All About Freshwater

Freshwater Lakes
Freshwater lakes are bodies of still, unsalted water surrounded by land. They are usually found in low lying areas and are fed from streams, rivers and runoff from the surrounding area. Freshwater lakes provide a unique habitat for microbes because they differ from other aquatic habitats such as oceans and moving water. This habitat is home to a plethora of microbes such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. These microbes help sequester inorganic compounds, mineralize nitrogen, and decompose organic matter, as well as other important processes.

 Freshwater ecosystem
Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. They include lakes and ponds, rivers, streams and springs, and wetlands. They can be contrasted with marine ecosystems, which have a larger salt content. Freshwater habitats can be classified by different factors, including temperature, light penetration, and vegetation. Freshwater ecosystems can be divided into lentic ecosystems (still water) and lotic ecosystems(flowing water).

 Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land apart from a river, stream, or other form of moving water that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams, which are usually flowing. However most lakes are fed and drained by rivers and streams.

 Natural lakes are generally found in mountainous areas, rift zones, and areas with ongoing glaciation. Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers. In some parts of the world there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last Ice Age. All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them. Many lakes are artificial and are constructed for industrial or agricultural use, for hydroelectric power generation or domestic water supply, or for aesthetic or recreational purposes.

 Lake Zones

A typical lake has distinct zones of biological communities linked to the physical structure of the lake (Figure 10). The littoral zone is the near shore area where sunlight penetrates all the way to the sediment and allows aquatic plants (macrophytes) to grow. Light levels of about 1% or less of surface values usually define this depth. The 1% light level also defines the euphotic zone of the lake, which is the layer from the surface down to the depth where light levels become too low for photosynthesizers. In most lakes, the sunlit euphotic zone occurs within the epilimnion.

Figure 10

 The Food Chain in Freshwater Lakes

TYPICAL FOOD CHAIN

 Food webs may be described in terms of both energy and nutrient (carbon, nitrogen or phosphorus) flows (See Picture). Although the process typically begins with sunlight-driven photosynthesis by algae and plants, balanced nutrition is also required to sustain life. For example, we cannot live strictly on sugar, despite its high caloric content, irrespective of what our kids may argue.

Two Basic Life-sustaining Processes in lakes