Some of the most important causes of differences among lakes include the lake’s size and shape, what activities occur in the lands that drain into it, what ecoregion the lake is located in, and when and how the lake basin was formed. These factors, acting in various combinations, have created the multitude of lake types found in Minnesota today.

Minnesota lies at a crossroads of ecological land types, with widespread differences in soils, underlying geology, and plant and animal communities. These differences are classified into ecoregions, or broad areas that share similar land uses, soils, topography, and vegetation. Minnesota is classified into seven ecoregions. Ninety-eight percent of Minnesota’s lakes occur in just four of them: Northern Lakes and Forests, North Central Hardwood Forests, Western Corn Belt Plains, and Northern Glaciated Plains.

Western Cornbelt plains.

Lakes within ecoregions often have similar physical characteristics, water chemistry, and biological communities. The number, appearance, and condition of lakes vary among ecoregions because of glacial history, geology, soil type, land use, and climate. You can learn more about this subject at the MN Shoreland Management Resource Guide Web site or from the MN Pollution Control Agency PDF report.

Excerpted from MN Shoreland Management Resource Guide Web Site – Quick and Easy Answers – Ecoregion Influences on Lakes.

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