Freshwater ecology:

The functioning of freshwater ecosystems

Mara J. Servia
Departamento de Bioloxa Animal, Bioloxa Vexetal e Ecoloxa
maria.servia@udc.es

WATER TREATMENT FOR?

Types of freshwater habitats

LENTIC HABITATS (lakes, ponds, reservoirs...)

LOTIC HABITATS (rivers, streams)

Rivers have riffles (regions of shallow, rapid water) and pools (deep, slow water).

SPECIAL HABITATS

Types of freshwater habitats

Special habitats

Special habitats
HYPERSALINE POOLS
High salinity due to soluble rock beds.

TEMPORAL POOLS
In rocks, plants

PEAT BOGS (TURBERAS)

Highly endemic fauna and flora.

Special habitats
CAVE STREAMS
Absence of light. Organisms are adapted to these
conditions

HYPORHEIC ZONE
Region below the level of the stream bottom where
water fills the spaces between the stones, gravels
and sand.

THERMAL SPRINGS
Occur in regions where hot magma is close to the earth
surface.

The functioning of freshwater ecosystems

All ecosystems need a source of energy. Main source is the sun.

Organic carbon compounds are formed out of carbon dioxide and
other inorganic matter, capturing the energy of sunlight via
photosynthesis. We call this primary production (autotrophs)
because it creates new organic matter from inorganic precursors.
The rest of the organisms comsume the organic matter formed by
primary producers; they are heterotrophs or consumers. When
consumer organisms grow and reproduce, we call this secondary
production. Virtually all life on earth derives its energy from the
sun, via primary production. Autotrophs and heterotrophs use that
energy to do metabolic work, and in the process convert energy
contained in organic carbon compounds back into inorganic matter
(respiration).

Food webs are the feeding relationships

into the ecosystem, that is: the fluxes of
matter and energy.

LENTIC HABITATS

LOTIC HABITATS

THE ORGANISMS. Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjCfXurWRJw&feature=relmfu

Plankton: Organisms living in the water column,
carried by water movements. Normally < 5 mm.

Nekton: Organisms living in the water column, but

with active movements. Ex. fish.

Neuston: Organisms living in the air-water

interface. They benefit from the water surface
tension.

Benthos: Organisms living in the bottom of

bodies of water (lakes, ponds, rivers, streams).

Macroinvertebrates: Benthic invertebrates

(mostly!) visible with the naked eye.

Macrophytes: Macroscopic plants..

The functioning of freshwater ecosystems

Lentic habitats

Lentic habitats

They are temporal habitats. Most tend to collapse with sediments and
dissapear. In glacial lakes the rate of settling of the sediment is about
1mm/year.

Lentic habitats

Lakes are inland bodies of freshwater

that may have dramatically different
temperatures from the surface to the
bottom (thermocline). Light generally
does not reach bottom at deeper
points.

Ponds are much smaller than lakes

and
usually have
the
same
temperature from top to bottom. Light
generally will reach the bottom in all
areas of the pond.

Lentic habitats
A thermocline is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid (e.g. an
ocean or lake) in which temperature changes more rapidly with depth than
it does in the layers above or below

Profundidad (m)

5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Temperatura (C)
10 15 20 25 30
Epilimnion

Metalimnion
TERMOCLINA

Hipolimnion

Lentic habitats
LIGHT
% of surface light
0

25

50

75

100

0
5

depth (m)

10
15

10%

20

20%

25
30
35

Photic zone : is the depth of the water that is exposed

to sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis to occur.
Primary production is higher than respiration.

Aphotic zone: the depths beyond which less than 1%

of sunlight penetrates. Respiration is higher than
primary production.

The depth of the photic zone can be affected

greatly by seasonal turbidity.

Lentic habitats
BACTERIOPLANKTON

PHYTOPLANKTON

ZOOPLANKTON

Pseudotaxonomic clasification

Lentic habitats
Phytoplankton seasonal succession occurs in relation to seasonal changes in light
and temperature.

Eutrophication
Plants need P and N. In a lentic body of water their excess favours a high primary
production. Water becomes green due to the accumulation of phytoplankton.

Biomarcadores
Lentic habitats
Phytoplankton blooms
Eutrophication favours the occurrence of
HABs: harmful algal blooms. Normally
diversity is reduced and cyanobacteria
dominate. Cyanobacteria produce a variety
of toxins.
Caldas de Reis (Pontevedra), 2006

The functioning of freshwater ecosystems

Lotic habitats

Lotic habitats
THE LONGITUDINAL ZONATION OF RIVERS
The longitudinal distribution of fish (Huet, 1949)

Trucha
Cavilat
Bermejuela

Tmalo
Gobio
Boga
Lamprea de ro

Trout zone

Grayling zone

Salmonid region

Alburno

Barbo Tenca
CarpaCarpa
Escardino
Perca

Anguila
Lucio
Brema Brema

Barbel zone

Bream zone

Cyprinid region

Correlation between fish assemblages and physical factors such as

river slope, depth, width

Lotic habitats
Biomarcadores
Illies & Botosaneanu (1963) zonation

Morphodinamic characteristics (slope, width, sediment granulometry)

Temperature
Community of benthic macroinvertebrates

Crenon
Eucrenon
Hypocrenon

Rhithron
Epirhithron
Metarhithron
Hyporithron

Potamon
Epipotamon
Metapotamon
Hypopotamon

Discontinuities
in
macroinvertebrate
communities occur in those sectors where
morphodinamic factors (flow, width,
depth) change dramatically (mainly
stream and river confluences).

Lotic habitats
Biomarcadores
The River Continuum concept (Vannote et al., 1980)
There is a gradient in the physical
factors (morphology, hydrology) from
headwaters to the esturary.
Communities are in accordance with
this gradient.
There is an intimate connection
between river communities and the
catchment area due to the flow of
organic matter (input, transport, use
by organisms).
Downstream communities depend
on processes that occur in upstream
reaches.
Benthic macroinvertebrates present
different biological strategies.

Biomarcadores
Lotic habitats
ENERGY RESOURCES
Hynes (1975): The stream and its valley: the importance of watersheds on the functioning of freshwater
habitats.

Primary production
Allochthonous energy sources:
CPOM: Coarse particulate organic matter (e.g. tree leaves).
FPOM: Fine particulate organic matter

< 1 mm
Fragments of leaves and faeces
DOM: Disolved organic matter

Tasa de carga de carbono orgnico

Produccin primaria relativa

Primary production in lotic ecosystems

Biomarcadores
Lotic habitats
ALLOCHTHONOUS CPOM
Vegetal fragments of riverside vegetation.
Must be conditioned by bacteria and fungi.
Decomposition rate and nutritional value depend on the vegetal species.
CPOM input is higher in upstream reaches and decreases from headwaters
to mouth.

Biomarcadores
Lotic habitats
Degradation of the organic matter
Physical mechanisms
Biological mechanisms
Fungi and bacteria: degradate cellulose
Shredders feed on CPOM
Collectors feed on FPOM
Grazers feed on peryphyton
Predators feed on the rest.

Biomarcadores
Lotic habitats
Food webs in lotic habitats

Desmenuzadores

Biomarcadores
Lotic habitats
River Continuum Concept (Vannote et al. 1980)
Headwaters (river order 1-3)

P/R < 1
High input of CPOM
Riverside vegetation (shading) limitate instream primary
production
Dominant organisms:
Shredders
Collectors

Mid-reach (river order 4-6)

Less shading: higher primary production

P/R>1
Dominant organisms:
Shredders
Collectors

Downstream reaches (river order>6)

High levels of FPOM and DOM

Dominant organisms
Collectors
Presence of planktonic communities