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Miniunit Zeta: Fresh
Water Biomes
Read
the pages indicated by
Z-24 and
study Behavior
Objective #36. Now let us consider some fresh water biomes,
particularly lakes and ponds. Natural lakes tend to be of recent origin.
Geologically speaking, they are most numerous in the glaciated parts of
northern America and Eurasia. Lakes also occur in regions of recent
volcanism, either in craters of volcanoes or where water was dammed up by
lava flows. In addition, they are formed by slifting of rivers, by beaver
dams, and by man. Actually, sharp boundaries do not exist between these
habitats because erosion and sedimentation are constantly changing them.
Upstream, the communities are relatively simple, with fish such as trout
that are intolerant of low oxygen and high temperatures and a few
invertebrates, algae and mosses that can attach to rocks. Downstream
as the water becomes more turbid and pools form, photosynthesis is limited
to a narrow upper zone near the banks. Attached algae and
cyanobacteria are predominant in shallow areas, and plants can grow near
the banks. Bacteria and fungi become more abundant in the sediments,
relying on organic material brought in from upstream. What kind of
fish would you expect to find downstream and why?
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Last modified November 19, 1997. |