Background on the Great Lakes Water Life database
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The North American Great Lakes constitute a very large and ecologically diverse set of connected freshwater ecosystems, holding roughly 20% of the world’s fresh water, and
encompassing ~240,000 km2 of surface area, 17,000 km of shoreline, and thousands of tributary streams and fringing wetlands. The Great Lakes also hold a correspondingly wide
diversity of flora and fauna, although they do not have as many species as other large lakes of the world due to their comparative geologic and evolutionary youth.
This
database was developed to meet a need for a comprehensive, accessible inventory inclusive of the wide range of biodiversity of this unique system. Our intent is to support
researchers and managers in common information-gathering tasks such as generating expected species lists, finding records for unfamiliar or rare taxa, identifying rare native
species, summarizing broad-scale biodiversity patterns and identifying knowledge gaps. We are hopeful that this inventory of native species will also prove of interest to students
of all ages who wish to learn about and celebrate our native biodiversity.
