1. Freshwater Ecosystems
Nick Wood

2. Lentic Ecosystem
Includes lakes, ponds, dammed rivers, and other static freshwater habitats

3. Latic Ecosystem
Includes rivers, streams, springs, waterfalls, and other habitats with a constant flow of water

4. Primary Producers
Lentic habitats, as well as some slow moving latic habitats, are abundant with aquatic plant life

5. Primary Producers
Freshwater microplankton
Water hyacinth

6. Primary Producers
Benthic plants
Water grass

7. Primary Producers
Few producers are able to survive in faster moving latic habitats. But such habitats are rich in nutrients and scarce in predators for those that can survive

8. Primary Producers
River moss
Periphyton

9. Invertebrates
The vast majority of freshwater invertebrates are insects
Found near the shore of almost any aquatic habitat
As many insects lay eggs in freshwater, aquatic ecosystems are a necessity for insect life
Many species of insects that live in non-aquatic ecosystems rely on ponds, slow rivers, or sheltered eddiess to lay eggs and raise larva

10. Invertebrates
Mayfly
Damselfly

11. Invertebrates
Microvelia
Water beetle

12. Vertebrates
Freshwater vertebrates include fish, amphibians, reptiles and waterbirds

13. Fish
Many freshwater fish are benthic, and live in the murky depths of lakes and deep rivers.
Others are migratory, and travel up and down rivers, and often in and out of seawater
Guapope chichlid
Rainbow trout

14. Amphibians
As all amphibians lay eggs in the water, and spend the first half of their life living in the water, amphibians are key species in lentic and latic ecosystems
Golden toad

15. Reptiles
Numerous species of turtles, lizards, snakes, and crocodiles inhabit the rivers and lakes of Costa Rica.
The majority of land based reptiles in Costa Rica live in or near freshwater
Caimen crocodile
Basilisk lizard

17. References
Anderson, K. M. (n.d.). River life: The ecology of flowing water. Retrieved from Anchored water hyacinth. (2014). Retrieved from Butler, R. (2013). List of freshwater fishes for Costa Rica. Retrieved from The reptiles of Costa Rica. (2014). Retrieved from Springer, M. (2008, December). Aquatic insect diversity of Costa Rica: State of knowledge. Revista de Biología Tropical, 56(4). Retrieved from