Lake metabolism

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lake-metabolism

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the dominant drivers?Microbial activity and biogeochemical cycles are central to lake metabolism
2. What is the eutrophication impact?Excess nutrients lead to algal blooms and oxygen depletion, altering metabolic balance
3. What does it mean when a lake is net autotrophic?When the lake makes more food and oxygen than it uses, it is called net autotrophic. It can store or send out extra carbon.
4. How do microbes help keep a lake healthy?Microbes like bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protists break down dead stuff. They turn it into carbon dioxide and release nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur back into the water.

Allochthonous: Organic matter originating from sources outside the lake ecosystem.
Autochthonous: Organic matter produced within the lake ecosystem itself.
Eutrophication: The enrichment of a lake with nutrients, leading to excessive algal growth and oxygen depletion.
Hypoxia/Anoxia: Conditions of low (hypoxia) or no (anoxia) dissolved oxygen in the water.