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Ecosystem Observation Paper

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On Saturday, September 24th, 2016 at around 12:01 pm, I ran to a location that is halfway between Chadbourne residence hall and Picnic Point. The location of the area observed was on the edge of Lake Mendota along the Lakeshore pathway. The state of the weather that day was slightly cloudy with a gentle wind. Temperature wise, it was around 75 degrees Fahrenheit that morning.
Observation 1: Mosquitoes population present. As I was observing the area, I noticed that I was pestered by a good deal of mosquitoes. The mosquitoes were most likely present due to the fact that the surrounding ecosystem provides a stable environment for the population to reproduce. Since mosquitoes reproduce in moist or wetland areas, the still water near the edge of Lake Mendota is a perfect condition for the mosquito population to grow. Observation 2: Ducks and geese were present. A couple of yards away from the edge of the lake, I saw two geese and three ducks standing on top of a dead log in the lake. The presence of other organisms within …show more content…
I also looked up to find if these plants had any impact on the ecosystem. What was found was that these plants have ecological benefits in that their roots help stabilize soil, provides a source of nectar for bees, and provides rich material for the soil when it decomposes (“Wisco…” 13). The repeated idea of roots that stabilize the area’s soil is due to the observation of a tree that is tilted more towards the water. This could be due to that the soil surrounding the tree is damp from the rise of the lake water due to recent rain. The soil is constantly wet; hence, the roots of the tree are not as stabilized as the other trees that are further away from the lake. So my question regarding from this observation is if that is the reason most of the wildflowers and weeds are congested near the edge of the lake and not more inland of where I

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