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  Lesson 1: Water is Life

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  Water has properties that make it essential to life. And although the earth is known as “the water planet,” it has limited quantities of available freshwater.

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  Lesson 2: The Hydrologic Cycle

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  The earth’s water is one, finite supply that moves from streams to lakes to oceans, flowing underground, freezing on mountaintops and forming the clouds we see in the sky. All this moving and shifting around of water is one of the largest recycling efforts by mother nature, called the hydrologic cycle and is the driving force behind our weather.

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  Lesson 3: Watersheds

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  Everyone lives in a watershed. Everything that happens on the land affects the water in that watershed.

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  Lesson 4: Life In The Water

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  All aquatic species, including fish and other aquatic animals, are uniquely adapted to living in water or near water.

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  Lesson 5: Aquatic Communities

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  Aquatic habitats are communities in which complex interactions take place among populations and individual organisms as they compete for limited resources in an interdependent web of relationships.

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  Lesson 6: Aquatic Ecosystems

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  Ecosystems are complex interdependent webs of relationships between living and nonliving things. Texas has six kinds of aquatic ecosystems supporting significant biodiversity.

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  Lesson 7: Aquifers and Springs

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  Springs have attracted humans to settle nearby where water is abundant, but careful use is necessary to balance the recharge of aquifers with the use by people. Aquifers and springs also provide aquatic habitats where unique species live on the brink of extinction.

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  Lesson 8: Streams and Rivers

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  Texas streams and rivers support diverse ecosystems that are dependent upon the size and flow of water. The healthiest streams and rivers are those with the least altered natural processes.

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  Lesson 9: Lakes and Ponds

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  Lakes and ponds provide habitat for many plants, insects, fish, birds and other wildlife, much of our drinking water and important economic and recreational opportunities for Texans.

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  Lesson 10: Wetlands

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, and home to many specially adapted plant and wildlife species. Wetlands provide many important benefits to people, fish, and wildlife.

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  Lesson 11: Bays and Estuaries

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  Texas bays and estuaries provide vital ecosystems and nursery habitat for many important Gulf species, feeding and resting places for migrating birds, and billions of dollars to the Texas economy.

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  Lesson 12: Oceans: Gulf of Mexico

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  The Gulf of Mexico is one of the most productive waters in the world, and it is among the most threatened by human actions and neglect.

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  Lesson 13: Water For People and Environment

  Rudolph A. Rosen

  One of the greatest challenges facing Texas is balancing the water needs of people with the needs of our environment. We are all connected by water, and how much usable water we have for the future will depend on what we do to conserve water today.