Ecological Succession

Ecological Succession is the gradual process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive substitution of one community by another until stability is maintained. These three terms, oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic, are related to this change. Oligotrophic is relatively low in plant life nutrients and contains a plethora of oxygen in deeper parts of lakes. However, mesotrophic is a lake or pond with moderate amounts of dissolved nutrients. Eutrophic is different though, it has a dense plant population and rich in nutrients. These three terms are significant in freshwater ecology because as the lakes age, the ecology changes. The oligotrophic is the youngest stage or age, mesotrophic is middle aged, and eutrophic is the oldest stage of a body of water. They are important to learn and know because they can help ecologists determine the age of a body of water by determining if it is one of the three.

In my aquarium, it would be thought of as oligotrophic while Lake Lewisville would be considered mesotrophic. All bodies of water are different and change due to succession. It’s really beneficial if you could use these terms to classify your lake, pond, aquarium, etc.