Photo by Emmet Judziewicz
Inland lakes are naturally occurring bodies of standing water with a huge diversity in size, configuration, water chemistry, and biota. Glaciation, post-glacial water flow, soil characteristics, topography, bedrock composition, land cover, land use, and other factors can all combine to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of any given lake.
In Wisconsin's Wildlife Action Plan, "Inland Lakes" were divided into multiple inland lake types reflective of their hydrology, depth, alkalinity, and landscape position using the following four characteristics:
Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan Inland Lake Type Information:
Inland Lake Name | WI Clean Water Act Name | Stratification | Hydrology |
---|---|---|---|
Small Lake--hard, bog | Small Lakes | Variable | Any Hydrology |
Small Lake--soft, bog | Small Lakes | Variable | Any Hydrology |
Small Lake--meromictic | Small Lakes | Variable | Any Hydrology |
Small Lake--other | Small Lakes | Variable | Any Hydrology |
Large Lake--shallow, hard and very hard (marl), drainage | Shallow headwater | mixed | headwater drainage |
Large Lake--shallow, hard and very hard (marl), drainage | Shallow lowland | mixed | lowland drainage |
Large Lake--shallow, hard, seepage | Shallow seepage | mixed | headwater drainage |
Large Lake--shallow, soft, drainage | Shallow headwater | mixed | headwater drainage |
Large Lake--shallow, soft, drainage | Shallow lowland | mixed | lowland drainage |
Large Lake--shallow, soft, seepage | Shallow seepage | mixed | headwater drainage |
Large Lake--deep, hard, drainage | Deep headwater | stratified | headwater drainage |
Large Lake--deep, hard, drainage | Deep lowland | stratified | lowland drainage |
Large Lake--deep, hard, seepage | Deep seepage | stratified | seepage |
Large Lake--deep, soft and very soft, seepage | Deep seepage | stratified | seepage |
Large Lake--deep, soft, drainage | Deep headwater | stratified | headwater drainage |
Large Lake--deep, soft, drainage | Deep lowland | stratified | lowland drainage |
Riverine Impoundment | Impounded flowing waters | variable | headwater or lowland drainage |
Riverine Lake - Pond | lowland drainage |
Plant communities associated with inland lakes can fall into two general categories: submergent marsh and floating-leaved aquatic, and both communities can be found within a single lake. Submergent aquatic macrophytes tend to occur in deeper water than beds of floating-leaved or emergent species, but there is considerable overlap. Where the two communities do co-occur, the large-leaved pond lilies, when dominant, can inhibit the development of submergent or emergent plants by casting heavy shade over the plants below. The water clarity, chemistry, substrate, and stratification at a given lake affect these two plant communities. The water chemistry, perhaps more so than other ecological factors, greatly affects the types and abundance of aquatic plants present.
Aquatic plants, including both emergent and submergent aquatic vegetation, form the foundation of healthy and flourishing aquatic ecosystems - both within lakes and on the shores and wetlands surrounding them. They not only protect water quality, but also produce life-giving oxygen. Aquatic plants are a lake's own filtering system, helping to clarify the water by absorbing nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen that could stimulate algal blooms. Plant beds stabilize soft lake bottoms and reduce shoreline erosion by reducing the effect of waves and current. Aquatic plants also serve as spawning habitat for fish and amphibians, and support populations of aquatic insects that serve as a food base for other species.
Conservation actions respond to issues or threats, which adversely affect species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) or their habitats. Besides actions such as restoring wetlands or planting resilient tree species in northern communities, research, surveys and monitoring are also among conservation actions described in the WWAP because lack of information can threaten our ability to successfully preserve and care for natural resources.
Threats/issues and conservations actions for natural communities
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Note: photos are provided to illustrate various examples of natural community types. A single photograph cannot represent the range of variability inherent in a given community type. Some of these photos explicitly illustrate unusual and distinctive community variants. The community photo galleries are a work in progress that we will expand and improve in the future.