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Freshwater Ecosystems

Freshwater Ecosystems. I. Flowing-Water Ecosystems. A. Rivers , streams , creeks , and brooks (0.3% of earth’s surface water) B. Organisms - must adapt to the changing rate of flow 1. The turbulent water - has plenty of dissolved oxygen but little plant life.

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Freshwater Ecosystems

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  1. Freshwater Ecosystems

  2. I. Flowing-Water Ecosystems A. Rivers, streams, creeks, and brooks(0.3% of earth’s surface water) B. Organisms - must adapt to the changing rate of flow 1. The turbulent water - has plenty of dissolved oxygen but little plant life. 2. As the water flows downhill, sediments build up enabling plants to establish themselves. 3. Slow moving water through flat areas allows animals (turtles, beavers, otters, etc) to make their homes.

  3. II. Standing-Water Ecosystems A. Lakes and ponds are most common 1. Ranges from small ponds to huge bodies of water like the Great Lakes. 2. Lake – a large body of fresh water 3. Lake characteristics similar to rivers since they flow into and out of each other. r

  4. B. Water circulating within the ecosystem and into and out of distributes: 1. heat 2. oxygen 3. nutrients

  5. C. Organisms 1. Organisms of standing water ecosystems generally would be washed away in flowing water ecosystems. 2. Plankton - tiny, free-floating or weakly swimming organisms that live in both freshwater and saltwater environments. 3. Algae or Phytoplankton are supported by nutrients in the water and form the base of aquatic food webs.

  6. III. Watershed

  7. A. Definition – an area of land containing streams and rivers that drain into a larger body of water ( river, lake or ocean).

  8. B. Watershed Scientific Concepts • Surface Runoff – water running off land • surfaces. • a. Supplies all ecosystems with water • b. Deposits sediments such as • soil and pollutants into the ecosystem. • 2. Infiltration – water soaking into the ground • through the soil and to the rock layers • below. • a. Some water returns to the surface • b. Some water remains below the surface • and is called groundwater.

  9. IV. Erosion Control A. Surface runoff causes the loss of topsoil from the land as it is deposited in the rivers and the ocean. B. Emergent - plants rooted in the muddy bottoms of rivers. 1. Have stalks above water surface 2. Counters erosion by slowing down the water flow.

  10. V. Stream Becomes a River A. Precipitation (rain, hail, sleet, or snow) falls to the ground. • Water not absorbed by roots enters the ground water supply by infiltration. C. Water running off the surface (surface runoff) forms tiny streams. D. The tiny streams join other water running off and form larger streams which eventually run into the rivers of the land and then oceans.

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