Fresh water aquatic ecosystems: examples

The Continental Waters Ecosystemswhich are freshwater, are systems of great importance that provide very diverse services: they are a source of food and water, regulate the climate, maintain biodiversity and soils, store and eliminate pollutants and participate in the nutrient recycling process.

The fresh water aquatic ecosystems They are classified as:

• LOTIC SYSTEMS: As examples of fresh water ecosystems, we have rivers, torrents, streams and springs.
• Luntic systems: As examples of sweet aquatic ecosystems considered lentic we have the lagoons and lakes, ponds, ponds, swamps, swamps …
• Wetlands and estuaries.

Thus, if you wondered what are the two types of fresh water ecosystems considered main, these are the lobal and lentic ecosystems. However, wetlands deserve a separate mention for their condition. To expand this basic information about this type of ecosystems we encourage you to read this other post about what an aquatic ecosystem is.

After briefly learning what a fresh water ecosystem is, we mention that among the general characteristics of fresh water ecosystems, apart from having little salt density In its waters, we highlight the following:

Biotopo of the fresh water ecosystem

Among the characteristics of the biotope or area in which are these aquatic spaces we can indicate mainly these:

• The climate in fresh water ecosystems It is very variable, because it depends on how close or far it is in coastal areas, as well as at what altitude it is. Thus, the higher the ecosystem, for example at the top of a mountain, the colder will be the climate.
• Where are fresh water ecosystems? As we have clarified before, the location of these is one of its main characteristics. These are continental waters, that is, they are on land, either on the earth’s surface or under it.

Biochenosis of the fresh water ecosystem

Among the characteristics of biocenosis or flora and fauna of the fresh water ecosystem we highlight:

• Flora of aquatic ecosystems: These are fresh water plants and algae. Among the plants that inhabit these waters or on their banks we can highlight the water jacinto, water lies, coves, reeds, reeds, water lettuce, etc. Discover +50 aquatic plants, their names, characteristics and images in this other post.
• Fauna of aquatic ecosystems: Among aquatic animals in these areas there are both fish and molluscs, amphibians, insects and mammals. Some examples are salmon, trout, piranhas, otters, beavers, manatees, swans, ducks, ibis, lightenesses, lizards, frogs, toads, leeches, river crabs, etc. Here you can know +35 fresh water animals.

The rivers They are water currents that persist over time and that flow with continuity in one direction. The characteristics of the river basin together with the weather (temperature and rainfall) will determine the vegetation of the riverbank. The main primary producers of biomass in rivers are The algae (phytoplankton if they live in suspension in the water column, and periphiton or biofilm if they live on sediments), mosses, lichens and vascular plants.

The rivers change throughout their journey. The high, medium and low sections of the rivers have different characteristics and, therefore, will present different communities of species and processes.

• High river section: Near their birth the rivers have a great slope, shallow, width and flow, thick substrates and a turbulent flow (water particles move chaotically). In many high sections, light is scarce due to riverbank vegetation, which makes primary production difficult.
• Middle and low sections of the river: As we descend in its course, the river will win in depth, it will have more width and more flow, the substrates will become finer and the flow will become laminar (all water particles move in the same direction). In these sections the temperature of the river increases, since the waters have received more solar radiation by widening their channel, so that light conditions for primary production improve. However, in lower sections there is too much depth and the conditions get worse again, because the river is also a large amount of sediment, not reaching the light to the bottom of the basin.

An important characteristic of the rivers, since it will determine the communities that will be found in their environment, is the hydrological regime; that encompasses all the temporary variability of the amount of water in the river ecosystemthis is the frequency of floods, droughts, its magnitude and duration, its predecibility, etc.

It should also be noted that the state of these rivers directly and indirectly impacts the ecosystem. An example of this are the groundwaterof great importance, since its waters can also be used, but are not independent of the state of conservation of the rivers.

We advise you to expand this information with this other post of Ecology Verde about the Lotal Ecosystems: What are and characteristics.

Lentic systems such as lakes, lagoons, ponds, ponds, marshes, swamps, etc.., are closed water bodies without flow or currents that persist over time. In them we can differentiate three zones: epilimnion (more superficial layer of the water column), metalimnion (intermediate layer, with very changing physical and chemical characteristics) and hypolimnion (deeper layer).

The environments present in the fresh water aquatic ecosystems They are called lentic systems They can be classified into three zones:

• LITORAL AREA: Near the edge, there is a present vegetation and the light reaches the bottom of the lake.
• Pelagic zone: open water zone where phytoplankton survival is possible.
• Deep zone: It is not possible to survive plant species such as phytoplankton, macrophytes (plants that we see with the naked eye) or periphon when the light of the lake does not reach.

In these systems volume and depth are two very important factors. By increasing both, the volume of water decreases in contact with the atmosphere (the main source of oxygen) and the sediments (it is difficult to entry nutrients into the water column), and increase the water renewal time (time that must pass so that all the water of the system is replaced).

These fresh water ecosystems can be temporary if water output is not produced through rivers and usually house poor communities, although some organisms reach great abundance due to the drought-unquality cycle and the shortage of predators.

In deep lakes Thermal stratification occurs, a phenomenon by which the layers of the water column are differentiated due to changes in its density, making the most superficial layer float over the deepest without mixing with them, making it difficult for nutrients to ascend from the bottom.

If you want to delve into these knowledge, here we leave you a summarized post about lentic ecosystems: what are and examples.

Wetlands are mixed ecosystems or transition between Continental Waters Ecosystems and terrestrial ecosystems. They have similar characteristics to lentic ecosystems and Terrestrial ecosystemssince they occur in places where at least, once a year, the ground is saturated with water. When this occurs, the soil is devoid of oxygen and an intermediate ecosystem is generated. Therefore, the communities of these environments are neither purely terrestrial nor purely aquatic; Fauna is usually endemic and differentiated from adjacent areas, such as large families of birds and reptiles.

According to the Ramsar Convention (the convention regarding wetlands of international importance especially as a water bird habitat) Wetlands are vital for humans Being one of the most productive environments on the planet, being water sources and places of great biological diversity and primary productivity. Thus, wetlands depend to survive countless species, both animals and plant. However, the surface and quality of these environments continue to decrease, among other causes, due to their transformation for the exploitation of agriculture or aquaculture.

Know these sweet aquatic ecosystems better reading this other post about wetlands: what are, types and characteristics. Other ecosystems similar to wetlands are estuaries, which are also mixed. Of these two types of aquatic areas there are some with sweeter waters and others with brackish waters, since they are transition ecosystems, although the waters of the estuaries tend to be more brackish than those of other types of wetlands.

In this link you can read an article about why river water is sweet and here below watching a video on this topic.

If you want to read more articles similar to Fresh water aquatic ecosystems: exampleswe recommend that you enter our category of ecosystems.