User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
The areas I have selected to observe are aquatic bodies of water in North Bay, Ontario. There are two large lakes in North Bay that are home to a variety of species, as well are known for different fish such as Bass, Muskee, crayfish, etc.
Site A: Lake Nipissing
- Surface area of 873.3 km2, 196m above sea level, average depth of 4.5 m (shallow), max depth 64m & max length 65 km
- 3rd largest lake in Ontario
- Located between Ottawa River and Georgian Bay
- Topography: flat land
- Vegetation: shallow water lake
- August 1, 2018, 2:00pm, 22 degrees Celcius, scattered showers (light rain)
There are many species that are abundant in Lake Nipissing, such as Bass and Muskee. What interests me is the abundance of a particular species in Lake Nipissing as opposed to Trout Lake (Site B). Lake Nipissing is near a sewage treatment plant; therefore the sewage is most likely dumped into this lake causing the temperature to be warmer. Lake Nipissing is also known to be very shallow, perhaps contributing to the temperature of the water as well.
Site B: Trou
t Lake
- Surface area of 348.1 km2, 11.27 km long, 202 m above sea level, 4km wide
- 6km east of Lake Nipissing
- Exists eastward into the Matter River, flowing via the Ottawa River to the St. Lawrence River
- Source of the Mattawa River
- Located on a well-known historic North American fur-trading route
- North Bay drinking water obtained from this lake
Trout Lake is known for its cooler, deeper waters. The species of fish are endless, as they haven’t found the bottom of this lake yet, which spikes interest to me on the differences between abundance of the same species within the two different lakes. The lake is very deep, perhaps contributing to the temperature of the water, as well as the types of species that live in the shallower areas closer to the shoreline.
I am interested in examining a species that may be important to the life of bigger fish within the two lakes, and am intrigued by the idea of the water temperature having an affect on the abundance of this species. Perhaps this is something I will examine for my field study.
- Does water temperature have an affect on the abundance of crayfish in either lake? What are the repercussions of this?
- Does water depth have an affect on the temperature of the water? If so, are crayfish more abundant in shallow or deep waters?
- Does water temperature have an affect on the species of crayfish present? If so, does this affect other species?
