Module 10: Changes over time in ecosystems

The message
Conservation requires an understanding of changes over time in ecosystems and habitat loss. Museum collections provide this data.

The experience
Visitors approach an aerial map of Chicagoland. A series of small doors creates a grid over this cityscape. When each door is opened, a specimen collected in that area of Chicago is revealed. The original curatorial label is included—in some cases, these will date back to the late 1800’s. A contemporary photo of the coordinates where the specimen was collected might also be included.

Nearby a long, narrow row of specimen jars is accompanied by a timeline. The series of specimens was collected at Wolf Lake from 1898 to the present. They demonstrate the shift from sensitive native species, such as black chin shiners, to generalist species, such as largemouth bass and blue gills, to a lake dominated by invasive species, such as the round gobis first spotted in 1993.

The story
The Museum’s collections are an important record of lost biodiversity in the Chicago area, as well as an inspiration for restoration work like that done at Wolf Lake. While many marshes are now concrete lots, there are sections of Chicago’s natural landscape that is making a comeback. The Clean Water Act in particular has shown positive results, and native species thought to be extinct are being spotted again in regional lakes. Wolf Lake was also one of the Calumet BioBlitz sites, a citizen science version of rapid inventories.