1. Freshwater Biome By: Anisa Akbar 10 th Grade Girl 10 th Grade Girl

2. Characteristics  Freshwater has a low salt concentration usually less than 1%.  Plants and animals in freshwater regions are adjusted to the low salt content and won’t be able to survive in areas that have high salt concentration such as the ocean.  There are different types of freshwater regions: ponds and lakes, streams and rivers, and wetlands.

3. Ponds and Lakes  These regions range in size from just a few square meters to thousands of square kilometers.  Many ponds are seasonal, lasting just a couple of months while lakes may exist for hundreds of years or more.  Temperature varies in ponds and lakes seasonally. During the summer, the temperature can range from 4° C near the bottom to 22° C at the top.  During the winter, the temperature at the bottom can be 4° C while the top is 0° C.  During the spring and fall seasons, there is a mixing of the top and bottom layers, usually due to winds which results in a uniform water temperature of around 4° C.  There is also a narrow zone called the thermocline where the temperature of the water changes rapidly.  This mixing also circulates oxygen throughout the lake. There are many lakes and ponds that do not freeze during the winter which,means the top layer would be a little warmer.  Lakes and ponds are divided into three different zones which are usually determined by depth and distance from the shoreline.

4. Three Different Zones  1) Littoral Zone: Is at the lake's shoreline where sunlight can reach the bottom  2) Limnetic Zone: which is commonly recognized as the open waters  3) Profundal (aphotic) Zones: where sunlight does not penetrate.

5. Streams and Rivers  They are bodies of flowing water moving in one direction.  They start at headwaters, which may be springs, snowmelt or even lakes.  It then travels all the way to channels or the oceans.  The characteristics of a river or stream change during the journey.  The temperature is cooler at the source than it is at the mouth (channel or ocean).  The water is also clear and has higher oxygen levels.  Towards the middle part of the stream/river, the width increases, as does species diversity numerous aquatic green plants and algae can be found.  The water becomes murky from all the sediments that it has picked up upstream, decreasing the amount of light that can penetrate through the water. Since there is less light, there is less diversity, and because of the lower oxygen levels, fish that require less oxygen, such as catfish and carp, can be found.

6. Wetlands  Wetlands are areas of standing water.  Marshes, swamps, and bogs are all considered wetlands.  They have the highest species diversity of all ecosystems.  But wetlands are not considered freshwater ecosystems as there are some, such as salt marshes, that have high salt concentrations.

7. Adaptation of Animals and Plants  Mostly all of the animals and the plants that live in the water or nearby had to adapt to all the conditions, especially the temperature.  They had to adapt to whenever it gets hot or cold.  Without adapting to these conditions, these plants and animals wouldn't be able to thrive here.  For example in animals, otters, minks, and fishes would have to adapt to the water in order to survive. The fishes would be most important since the otters, badgers and minks eat the fish that live in the water.  Plants like algae, duckweed, water lilies and cattails would have to adapt to the water temperature and the amount of light that gets into the water so they can live and oxygenate the waters.

8. Otters  Otters live near fresh water to clean the salt out of their fur.  They do this to keep it waterproof, otherwise they would die of cold.  They live near rivers and ponds and the ocean because they are aquatic - they eat fish and shellfish and other water animals.  A swimming river otter is nearly impossible for a predator to catch, though sea otters have more predators (like sharks) that can catch them so it is better for them to live in freshwaters.

9. Minks  Mink live near creeks, rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes.  They are fond of living near the watery areas.  Minks are more likely to follow ditches and streams when strolling around.  They are more adaptable to aquatic environment although they can thrive in the wilderness as well.  Some minks enjoy sheltering along the seashores. As long as there is enough water supply, life is sustainable for minks.

10. Blue Catfish  Blue catfish are freshwater fish, but they are occasionally found in brackish water tributaries.  They are most often found in the backwaters and main channels.  But they prefer water with a moderate or swift current and a sandy bottom.

11. algae  Live in both fresh and salt water.  Many exist as long filaments, or strings.  It produces most of the oxygen we breath.  Some species pollute public water systems by poisoning the water and producing a foul smell.

12. Water lilies  Water lily are another name for Lotus flowers.  They are aquatic plants  The water lily is easy to grow.  A water lily needs deeper water and does not like flowing or splashing water.  Which is a reason for growing in ponds.

13. Cattails  Cattails are always found in or near water, in marshes, ponds, lakes.  They are obligate wetland indicator plant species.  Cattails tolerate perennial flooding, reduced soil conditions, and moderate salinity.  With influxes of nutrients or freshwater, cattails are aggressive invaders in both brackish salt marshes and freshwater wetlands.

14. Human Impact   There are many harmful things that are happening to these freshwaters.   First of all, the water is becoming polluted by humans who dump garbage in the waters. Also, the chemicals that go into the water by rainfall, taints the water.   People who go fishing break the food webs of the animals that eat the certain fishes.   As well as global warming because water is evaporating faster and the plants living around or in the water are dying because of it.   Animals also slowly lose their food and their homes.   Solutions: For the garbage that people dump, they shouldn't even dump the garbage in the water in the first place. They should go and clean it up and pick out the garbage in the water.   For the chemicals that go into the waters, the people shouldn't pour the chemicals near the pure water at all.   People who fish too much and who don’t allow the other fishes to reproduce fast enough. They shouldn't fish every single day but maybe once a month allowing the fish to reproduce.   Global warming would be hard to stop but because people are driving a lot and the smoke that comes out of factories go up into the air and ruin the Ozone Layer. People should stop using cars as much and stop depending on gas as much as they do now. Factories should stop expelling out so much smoke that it can ruin the atmosphere.

15. Freshwater Web

16. THE END =D THE END =D