Lotic ecosystem

A lotic system includes all flowing inland bodies such as creeks, rivers, streams, and so on. The ecology of flowing water is unique in many ways and is often shaped by the nature and behavior of the flowing water. A river, for example, is a flowing water body, usually unidirectional, with a source and an end. It is usually in constant physical change. At the source of the river, it is narrower in size, cold, fast-flowing, and rich in oxygen. Down to the end, it is usually wide in size, less oxygen, slow-moving, and warmer. That means lifeforms in a lotic system is not the same, as it depends on the following: 1. The nature and behavior of flowing water • The chemical makeup such as oxygen, pH, and alkalinity • The temperature of the water, depth of the water and how much sunlight can penetrate it, and so on • The velocity of the water • The stage of the river in its course. Flowing water at its source tend to flow very fast, whiles water at its end tend to flow very slowly with a lot of nutrients and particle deposition • The topography of the land (slopes, highlands, and lowlands) 2. The adaptation of its living organisms With the above picture of flowing water in mind, how are living organisms (plants and animals) adapted to survive in these flowing water bodies? • Organisms in these waters have suckers and hooks that help them stick to the water-bed, rocks, or plants. • Some of them also have a streamlined body that helps them swim against water currents. • Plants such...

River ecosystems are flowing waters that drain the landscape, and include the The food base of streams within riparian forests is mostly derived from the trees, but wider streams and those that lack a River ecosystems are prime examples of lotic ecosystems. Lotic refers to flowing water, from the lotus, meaning washed. Lotic waters range from The following unifying characteristics make the ecology of running waters unique among aquatic habitats: the flow is unidirectional, there is a state of continuous physical change, and there is a high degree of spatial and temporal heterogeneity at all scales ( Unidirectional water flow is the key factor in lotic systems influencing their ecology. Streamflow can be continuous or intermittent, though. Streamflow is the result of the summative inputs from groundwater, precipitation, and overland flow. Water flow can vary between systems, ranging from torrential rapids to slow backwaters that almost seem like lentic systems. The speed or velocity of the water flow of the water column can also vary within a system and is subject to chaotic turbulence, though water velocity tends to be highest in the middle part of the stream channel (known as the While water flow is strongly determined by slope, flowing waters can alter the general shape or direction of the stream bed, a characteristic also known as Light [ ] Light is important to lotic systems, because it provides the energy necessary to drive Temperature [ ] Most lotic species are Chemi...

The River Continuum Concept (RCC) is a milestone in stream ecology because of its comprehensive evaluation of the structure and function of lotic ecosystems. Linking stream physical and geomorphological attributes with patterns in biodiversity, functional traits, and metabolism dynamics, this theory describes downstream gradients in community composition and ecosystem processes. The aim of this review is to evaluate how the RCC, 40 years from its publication in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, has influenced basic and applied research in stream ecology, focusing on the most important contributions and recent developments. This work puts into perspective the historical importance of the RCC in the scientific process and integrates past and recent theories, including metacommunity and metaecosystem theories and the river network perspective, to predict taxonomic and functional diversity of benthic communities. Thus, this review provides a unifying overview of the historical context of the field for exploring basic and applied ecological questions to the next generation of stream ecologists. Graphical Abstract Le concept de continuum fluvial (CCF) est un important jalon en écologie fluviale en raison de l’évaluation exhaustive de la structure et de la fonction des écosystèmes lotiques qu’il permet. Cette théorie, qui relie les attributs physiques et géomorphologiques du cours d’eau aux motifs de biodiversité, à des caractères fonctionnels et à la dynami...

Lotic ecosystems are often viewed and studied within the context of the River Continuum Concept ( Vannote et al., 1980) which conceptualizes them as continuous entities, with ever changing physical and chemical variables that result in predictable physicochemical attributes and subsequent biological communities along this gradient. This perception is somewhat scale dependent and is applicable at large scales; however, at smaller scales physicochemical and biological patterns may seem random ( Stanford and Ward, 2001). These riverine ecosystems are largely products of their watershed, where chemical, geophysical, and biological processes are determined by the river’s longitudinal and lateral interconnectedness. Within a watershed, the river’s flow is determined by the surrounding hill-slopes; which, through overland and groundwater flow, direct sediments, nutrients, organic matter, and pollutants into the stream channel. The ability for aquatic fauna to move up- and downstream is due to both locomotory ability of the organism and stream morphology (e.g., waterfalls, flow velocity, etc.). Despite this useful and overarching conceptualization, most riverine systems are subject to a variety of discontinuities, most of which are anthropogenic in nature and of which dams are the likely the most ubiquitous and impactful. As such, Ward and Stanford (1983) developed the Serial Discontinuity Concept (SDC) as a theoretical framework for evaluating the influence of dams on lotic syste...

Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and wetlands that have a low salt concentration (usually below 1%) and serve as habitats are called freshwater ecosystems. The two major divisions of freshwater ecosystems are the lentic ecosystems and the lotic ecosystems. Lentic ecosystems are those whose water is still, and are made up of ponds, marshes, ditches, lakes and swamps. These ecosystems range in size from very small ponds or pools that may be temporary, to large lakes. Lakes and ponds are broken down into three different zones, each with its own different society of organisms. The littoral zone is the one closest to the shore. Because these areas are shallow, light is able to reach to the bottom, making this warmest area. The abundance and diversity of plants and animals living in this zone are the food for the other, larger animals that reside there. Moving inward away from the shore, the limnetic zone still receives plenty of sunlight. This zone is very rich in microorganisms called plankton. The plankton that live here include plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton). As you get deeper into the limnetic zone, less light is present. Under the limnetic zone is and are that is much colder and denser region, known as the profundal zone. Here, there is little light that makes it all the way down. The result is that photosynthesis, or the process by which plants take energy from the sunlight and use it to create their own food, is less prominent. Lack of photosynthesis means...

About 70% of the surface of the planet earth is covered by water. The larger part of the earth’s water is the ocean (seawater). Only 3% of the water on the surface is fresh; the remaining 97% resides in the ocean. Of freshwater, 69% is in glaciers, 30% underground, and less than 1% is in the lakes, rivers, and swamps. That means water on earth, as a habitat for many tiny organisms, medium and large water animals is very significant, and together, becomes the Aquatic Biome. Water on earth is not all the same. They vary a lot in terms of chemical composition, nature of its flow or stillness, temperature, and so on. It means that plant and animal life in these waters will be different too. What is an Aquatic Ecosystem? Aquatic ecosystems are an umbrella term for all ecosystems that exist in water. Aquatic Ecosystems, in simple terms, is an ecosystem type that depends on water (both marine and freshwater) most or part of the time. A scientist who studies inland water ecosystems (limnology) is called a limnologist. The opposite will be terrestrial ecosystems, which are all ecosystems that exist on land. Water-based ecosystems can be put into two main groups, namely Freshwater Ecosystems and Marine Ecosystems. Marine Ecosystems describe the biotic and abiotic interactions that occur in the oceans. Marine waters are very different from freshwaters because of the high salt content of seawater. Freshwater ecosystems include two major categories, Lentic and Lotic Systems. Lentic sys...