How does this case study demonstrate an approach to defining and understanding an ecosystem?
Ecosystems are complex, difficult to define, and have unclear boundaries. Thus, it is difficult to focus on interrelationships between elements and management needs. Efforts to understand and define the ecosystem of the LTB have been fueled by concentrating on a valued attribute of the ecosystemthe exceptional clarity of the waters of Lake Tahoe. That it is a relatively small watershed and that the boundaries of the ecosystem and basin are the same aided the effort. Although external influences (e.g., air quality) impact the basin, the small scale of the ecosystem aided in understanding the structure and function of its constituent parts. It was also made possible by the availability of three decades of water-quality dataone of the most significant data sets of its kind in the world. The initial focus on water clarity has motivated efforts to broaden the understanding of the relationship to water quality of wetlands, soils and vegetation, and deposition of nutrients from the air. Water
