Fresh Water

By Melissa S.Maria D.Steve M.

Geologic Features

• Head water streams that are often narrow with rocky bottoms. • The downstream reaches rivers are generally wide and meandering. • Over long periods of time, an oligotrophic lake may be calm more

eutrophic as runoff adds to sediments and nutrients to lakes.• Basin wetlands developed in shallow basins ranging from upland

depressions to filled lakes and ponds. • Reverie wetlands develop a long shallow and periodically flooded banks of

rivers and streams. • Estuarine flow patterns combined with the sediments carried by river and

tidal water create a complex network of tidal channels, islands, natural levees, and mudflats

Photosynthetic Organisms

• Headwater streams that flow through grasslands or deserts that maybe rich in algae.

• There are also rooted aquatic organisms.• Rooting and floating aquatic plants live in the littoral zone the shallow,

well lighted waters closed to shore.• Further away from the shore, the limnetic zone, where water is to deep to

support rooting aquatic plants.• Wetlands are among the most productive biomes on Earth. • There are floating pond lilies, cattails, many sedges, tamarack, and black

spruce.• Saltmarsh grasses and algae, including phytoplankton, are the major

producers in estuaries.

Types of Animals

• There are many different fish and invertebrates. • Small drifting animals zooplankton graze on the phytoplankton. There are

also invertebrates animals depending on oxygen levels.• Fish live in all levels in lakes with sufficient oxygen.• There are wide variety of birds and Herbivores and carnivores are also

varied and may include dragonflies otters and alligators. • Also worms, oysters, crabs, and many other fish species that humans

consume.

Human Impact on the Biome

• Pollution degrades the water quality and kills the aquatic organisms.• Damming the flood control impair natural functioning of streams and

rivers ecosystems. This threatens the migratory species like salmon.• Pollution by runoff from fertilized lands and dumping of municipal waste

leads to nutrients enrichment.• Draining and filling have destroyed up to 90% of wetlands in some

regions.• Pollution from upstream, and also filling and dredging, have disrupted

estuaries worldwide.

Help Keep the Biome Alive

• To help keep the fresh water biomes alive humans need to reduce the amount of pollution.

• Also, we can clean up areas that need help living and if there is an oil spill we need to do everything we can to clean it up.

A map showing the areas on Earth

Commercial Value

• We can obtain animals and plants from these areas in the world.

• Also there are other animals that are around the fresh water that we can benefit from.

Where did we get our Information?

• We used the AP Biology book (College)

• Guided Readings and handouts