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Topic: Eco-study on the Great Lakes.

North America hosts one of the most spectacular features, carved by glacial activity the great lakes contains nearly twenty percent of the world’s fresh water.

The Ecosystem Dynamics research team collects data and conducts experiments of the Great Lakes ecosystem processes. The Great Lakes ecosystem is greatly dynamic and changes according to the surrounding. Over the years with the retreating ice, a basin is formed rich in new habitats for several species that migrate from the East and West. The functional changes of the ecosystem are the major changes in the food chain in zebra mussel-infested waters of Lake Huron. Research shows an alarming change in how energy and nutrients are assimilated in the food chain. The Bay is no longer dominated by phytoplankton and Zebra mussel is spreading at an alarming rate.

Human impacts on the Great lakes have lead to diverse negative changes on the lake’s ecosystem. Misuse of the lake by the high growth of beaches which often lead to pollution of the waters occurred since the 1900s. This has had a great impact on the nitrogen, phosphorous and carbon cycle. Through dumping of untreated waste both from homes and industries has lead to production of chemicals that have altered the normal nature of the cycles. Over- fishing has lead to the extinction of various species of fish.

Knowledge about the structure and function of the great lakes provides the motive for conservation of the environment. Through the knowledge of what the benefits of the lake to the animals plants and people; the conservation team has decided to cut the number of beaches hence cutting pollution of the water. Treatment of water that has helped reduce the great changes in chemical properties of the water.

For a period of time over the years, the Gray wolf found on the western side of the Great Lakes was declared as an endangered species. The government passed an act against hunting of the wolves and since then the population has progressively grown. This was an act of restoring the wolves in the area. The act aided in managing the domestication and hunting of the wolves by the locals.