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The limnetic zone is the open and well-lit area of a freestanding body of fresh water, such as a lake or pond. Not included in this area is the littoral zone, which is the shallow, near-shore area of the water body. The key difference between the littoral zone and the limnetic zone is the presence of rooted plant growth. [1]
The term limnology was coined by François-Alphonse Forel (1841–1912) who established the field with his studies of Lake Geneva.Interest in the discipline rapidly expanded, and in 1922 August Thienemann (a German zoologist) and Einar Naumann (a Swedish botanist) co-founded the International Society of Limnology (SIL, from Societas Internationalis Limnologiae).
In the deep water zone, sunlight is not available and the food web is based on detritus entering from the littoral and photic zones. Some systems use other names. The off shore areas may be called the pelagic zone, the photic zone may be called the limnetic zone and the aphotic zone may be called the profundal zone.
The limnetic zone is found below the littoral zone. This zone has lower temperatures, is fairly well-lit, and is occupied by a smaller variety of organisms, including phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish. [7] The plankton found in this zone play a crucial role in the food web of the habitat and support the diet of many important organisms.
Due to the low productivity of the profundal zone, organisms rely on detritus sinking from the photic zone. [1] Species richness in the profundal zone is often similar to that in the limnetic zone. [5] Microbial levels in the profundal benthos are higher than those in the littoral benthos, potentially due to a smaller average sediment particle ...
Lake zones Littoral zone Limnetic zone Profundal zone Benthic zone: Lake stratification Epilimnion Metalimnion Hypolimnion Destratification: Lake types Holomictic lake Monomictic lake Dimictic lake Polymictic lake Meromictic lake Amictic lake: See also; Aquatic ecosystems; Wild fisheries
Additionally, littoral zones usually have greater habitat complexity due to the presence of macrophytes, which serve as shelter, nursery, and feeding place for many organisms. Consequently, metabolic rates in the littoral areas usually have high short-term variability and are typically greater than limnetic metabolic rates. [47] [11]
Lake zones Littoral zone Limnetic zone Profundal zone Benthic zone: Lake stratification Epilimnion Metalimnion Hypolimnion Destratification: Lake types Holomictic lake Monomictic lake Dimictic lake Polymictic lake Meromictic lake Amictic lake: See also; Aquatic ecosystems; Wild fisheries