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[3] [7] Lakes are divided into photic and aphotic regions, the prior receiving sunlight and latter being below the depths of light penetration, making it void of photosynthetic capacity. [2] In relation to lake zonation, the pelagic and benthic zones are considered to lie within the photic region, while the profundal zone is in the aphotic ...
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem found in and around a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms—aquatic life—that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. [1]
Freshwater habitats can be classified by different factors, including temperature, light penetration, nutrients, and vegetation. There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems: lentic (slow moving water, including pools , ponds , and lakess ), lotic (faster moving streams , for example creeks and rivers ) and wetlands ( semi-aquatic areas ...
Standing water is a type of freshwater habitat that mainly consists of lakes and ponds. This habitat has limited species diversity because they are isolated from one another and other water systems, unlike running water. [7] Standing water experiences the process of stratification, which is when water is layered due to the oxygen content. [6]
Aquatic plants have adapted to live in either freshwater or saltwater. Aquatic vascular plants have originated on multiple occasions in different plant families; [5] [9] they can be ferns or angiosperms (including both monocots and dicots). The only angiosperms capable of growing completely submerged in seawater are the seagrasses. [10]
The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. [1] In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas that are permanently submerged — known as the foreshore — and the terms are often used interchangeably.
Benthic diatoms have been used by the European Union's Water Framework Directive (WFD) to establish ecological quality ratios that determined the ecological status of lakes in the UK. [31] Beginning research is being made on benthic assemblages to see if they can be used as indicators of healthy aquatic ecosystems.
Limnology (/ l ɪ m ˈ n ɒ l ə dʒ i / lim-NOL-ə-jee; from Ancient Greek λίμνη (límnē) ' lake ' and -λογία ' study of ') is the study of inland aquatic ecosystems. [1] The study of Limnology includes aspects of the biological , chemical , physical , and geological characteristics of fresh and saline , natural and man-made bodies ...