Download 7-1 Freshwater Ecosystems

7-1 Freshwater Ecosystems
Page 173
A. Characteristics of Aquatic
Ecosystems
• 1. Freshwater Ecosystems include lakes,
ponds, rivers, streams, and wetlands (land
that is periodically under water).
A. Characteristics of Aquatic
Ecosystems
• 2. Plankton are drifters, they can not swim
against the currents.
A. Characteristics of Aquatic
Ecosystems
• 3. Nekton are free-swimming organisms such
as fish and whales.
A. Characteristics of Aquatic
Ecosystems
• 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.
C. Freshwater Wetlands
• 2. Wetlands act as filters because they remove
pollutants from the water that flows through
them.
C. Freshwater Wetlands
• 3. Two main types are marshes and swamps.
C. Freshwater Wetlands
• 4. Wetlands were previously considered to be
breeding grounds for disease-carrying insects.
C. Freshwater Wetlands
• 5. Now that the importance of wetlands has
been recognized, many wetland are federally
protected.