What kind of math do fish like? > > > > ALGAE-bra 🤡
Algae are at the base of the food web, making them necessary to maintain ecosystem balance, despite how unpleasant some people may find them. They are always present in natural water systems, even when they aren’t blooming.
Through photosynthesis, algae absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen to the atmosphere, and while we can also thank plants for this process, blue-green algae were doing it about two billion years earlier. Without blue-green algae, you would not be here today reading this.
Algae are also a food source for zooplankton, which are then food sources for fish. Wiping out algae entirely is not the solution, as they are necessary to support aquatic life. The frequent blooms are the problem, not the algae, so we need to understand what’s triggering them. Although algae thrive when nutrients are abundant, Muskoka’s lakes have low nutrient levels. Blooms are occurring more frequently in low nutrient lakes worldwide, indicating that a global factor such as climate change is contributing. Warm temperatures enhance algae growth, and can also cause greater oxygen depletion in deep lakes, enhancing nutrient resuspension from lake sediments.
Read the full article here.
Algae thrives in warm, shallow, slow-moving water with excess nutrients (nitrogen/phosphorus), and often peak in late summer/early fall.
- Avoid contact with blue-green algae blooms; rinse off if exposed.
- Don't drink untreated water from bloom areas; boiling doesn't remove toxins.
- Report sighting of possible blue-green algae blooms to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks who will investigate and may take water samples to confirm if the algae is one of the species that produces harmful toxins.
