Sawgrass Lake Park

The weather when we went to Sawgrass Lake Park was very comfortable. As we were walking on the path we saw a huge nurse log tree that had fallen over and had organisms growing on it. When we were near a small stream there was a big turtle along with a few juvenile alligators. As we continued on the path there was a very nice outlook by the lake. We saw some gars swimming by. Then we saw this huge 6 foot alligator with his whole head sticking out of the water. He kept it like that for at least 10-20 minutes. There are about 7800 bodies of water in Florida. Lakes are larger than 10 acres where ponds are smaller and less than 10 acres. They are usually fed by rainwater or groundwater and are about 7-20 feet deep. The more shallow waters have higher vegetation. The two lake types are Seepage and Drainage. Seepage lakes have no surface water outflow and are fed by rainwater or groundwater. Drainage lakes have surface water outflow so water comes both in and out. Drainage lakes also have short residency times for the water since it has an outflow. Height also plays an important factor. The lake we were observing was mesotrophic. The 3 lake characterizations deal with the amount of nutrients, diversity, and oxygen levels. Oligotrophic lakes have low levels of nutrients but lots of oxygen and are clear. Mesotrophic lakes are in the middle with moderate vegetation and nutrients. Eutrophic lakes have high levels of nutrients and lots of growth but low diversity. They also have limited oxygen because of so many organisms fighting over it. The 3 main zones in a lake ecosystem are the shoreline, euphotic, and benthic zones. The shoreline is the most productive with lots of diversity. It's usually about 0-5 feet deep and has more temperature fluctuations. The euphotic zone is the open water. There is no emergent vegetation in this zone. The only vegetation that there is here is free floating. The benthic zone is also called the dark zone. It's the deepest part and has no plants. There is low oxygen and no sunlight. The temperate is constant and it has a detrital food web. Lakes and ponds are good for drainage as well as helping regulate temperate. The threats to the ecosystem are humans, invasive species, climate change, and pollution from the gun range. The gun range is just a short distance away from the lake and lead from the range got into the water. The park was able to get them to change procedures but it's still a threat and hurts the ecosystem.