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ysabetwordsmithResearchers poured acid into a small lake for years just to see what would happen, and they are still trying to fix the broken food web decades later
In 1976, scientists in northwestern Ontario began adding sulfuric acid to a small lake every week. They kept going until 1993. The lake, known simply as Lake 223, became one of the most important experiments in the history of acid rain research. It showed which parts of a lake ecosystem break first, and how slowly some of them come back.
The water chemistry has long since returned to normal. Yet decades later, researchers are still helping the lake’s food web recover, most recently by bringing back a tiny shrimp that disappeared in 1979.
You really have to keep an eye on your keystone species. Many, but not all, are ecosystem engineers that change the landscape itself (e.g. prairie dogs) or that create a specific environment (e.g. redwoods). Most of the rest are critical food supply plants (e.g. oaks) or animals (e.g. krill). That's how removing one species can wreck everything.
Conversely with restoration projects, ask what is missing. If you are missing keystones, restore those first and the rest will often cascade without further intervention.
In 1976, scientists in northwestern Ontario began adding sulfuric acid to a small lake every week. They kept going until 1993. The lake, known simply as Lake 223, became one of the most important experiments in the history of acid rain research. It showed which parts of a lake ecosystem break first, and how slowly some of them come back.
The water chemistry has long since returned to normal. Yet decades later, researchers are still helping the lake’s food web recover, most recently by bringing back a tiny shrimp that disappeared in 1979.
You really have to keep an eye on your keystone species. Many, but not all, are ecosystem engineers that change the landscape itself (e.g. prairie dogs) or that create a specific environment (e.g. redwoods). Most of the rest are critical food supply plants (e.g. oaks) or animals (e.g. krill). That's how removing one species can wreck everything.
Conversely with restoration projects, ask what is missing. If you are missing keystones, restore those first and the rest will often cascade without further intervention.
