Instructor: Andrew Cantrell

Alabama is one of the most diverse states in terms of United States aquatic life. Though fish are one of the first things people think about when it comes to our aquatic systems, a wide diversity of macroinvertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds live in and rely on these ecosystems. Even the term “aquatic habitat” is very diverse, as North Alabama has everything from rivers to creeks and streams, lakes, ponds, and ephemeral wetlands; all of these are different in terms of their ecology.

This program will give an overview of these different types of systems and their ecology, as well as the ecology of the species that live within them. Additionally, this program will discuss some of the conflicts between humans and these ecosystems as well as some of the ecological services these systems and the species within provide for us.