7-1 Freshwater Ecosystems

A. Characteristics of Aquatic Ecosystems

• 1. Freshwater Ecosystems include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and wetlands (land that is periodically under water).

• 2. Plankton are drifters, they can not swim against the currents.

• 3. Nekton are free-swimming organisms such as fish and whales.

• 4. Benthos are bottom-dwellers such as mussels, worms, and barnacles.

B. Lakes and Ponds

• 1. Littoral zone is near the shore and aquatic life is diverse and abundant.

B. Lakes and Ponds

• 2. Benthic zone is the bottom of a pond or lake; inhabited by decomposers, insect larvae, and clams.

B. Lakes and Ponds

• 3. Eutrophication is an increase in the amount of nutrients.

C. Freshwater Wetlands

• 1. Wetlands provide a home for migratory wildlife and trap carbon so it is not released in the atmosphere.

• 2. Wetlands act as filters because they remove pollutants from the water that flows through them.

• 3. Two main types are marshes and swamps.

• 4. Wetlands were previously considered to be breeding grounds for disease-carrying insects.

• 5. Now that the importance of wetlands has been recognized, many wetland are federally protected.

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