflage so that
they blend into
their environment.
Unlike Lamprey,

they have jaws,
fins, and are fish.
But like Lamprey

they feed on fish,
but Trout feed on
smaller fish.

11. At two years old Trout change

color and find mate because
they are ready to reproduce.
The male and female mate and

the female lays her eggs in a
nest in gravel in fresh water.
The Alevin (larvae) hatch and
live off their yolk sac.
The Fry ( adolescent trout)

swim around finding their own
food, mostly zooplankton.
When they are adults they are

ready to reproduce again.
Trout are sometimes a

migratory fish, being able to
travel from lake to stream to
ocean about 3 times in one life
time. They live for about 7
years.

12. Trout are food for If Trout were not
 
not only humans apart of Lake
but Lamprey, Bears, Michigan how
and other wildlife would it affect all
that live in and the things that
around Lake depend on it?
Michigan.
They are important

for fisherman who
need them to make
a living.

13. There are many Some of these plants
 
plants the live in and include
around Lake ◦ Algae
Michigan. They all ◦ Milkweed
serve their own ◦ Lily pads
purpose and are
important to the
survival of animals
they live in and
around the lake.
How plants affect

their ecosystem

14. Algae is important in

living animals in
marine
environments.
◦ It produces oxygen in
water for fish and other
animals to breath
◦ It is a food source
◦ A common form of
algae is Seaweed
(which is eaten by
many people)

15. Milkweed is

important for nectar
seeking bees and
monarch butterflies.
It is helpful to some

plants by repelling
some pest like
wireworms
They provide beauty

and oxygen to Lake
Michigan's shores.

16. They provide nice

resting places for
frogs and turtles in
lake
They provide oxygen

like all plants and are
nice to look at.
They can become

invasive, blocking
out sunlight trying to
reach the water it’s
in.

17. Algae is important If we didn’t have
 
for feeding. plants in Lake
Michigan could
Milkweed is

animals get the
important for bees
oxygen required to
and monarch
live?
butterflies.
Water lilies are nice

places to rest for
small animals like
frogs and turtles.
All of them provide

oxygen!

18. Not only do animals live Some animals that live
 
in lake Michigan, but around Lake Michigan
they live around Lake are:
Michigan. ◦ Black Bears
When we think of bodies ◦ White tail Deer

of water as ecosystems
we often only think of
the animals that live in
them, but there are many
animals the live outside
of water to think about.
How animals around

Lake Michigan affect
their Ecosystem

19. Black bears are apart of

Michigan.
They are spread through

out Michigan but are in
high density in the upper
peninsula. The shores of
lake Michigan reach the
upper peninsula, making
it an important part of
the to the survival of the
black bear.
Black bears feed on a

variety of things
including berries,
vegetation and trout.

20. They are in every

county in Michigan.
They each plants,

fruit, acorns, and
wild corn.
They are sometime

preyed on by the
black bear.

21. Black Bears feed on If Black bears didn’t
 
vegetation and eat trout how would
trout in and around that affect the
Lake Michigan. population of trout
in Lake Michigan?
Deer are sometimes

preyed on by Black
Bears.

22. Though we don’t think much about how

plants and animals interact with each other
in the environment, they do.
In Lake Michigan alone many animals depend

on plants to survive, and larger animals
depend on the smaller ones. They work in a
beneficial way and sometimes a harmful way.
The interaction of all these plants and
animals in the same environment is an
ecosystem.