Fresh Water

Ecosystem

A freshwater ecosystem whose physical

nature is dominated by the presence of water
and supports a distinct set of producers
(plants) and consumers (animals). When the
water system is inland from the coast, and
surface water as is streams and rivers and is
standing waters like in lakes, reservoirs,
ponds or wetlands, the ecosystem is a
freshwater ecosystem. The factors affecting
the type and number of organisms found in
fresh water are:
The amount or concenration of nutrients
The depth through which sunlight can
penetrate
The amount of dissolved oxygen and water
temperature

Plants

American Waterweed
(Elodea canadensis)

Bladderworts
(Utriculariaspp.)

Cattail
(Typha spp.)

Coontail
(Ceratophyllum demersum)

Animals

Amazon River Dolphin

(Amazon River)

Fresh Water Turtle

Mekong Giant Freshwater Fish

(Mekong River China)

Lakes

The lake is a standing freshwater ecosystem.

It is formed when water is collected from
direct precipitation, surface run off or ground
water flow.
Water fills the basin-like depression formed
from volcanic activity (e.g., Taal Lake in
Batangas, Tadlac Lake in Los Banos, Laguna,
Bulusan Lake in Sorsogon, Lake Sube in
Mindanao); glaciation (Great Lakes in North
America) and impact features of meteorites
(Crater Lake in Oregon).

Distinct Zone
of Lakes

A typical lake has distinct zones of biological

communities linked to the physical structure of
the lake (Figure 10). Thelittoralzone is the
near shore area where sunlight penetrates all
the way to the sediment and allows aquatic
plants (macrophytes) to grow. Light levels of
about 1% or less of surface values usually
define this depth. The 1% light level also
defines theeuphotic zoneof the lake, which is
the layer from the surface down to the depth
where light levels become too low for
photosynthesizers. In most lakes, the sunlit
euphotic zone occurs within the epilimnion.

However, in unusually transparent lakes,

photosynthesismay occur well below the
thermoclineinto the perennially coldhypolimnion.
For example, in western Lake Superior near Duluth,
MN, summertime algal photosynthesis and growth
can persist to depths of at least 25 meters, while
the mixed layer, orepilimnion, only extends down
to about 10 meters. Ultra-oligotrophicLake Tahoe,
CA/NV, is so transparent that algal growth
historically extended to over 100 meters, though its
mixed layer only extends to about 10 meters in
summer. Unfortunately, inadequate management of
the Lake Tahoebasinsince about 1960 has led to a
significant loss of transparency due to increased
algal growth and increased sediment inputs from
stream andshorelineerosion.

The higher plants in the littoral zone, in

addition to being a food source and asubstrate
for algae and invertebrates, provide a habitat
for fish and other organisms that is very
different from the open water environment.
Thelimnetic zoneis the open water area where
light does not generally penetrate all the way
to the bottom. The bottom sediment, known as
thebenthic zone, has a surface layer abundant
with organisms. This upper layer of sediments
may be mixed by the activity of thebenthic
organisms that live there, often to a depth of
2-5 cm (several inches) in richorganic
sediments. Most of the organisms in the
benthic zoneare invertebrates, such as
Dipteraninsect larvae (midges, mosquitoes,

Theproductivityof this zone largely depends

upon the organic content of the sediment, the
amount of physical structure, and in some
cases upon the rate of fish predation. Sandy
substrates contain relatively little organic
matter (food) for organisms and poor protection
from predatory fish. Higher plant growth is
typically sparse in sandy sediment, because
the sand is unstable and nutrient deficient. A
rocky bottom has a high diversity of potential
habitats offering protection (refuge) from
predators, substrate for attachedalgae(
periphytonon rocks), and pockets of organic
"ooze" (food). A flat mucky bottom offers
abundant food for benthic organisms but is less
protected and may have a lower diversity of

Distinct Layers of
Lakes

Lakes can be classified into two distinct

layers:
Epilimnion upper layer of with warm
water exposed to the atmosphere with
high level of dissolved oxygen.
Hypolimnion lower layer of colder,
denser water, usually with a lower
concentration of dissolved oxygen.
The main transition zone separating
these two layers is called the
thermocline, in which the temperature
drops sharply.

Major Types of Lakes

Eutrophic lake with a low supply of plant

nutrients
Mesotrophic Lakes Lake that fall somewhere
between these two extremes of nutrient
enrichment.
Lakes may not always contain freshwater or
water with low sanity that is usually associated
with lakes.

Reservoir

Are fairly large and deep, human created

bodies of standing fresh water, often built
behind dams. They are built primarily for
water storage.

Pond

Are small, shallow usually human-created

impoundments of fresh water used primarily
for watering livestock, raising freshwater fish
or recreation, especially fishing.

Stream and River

Precipitation that does not infiltrate into the

ground or evaporate remains on the earths
surface as surface water.
Streams are relatively small and flowing
bodies of freshwater that empty into rivers.