Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

Chapter 4: Evolution, Biological Communities, and Species Interactions

GE Exercise: Welland Canal

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Overview: Welland Canal, p. 95

When the fourth (and current) Welland Canal was constructed in 1932, it gave ocean-going cargo ships access to the upper Great Lakes, and made cities, such as Detroit, Chicago, and even remote Duluth, Minnesota, into sea ports. Today, more than 40 million metric tons of cargo pass every year through the 42 km (27 mi) canal, rising 99.5 m (326.5 ft) in a series of eight locks between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. This has been an economic boon to inland cities, but also has been an ecological disaster. Ships dump ballast water collected in foreign ports as they take on cargo. In doing so, they have introduced dozens of alien, invasive species into North American inland waterways with devastating ecological consequences. Among the most notorious invasives are sea lampreys, zebra mussels, round gobies, spiny water fleas, and alewives. The most recent invader is a viral hemorrhagic fever specific to fish. This virus, which is something like an Ebola for fish, attacks the endothelial lining of blood vessels and causes massive hemorrhaging and sudden death. It is spreading rapidly throughout the Great Lakes, and we don't yet know how great the damage to fish populations will be.

1
Which two Great Lakes does this canal connect?
A)Lake Huron and Lake Ontario
B)Lake Erie and Lake Huron
C)Lake Superior and Lake Michigan
D)Lake Superior and Lake Ontario
E)Lake Ontario and Lake Eerie
2
What famous waterfall does the canal bypass? (Hint: It's about 16 km northeast of the city of Welland.)
A)Yosemite Falls
B)Niagara Falls
C)Wichita Falls
D)Berry Creek Falls
E)Walnut Falls
3
Why can invasive species pass from lake to lake now, when they couldn't before?
A)The most recent wave of invasive species have the ability to travel across vast distances of land.
B)Previous invasive species have adapted over time and learned to “walk,” like the Walking Catfish.
C)Invasive species couldn't get over the falls before, now they pass through the locks. They also are carried in ballast water in ocean-going ships.
D)Tourists are inadvertently carrying invasive species from lake to lake.
E)Scientists have been unable to solve this vexing mystery.
4
What city is at the Lake Ontario entrance into the canal?
A)Buffalo
B)Amherst
C)Welland
D)Saint Catharines
E)Burlington
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