Freshwater+-+ponds+and+lakes+period+8

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**Facts/characteristics of the Biome:**
 * defined has low concentration of salt- less than 1%
 * different freshwater regions: ponds, lake, streams, rivers, and wetlands.
 * range in size from a few square meters to a thousand squared kilometers.
 * scattered throughout the earth
 * many ponds are seasonal, only lasting a couple of months, while lakes may exists for hundreds of years or more.
 * ponds/lakes have limited species diversity since they are often isolated from one another and from other water sources( rivers, oceans,)
 * divided into three zones, determined by depth and distance from shoreline. (limnetic, profoundal)
 * though freshwater covers less than 1% of earths surface, freshwater provides havbitat for more than 10 percent of known animals and 1/3 of all known vertabrate species and more than 40 percent of all fish species.
 * found on every continent



**Location of the Biome**: lakes are large bodies of freshwater surrounded by land, while ponds are smaller bodies of water surrounded by land. Located in areas with high rainfall/percipitation.

**Consumers/Animals living in the biome** :
 * turtles snakes and ducks live in the littoral
 * extremely small animals are known as Cladoceran or water fleas. (serve as food source for a number of different species)
 * Trout, salmon, and bass are a few fish, many other fish live in the freshwater as well.
 * Insects are common as well; ticks, leeches, and chiggers. dragonflies, butterflies
 * amphibians frogs, toads, and salamanders
 * beaver (peoples top choices for adorable critters)
 * ducks, geese,swans and herons.

**Producers/Plants living in the biome:**
 * water lilies, algae, and duckweed float on the surface.
 * cattails and reeds grow along the shoreline of many freshwater ecosystems
 * some acquatic plants have strong roots to keep the anchored securely, others have stems that bend with the water.

** Dominant (keystone) species in the biome: ** ~**the dominant species/plant is algae becasue it provides oxygen and food for animals.** ~

__PLANTS__ Almost any plant can live in this area. Most common are trees, shrubs, and grasses.



__ANIMALS__ As with plants, you can find a huge variety of animals, especially mammals, in the freshwater biome



**Average Temperature Range for the biome:** ~during the summer the temp can range form 4` C neer the bottom and 22`C at the top ~during the winter the temp can range form 4` C at the bottom and while the top is 0` C (ice). ~top layer 19`-25` middle layer 8`-19` bottom 4`-8`

** Annual Precipiation for the biome: ** in areas with high rainfall