Freshwater ecosystems contain bodies of water that have almost no salt content. These include lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, reservoirs, wetlands, and groundwater.
Lakes are divided into three zones:
Factors that affect ecosystems in lakes:
Certain specialized plants are able to grow in regions of land that holds a great deal of water.
Streams are bodies of water that have a current. Streams are classified based on size, depth, speed, and location. In streams, water always flows downhill. The path a stream takes, and its speed, varies with rock type, topography, and many other factors.
Stream terminology: