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A lake ecosystem or lacustrine ecosystem includes biotic (living) plants, animals and micro-organisms, as well as abiotic (non-living) physical and chemical interactions. [1]
Estimating lake metabolism requires approximating processes that influence the production and consumption of organic carbon by organisms within the lake. Cyclical changes on a daily scale occur in most lakes on Earth because sunlight is available for photosynthesis and production of new carbon only for a portion of the day.
The reservoir is in a steady state if Q = S, that is, if the sources balance the sinks and there is no change over time. [25] The residence or turnover time is the average time material spends resident in the reservoir. If the reservoir is in a steady state, this is the same as the time it takes to fill or drain the reservoir.
Lake ecosystems are a prime example of lentic ecosystems (lentic refers to stationary or relatively still freshwater, from the Latin lentus, which means "sluggish"), which include ponds, lakes and wetlands, and much of this article applies to lentic ecosystems in general.
Freshwater organisms are generally divided into the categories of benthic and pelagic organisms, as these are the two zones of life found in the freshwater biome. Freshwater organism can include invertebrates , insects , fish , amphibians , mammals , birds , aquatic plants , and planktons .
The biotic characteristics are mainly determined by the organisms that occur. For example, wetland plants may produce dense canopies that cover large areas of sediment—or snails or geese may graze the vegetation leaving large mud flats. Aquatic environments have relatively low oxygen levels, forcing adaptation by the organisms found there.
The reservoir contains the amount of material M under consideration, as defined by chemical, physical or biological properties. The source Q is the flux of material into the reservoir, and the sink S is the flux of material out of the reservoir. The budget is the check and balance of the sources and sinks affecting material turnover in a reservoir.
Due to the low productivity of the profundal zone, organisms rely on detritus sinking from the photic zone. [1] Species richness in the profundal zone is often similar to that in the limnetic zone. [5] Microbial levels in the profundal benthos are higher than those in the littoral benthos, potentially due to a smaller average sediment particle ...