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Lake Tahoe

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Submitted By MRenfree
Words 284
Pages 2
Georga-Mae Smith
07/16/2015

Ecosystem Structure, Function and Change

Lake Tahoe is the largest lake in America it is located in Sierra Nevada and is a freshwater lake over 1600 feet deep. The lake is at the heart of a comprehensive ecosystem and contains rich aquatic life and has a range of native species for example, the lake is home to redside dace, suckers and chub. “The ecosystem of the Lake Tahoe Basin has been dramatically altered since European settlers began to settle around the lake in the middle of the last century. Human disturbances, including introduced species, fire suppression, past overgrazing and logging, urbanization, roads, intensive recreational use, and air pollution, have affected not only the clarity of the lake, but the forest's ability to maintain the function, diversity, and resiliency of its components” (Tahoecam.com).
At the end of the 19th century, along with other issues such as drought, thinning and excessive rainfall, Lake Tahoe now has overcrowded and aged trees, yet with a 25% to 30% tree mortality which makes the danger of fires very severe (Tahoecam.com).
When it comes to the quality of the water in the lake, human activities over the last 130 years have done the most damage yet the human activities in the lake have acted as the biggest impetus to restore the water quality. Since 1959 the rate of algal growth has quadrupled in Lake Tahoe: “This increase in growth is due to the excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the Lake. These two nutrients have become unnaturally abundant in the lake because of human caused disturbances. The primary anthropogenic sources are accelerated erosion, fertilizer use, car exhaust and urban runoff”

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