freshwater ecosystems
Non-marine aquatic habitats
Freshwater ecosystems are biological communities in bodies of water with low salt content—rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands.
They support distinct plant and animal life adapted to non-saline conditions and serve critical functions in water filtration, flood control, and biodiversity.
Though freshwater covers less than three percent of Earth's surface, these ecosystems harbor a disproportionate share of aquatic species.
- aquatic plantsVegetation growing in water
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
- wetlandsWater-saturated terrain
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- dissolved oxygenOxygen in water
aquatic habitats · amphibians · pH level · limnology · food webs · lake · fish · swamp · marshes · oxbow lakes · eutrophication · plankton · bog · pond · lily pads · tadpole · stream · fish ladder
- aquatic environmentswetlands, marshes, lakes, rivers, streams
- aquatic sciencemarine biology, limnology, ichthyology, oceanography, aquatic ecosystems
- water ecologyaquatic habitats, aquatic plants, hydrophytes, dissolved oxygen, watersheds
- ecologyhabitat, balance, niche, food webs, food chain
- wetlandsswamp, swamps, marsh, marshes, marshland
- hydrologyrivers, streamflow, aquifers, aquifer, lakes
freshwater ecosystemsmarine ecosystems
Saltwater biological communities
ocean ecosystems · marine habitats · open ocean · seas · oceans
freshwater ecosystemsforests
Densely treed land areas
desert ecosystems · grasslands · forest ecosystems · deserts · tundra
freshwater ecosystemsfish farms
Aquatic animal cultivation facilities
swimming pools · water treatment facilities · ornamental fountains · aquariums · irrigation canals