Algae / phytoplankton Plant (Producer) Get Energy from: the sun; make their own food through photosynthesis. Place in Food Web: (Producer) form the basis of the aquatic food chain Mutualism: provide food and shelter for different organisms, fish and wildlife and also filter sunlight limiting growth of plants on the bottom of lakes Photo courtesy of

Cattails / Plant (Producer) Get Energy from: the sun; make their own food through photosynthesis. Place in Food Web: (Producer) form the basis of the aquatic food chain Mutualism: provide food and shelter for a variety of organisms, fish and wildlife; nursery habitat Photo courtesy of

Phytoplankton / Microscopic Plants (Producers) Get Energy from: the sun; make their own food through photosynthesis. Place in Food Web: (Producer) form the basis of the aquatic food chain. Mutualism: Phytoplankton are the foundation of the aquatic food web. Plankton are vital in the food supplies of fish, aquatic birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and aquatic insects.

White Water Lily / Aquatic Plant (Producer) Get Energy from: the sun; make their own food through photosynthesis. Place in Food Web: (Producer) form the basis of the aquatic food chain Mutualism: provide food and shelter for variety of organisms, fish and wildlife and also filter sunlight limiting growth of plants on the bottom of lakes. Provides excellent habitat for largemouth bass and sunfish; seeds are eaten by waterfowl; small aquatic animals lay their eggs on the leaves and stems. Photo courtesy of white ‑ water ‑ lily_9574.jpgwhite ‑ water ‑ lily_9574.jpg

Milfoil / Aquatic Plant (Producer) Get Energy from: the sun; make their own food through photosynthesis. Place in Food Web: (Producer) form the basis of the aquatic food chain Mutualism: provide food, shelter and protection for variety of organisms such as, fish, frogs, snakes, insects, and crustaceans and also filter sunlight limiting growth of plants on the bottom of lakes. Photo courtesy of

Common Duckweed / Aquatic Plant (Producer) Get Energy from: the sun; make their own food through photosynthesis. Place in Food Web: (Producer) form the basis of the aquatic food chain Mutualism: food source for many birds and fish, especially ducks, also provides shelter and protection for aquatic animals, such as frogs, snakes, fish, insects, and crustaceans and also filter sunlight limiting growth of plants on the bottom of lakes. Photo courtesy of

Giant Water Bug/ Aquatic Insect Macroinvertebrate (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: insects, tadpoles and small fish Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: food source for many birds, fish, ducks and aquatic animals Photo courtesy of

Water Boatmen / Aquatic Insect Macroinvertebrate (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: algae, decaying plant and animal matter Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: food source for many birds, fish, ducks, aquatic animals, such as frogs, snakes and insects Photo courtesy of

Freshwater Leech / Macroinvertebrate (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: parasite that feeds on the blood of fish, frogs, turtles, and mammals. Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: food source for many birds, fish, ducks, aquatic animals, such as frogs, snakes and insects Photo courtesy of

Scud (Side Swimmer) / Aquatic Insect Macroinvertebrate (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: scuds are scavengers and feed on plant and animal debris. Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: food source for many birds, fish, ducks, aquatic animals, such as frogs, snakes, fish and insects Photo courtesy of

Zooplankton / microscopic animal-like organisms (Primary Consumers) Get Energy from: may be plant-eaters (eat phytoplankton), or meat-eaters (eat other zooplankton) Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: food source for many birds, fish, ducks and aquatic insects Photo courtesy of

Dobson Fly Larvae: hellgrammites / Macroinvertebrate (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: aquatic insects, such as larvae of dragonflies, damselflies, stoneflies and mayflies Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: food source for many birds, fish, ducks, aquatic animals, frogs, snakes and insects Photo courtesy of

Crayfish / Macroinvertebrate (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: aquatic plants, worms, insects, insect larvae, and the eggs of fish, frogs, toads and salamanders Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: food source for many birds, fish, ducks, aquatic animals, such as frogs, snakes and fish Photo courtesy of

Smelt / Forage Fish (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: Young smelt eat tiny aquatic organisms, but switch to aquatic insect larvae and other invertebrates and small fish as they grow Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: food source for larger fish, many birds, ducks, and aquatic animals and humans

Lake Herring (Cisco) / Forage Fish (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: primarily feeds on microscopic zooplankton; adults also eat aquatic insect larvae, adult mayflies and stoneflies, and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: important food source for larger fish, many birds, ducks, and aquatic animals and humans

Mayfly Nymph / Macroinvertebrate (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: plants and decaying material. Some filter-feed on material floating in the water, while others are scrapers, actively scraping plant material from rocks. Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: favored food for many fish (such as trout), also important food source for birds, ducks, aquatic animals, frogs, snakes and insects

Midge Larvae (Chironomids) / Macroinvertebrate (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: Live on lake bottom and feed on Detritus (dead plant and animal material) that accumulated there Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) decomposer Mutualism: Important role in break down of dead plants and animals, recycling nutrients; important food source for many fish, birds, ducks, aquatic animals, such as frogs, snakes, and other macroinvertebrates.

Canvasback / Duck (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: (diving duck) forage in bottom sediment for Rootstalks, tubers and stems of submerged aquatic vegetation, as well as bottom dwelling animals, such as aquatic insects and small crustaceans Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) predator and prey Mutualism: often builds nests in cattail; eggs and ducklings are an important food source especially for mink and raccoons Photo courtesy of

Snail (Mollusks) / macroinvertebrate (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: mainly phytoplankton (microscopic plants), some will eat dead animal debris Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) Mutualism: important food source especially fish such as Lake Whitefish and other bottom feeding fish; filter water

Raccoon / Mammal (Secondary Consumer) Get Energy from: omnivorous and eat almost anything, including: nuts, berries, acorns, leaves, grasshoppers, crickets, grubs, worms, dragonfly larvae, clams, wasps, salamanders, frogs, crayfish, snakes, turtles and their eggs, bird eggs and fish etc. Place in Food Web: (Secondary Consumer) may be predator or prey Mutualism: almost always live near water, they will also move into a muskrat house. Predators include coyote, fox and bobcats. Photo courtesy of

Muskrat (Secondary Consumer) Get Energy from: omnivorous wide variety of plants and animal foods, including: cattails, water lilies, pondweeds, switch grass, mussels, crayfish, frogs, snails, and fish Place in Food Web: (Secondary Consumer) Mutualism: build lodges out of cattails and grasses; food source for red-tailed hawk, mink, owl, bald eagle, fox, coyote and raccoon Photo courtesy of

Bufflehead / Duck (Primary Consumer) Get Energy from: a diving duck aquatic vegetation, insects, crustaceans and mollusks as well as some seeds Place in Food Web: (Primary Consumer) predator and prey Mutualism: eggs and ducklings are an important food source especially for mink and raccoons; large fish Photo courtesy of

Great Blue Heron (Tertiary / Top Predator) Get Energy from: Fish, amphibians, reptiles, mice, insects and small birds Place in Food Web: (Tertiary / Top Predator) Mutualism: predator Great horned owl Photo courtesy of

Lake Trout / Fish Eaters (Piscivores) (Tertiary / Top predator) Get Energy from: Primarily other fish; sometimes takes crustaceans, insects, other fish, and even small mammals Place in Food Web: (Tertiary /Top Predator) Mutualism: Food source for People, Hawks, Herons; eggs and fry are important food source for ducks, mammals, other fish Photo courtesy of

Northern Pike / Fish Eaters (Piscivores) (Tertiary / Top predator) Get Energy from: Primarily large numbers of smaller fish will supplement their diet with any living creature they can swallow, including frogs, crayfish, waterfowl, rodents, and other small mammals Place in Food Web: Tertiary / Top Predator Mutualism: Food source for mammals, hawks, herons etc; eggs and fry are important food source for ducks, mammals, other fish Photo courtesy of

Steelhead Trout / Forage Fish (Secondary Consumer) Get Energy from: plankton, minnows, surface and bottom insects and other aquatic life; larger rainbows will eat other small fish if available. Place in Food Web: Secondary consumers may be predator and prey Mutualism: Food source for mammals, hawks, herons etc; eggs and fry are important food source for ducks, mammals and other fish Photo courtesy of mariosbistro.wordpress.com

Chinook Salmon / Fish Eater & Forage Fish (Tertiary / Top Predator and Secondary Consumer) Get Energy from: Young Chinook in rivers eat insects, insect larvae and crustaceans; adults in the lakes eat fish almost exclusively. In the Great Lakes, smelt and alewives make up their main diet. Place in Food Web: Secondary Consumers (juvenile) may be predator and prey–Tertiary / Top Predator (adult) Mutualism: Important predator of invasive alewife. Important food source for larger fish, humans, ducks herons and mammals. Photo courtesy of

Walleye / Fish Eater (Piscivores) (Tertiary / Top predator) Get Energy from: Carnivorous night feeders, eating fishes such as yellow perch and freshwater drum, small bass, trout, pike, perch and sunfishes insects, crayfish, snails and mudpuppies. Place in Food Web: Secondary Consumers (juvenile) may be predator and prey–Tertiary / Top Predator (adult) Mutualism: Important predator and food source for larger fish, humans, ducks herons and mammals

Lake Sturgeon / Forage Fish (Secondary Consumers) Get Energy from: macro invertebrates such as insect larvae, crayfish, snails, clams, and leeches small animals including snails, crustaceans, aquatic insects, mussels and small fish. Place in Food Web: (Secondary Consumers) may be predator and prey Mutualism: traditionally important food source for humans though today threatened species; important consumer of macro invertebrates

Bald Eagle (Tertiary / Top Predator) Get Energy from: 90% of diet consists of fish Place in Food Web: (Tertiary / Top Predator) Mutualism: important predator

Northern Water Snake / Reptile (Secondary Consumer) Get Energy from: small fish, frogs, worms, leeches, crayfish, salamanders, young turtles, and small birds and mammals. Place in Food Web: (Secondary Consumer) both predator and prey Mutualism: important food source for hawks etc. and mammals Photo courtesy of

Bull Frog / Amphibian (Secondary Consumer) Get Energy From: any animal they can swallow. These include: insects, crayfish, worms, minnows, frogs, small turtles, snakes, baby birds and small mammals. Place In Food Web: (Secondary Consumer) may be predator and prey Mutualism: Important food source for other amphibians, reptiles, fish, mammals; important predator of insects; utilize aquatic plants for shelter and breeding

Painted Turtle Food: aquatic plants, earthworms, insects, leeches, snails, crayfish, tadpoles, frogs, fish, and. dead animal matter (carrion). Habitat: marshes, lakes, ponds, rivers, and slow-moving streams. They prefer water with lots of plants, and logs they can climb out on.

Snapper Turtle Food: eat almost any small animal they can catch (insects, crayfish, tadpoles, etc.), as well as carrion and aquatic plants Habitat: Ponds, marshes, lakes, streams, slow rivers and other water habitats.