Conserving Missouri’s
AQUATIC
ECOSYSTEMS
Student Guide
1
Acknowledgments
Production Team
Chief writer: Sam Faith
Curriculum development: Veronica Feilner
Editor: Bonnie Chasteen
Art supervisor: Cliff White
Illustrations: Mark Raithel, except where otherwise noted
Photographs: Noppadol Paothong, Jim Rathert, David Stonner and Cliff White, except where otherwise noted
Cover photo: Cliff White
Designer: Marci Porter
Contributors
Shea Bergman, David Bruns, Paul Calvert, Melanie Carden-Jessen, Steve Cooper, Marty Corcoran, Erica Cox, Kevin
Dacey, Jennifer Dierking, Veronica Feilner, Sherry Fischer, Syd Hime, Kirk Keller, Harold Kerns, Regina Knauer,
Mike Kruse, Liz Lyons, Lavada Mann, Matt Mauck, Jean Mayer, Kevin Meneau, John Miller, Randy Noyes, Chris
Pudenz, Tim Rielly, Chris Riggert, Barb Sandhagen, Bob Schulz, Phil Shearrer, Nancy Snider, Rodney Swope, Dick
Turner and Mark Van Patten
© Copyright 2006 by the Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri; Revised 2007, 2008
Missouri Department of Conservation
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180
www.missouriconservation.org
This publication was funded in part by the one-eighth of one
percent Missouri Conservation Sales Tax. It also was funded in
part by the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which uses federal
excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuels to support
aquatic education, fisheries research and management, fishing
and boating accesses and habitat improvements.
Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Missouri Department of Conservation is available to all individuals
without regard to their race, color, nationality, sex, age or disability. Questions should be directed to the Department of Conservation, P.O.
Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102, (573) 751-4115 (voice) or 1-800-735-2966 (TTY), or to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Federal
Assistance, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop: MBSP-4020, Arlington, VA 22203.
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Conserving Missouri’s
AQUATIC
ECOSYSTEMS
Student Guide
3
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Water Is Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 2: The Ultimate Recyclable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 3: What’s Your Watershed Address? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 4: Living in the Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 5: From Sun to Sunfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 6: Missouri’s Aquatic Ecosystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 7: Rivers and Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 8: Lakes and Ponds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Chapter 9: Swamps and Marshes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chapter 10: Fishing for Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
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