Lake ecosystem: Difference between revisions

Lake ecosystems can be divided into zones. One common system divides lakes into three zones (see figure). The first, the [[littoral zone]], is the shallow zone near the shore. This is where rooted wetland plants occur. The offshore is divided into two further zones, an open water zone and a deep water zone. In the open water zone (or photic zone) sunlight supports photosynthetic algae and the species that feed upon them. In the deep water zone, sunlight is not available and the food web is based on detritus entering from the littoral and photic zones. Some systems use other names. The off shore areas may be called the [[pelagic zone]], the [[photic zone]] may be called the [[limnetic zone]] and the [[aphotic zone]] may be called the [[profundal zone]]. Inland from the littoral zone, one can also frequently identify a [[riparian zone]] which has plants still affected by the presence of the lake—this can include effects from windfalls, spring flooding, and winter ice damage. The production of the lake as a whole is the result of production from plants growing in the littoral zone, combined with production from plankton growing in the open water.