Editing Mono Lake (section)

==Ecology==
{{See also|Ecology of California}}

===Aquatic life===
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[[File:Ephydra hians mono Lake brine fly.jpg|thumb|Large numbers of alkali flies at Mono Lake.]]
[[File:Artemia monica.jpg|thumb|''[[Artemia monica]]'', the Mono Lake brine shrimp.]]
}}
The hypersalinity and high alkalinity (pH=10 or equivalent to 4 milligrams of [[sodium hydroxide|NaOH]] per liter of water) of the lake means that no fish are native to the lake.<ref name=carleton>{{cite web|title=Living in an Alkaline Environment|publisher=Microbial Life Education Resources|url=http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/k12/alkaline/preparation.html|access-date=2008-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121170852/http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/k12/alkaline/preparation.html|archive-date=2008-11-21|url-status=live}}</ref> An attempt by the [[California Department of Fish and Game]] to stock the lake failed.<ref name=monolake>{{Cite web|url=http://www.monolake.org/about/faq|title=Frequently Asked Questions About Mono Lake|website=www.monolake.org|access-date=2017-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418210400/http://www.monolake.org/about/faq|archive-date=2017-04-18|url-status=live}}</ref>

The whole food chain of the lake is based on the high population of single-celled [[plankton]]ic [[algae]] present in the [[photic zone]] of the lake. These algae reproduce rapidly during winter and early spring after winter runoff brings nutrients to the surface layer of water. By March the lake is "as green as pea soup" with photosynthesizing algae.<ref name=Ecoscenario>{{cite web|title=Mono Lake|work=Ecoscenario|url=http://www.fossweb.com/CA/modules3-6/Environments/activities/mono/content_old.html|access-date=2007-01-23|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928115927/http://www.fossweb.com/CA/modules3-6/Environments/activities/mono/content_old.html|archive-date=2007-09-28}}</ref>

The lake is famous for the Mono Lake brine shrimp, ''[[Artemia monica]]'', a tiny species of [[brine shrimp]], no bigger than a thumbnail, that are [[endemic]] to the lake. During the warmer summer months, an estimated 4–6 trillion brine shrimp inhabit the lake. Brine shrimp have no food value for humans, but are a staple for birds of the region. The brine shrimp feed on microscopic algae.<ref>{{cite web |date=7 August 2020 |title=Brine Shrimp |url=https://www.monolake.org/learn/aboutmonolake/naturalhistory/brineshrimp/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117075733/https://www.monolake.org/learn/aboutmonolake/naturalhistory/brineshrimp/ |archive-date=Jan 17, 2024 |access-date=2023-05-30 |publisher=Mono Lake Committee}}</ref>

Alkali flies, ''[[Ephydra hians]],'' live along the shores of the lake and walk underwater, encased in small air bubbles, for grazing and to lay eggs. These flies are an important source of food for migratory and nesting birds.<ref>{{cite web |date=7 August 2020 |title=Alkali Files |url=https://www.monolake.org/learn/aboutmonolake/naturalhistory/alkaliflies/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117075804/https://www.monolake.org/learn/aboutmonolake/naturalhistory/alkaliflies/ |archive-date=Jan 17, 2024 |access-date=2023-05-30 |publisher=Mono Lake Committee}}</ref>

Eight [[nematode]] species were found living in the littoral sediment:<ref name=Shih2019>{{Cite journal|last1=Shih|first1=Pei-Yin|last2=Lee|first2=James Siho|last3=Shinya|first3=Ryoji|last4=Kanzaki|first4=Natsumi|last5=Pires-daSilva|first5=Andre|last6=Badroos|first6=Jean Marie|last7=Goetz|first7=Elizabeth|last8=Sapir|first8=Amir|last9=Sternberg|first9=Paul W.|date=2019-09-26|title=Newly Identified Nematodes from Mono Lake Exhibit Extreme Arsenic Resistance|journal=Current Biology|language=en|volume=29|issue=19|pages=3339–3344.e4|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.024|pmid=31564490|s2cid=202794288|url=https://authors.library.caltech.edu/98870/2/1-s2.0-S0960982219310401-mmc1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309153143/https://authors.library.caltech.edu/98870/2/1-s2.0-S0960982219310401-mmc1.pdf |archive-date=2020-03-09 |url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref>

* [[Auanema|''Auanema'' spec.]], which is outstanding for its extreme [[arsenic]] resistance (survives concentrations 500 times higher than humans), having 3 sexes, and being [[Viviparity|viviparous]].
* [[Pellioditis|''Pellioditis'' spec.]]
* ''[[Mononchoides americanus]]''
* ''[[Diplogaster rivalis]]''
* species of the family [[Mermithidae]]
* ''[[Prismatolaimus dolichurus]]''
* 2 species of the order [[Monhysterida]]

===Birds===
[[File:Mono Lake South Tufa Area (2013) 33.JPG|thumb|A female [[Audubon's warbler]] on tufa in the "South Tufa" area.]]
Mono Lake is a vital resting and eating stop for migratory [[wader|shorebirds]] and has been recognized as a site of international importance by the [[Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network]].<ref name=whsrn>{{cite web|title=Mono Lake|work=Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network|url=http://www.whsrn.org/site-profile/mono-lake|access-date=2011-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727231259/http://www.whsrn.org/site-profile/mono-lake|archive-date=2011-07-27|url-status=live}}</ref>
Nearly 2,000,000 [[waterbird]]s, including 35 [[species]] of shorebirds, use Mono Lake to rest and eat for at least part of the year. Some shorebirds that depend on the resources of Mono Lake include [[American avocet]]s, [[killdeer]], and [[sandpiper]]s. One to two million [[black-necked grebe|eared grebes]] and [[phalarope]]s use Mono Lake during their long migrations.<ref>{{cite web |date=7 August 2020 |title=Birds |url=https://www.monolake.org/learn/aboutmonolake/naturalhistory/birds/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405010612/https://www.monolake.org/learn/aboutmonolake/naturalhistory/birds/ |archive-date=April 5, 2024 |access-date=2023-05-30 |publisher=Mono Lake Committee}}</ref>

Late every summer tens of thousands of [[Wilson's phalarope]]s and [[red-necked phalarope]]s arrive from their nesting grounds, and feed until they continue their migration to [[South America]] or the tropical oceans respectively.<ref name="mlcbirds"/>

In addition to migratory birds, a few species spend several months to nest at Mono Lake. Mono Lake has the second largest nesting population of [[California gull]]s, ''Larus californicus'', second only to the [[Great Salt Lake]] in Utah. Since abandoning the landbridged Negit Island in the late 1970s, California gulls have moved to some nearby islets and have established new, if less protected, nesting sites. [[Cornell University]] and [[Point Blue Conservation Science]] have continued the study of nesting populations on Mono Lake that was begun 35 years ago. [[Snowy plover]]s also arrive at Mono Lake each spring to nest along the northern and eastern shores.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Shuford|first1=David|last2=Page|first2=Gary|last3=Heath|first3=Sacha|last4=Nelson|first4=Kristie|year=2016|title=Factors influencing the abundance and distribution of the Snowy Plover at Mono Lake, California|journal=Western Birds|volume=47|pages=38–49}}</ref>