INTRODUCTION TO FRESHWATER ECOLOGY

Freshwater Ecology (Lecture)

BSBIO 4C | PROF. BONEVAN CUADRA | SEM 1 2022
LOTIC ECOSYSTEMS
FRESHWATER ECOLOGY ➔ Refers to washed or running water.
➔ Derived from the Latin word
➔ Also termed as Limnology. “Lotus” meaning washed.
➔ The study of the biological, ➔ Examples: Springs, Rivers, and
chemical and physical features of Streams.
inland and other bodies of fresh ◆ Springs:
water. ● body of water in
➔ Is a subset of the Earth’s aquatic which point of exit at
ecosystems. which groundwater
➔ Freshwater ecosystems may be from an aquifer
divided into two categories namely flows out on top of
Lentic and Lotic Ecosystems. Earth's crust and
becomes surface
LENTIC HABITAT water.
➔ standing or calm freshwater ◆ Rivers:
habitats. ● A natural flowing
➔ Derived from the Latin term watercourse that
“Lentus” meaning “sluggish” or flows towards an
“calm”. ocean, sea, lake, or
➔ Examples: Lakes, ponds, swamps, another river.
and bogs. ◆ Streams:
◆ Lakes: ● A continuous body
● characterized as of surface water
inland depressions flowing within the
filled with bed and banks of a
standing/slow channel.
ecosystems over a ● Defined differently
vast area. from a river in terms
◆ Ponds: of its depth.
● similar to lakes but ● Streams in general
smaller and are shallower
shallower. compared to rivers.
● average of less than
6 to 7 feet deep.
◆ Swamps:
● an area of land
permanently
saturated or filled
with water.
● mostly dominated
by trees.
◆ Bogs:
● Freshwater wetland
made of spongy
ground which
consists of partially
decayed plant
matter called “peat”.
➔ Water is the only substance on
Earth that can be found to naturally
exists in all states (Solid, Liquid,
Gas)
➔ Life on Earth depends on the
availability of liquids. Consider
biochemical systems. Gaseous
states of substances would be
easily dispersible and random
movements would not allow for
close control of chemical reactions.
➔ Much more so when in solid states
where the movement of
substances is slow and chemical
reactions are slower.
➔ Only water is normally present in
liquid form that occurs in large
quantities on earth.
WATER IS HYPOTHETICALLY
SUPPOSED TO BE IN GASEOUS
FORM
➔ Table of hydrides showing the
actual versus expected
temperatures for melting and
boiling point of water compared to
other hydrides.
➔ Considering that the Earth’s mean
surface temperature is 13°C, what
would happen if H2O follows the
predictable chemistry of hydrides?
◆ makes them H atoms more
➔ In summer times, soil
temperatures reach up to 60-70°C
which is unbearable to walk on
bare foot. What would happen if
H2O follows the predictable
chemistry of hydrides?
◆ answer:
WATER IN LIQUID STATE
➔ With water being densest
at 4°C (liquid) compared to
water at 0°C (solid), it is
able to insulate water from
further cooling down and
generally provides liquid
water for living organisms
underneath the ice.
➔ Able to dissolve a wide
range of compounds.
➔ Possesses high specific
heat, temperature change
relatively slowly, buffering
temperature extremes for
organisms, and high
viscosity.
MOLECULAR PROPERTIES AND
PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCES
➔ Water is composed of 2
atoms of Hydrogen and 1
atom of Oxygen.
➔ Bonded by hydrogen bond
and hydrogen atoms are
held at nearly 0.1nm from
the oxygen.
➔ In theory the angle at which
the hydrogen are held
should be 90°. However
due to shared electrons are
more attracted to Oxygen
than the Hydrogen atoms, it
positive and O atoms more
negative. With the H atoms
being slightly more positive,
a repelling force affects the
two pushing them away
from each other forming the
104.45° angle instead of
90°.
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 ➔ Now when the water (ice)
receives additional energy
(heated) it breaks the
structure and starts to
collapse inwards.
➔ Remember that the shared
➔ Meaning the ice starts to
electrons are more attracted to
melt and thus makes it
Oxygen molecules making it more
denser (liquid water)
negative? This makes the Oxygen
compared to the water (ice)
molecules attractive to the slightly
positive Hydrogen molecules of
other water molecules. The bond
that can be formed between water
molecules are hydrogen bonds
and it is this bond that gives water
one of its unique properties.
➔ Water molecules that are bonded
together with hydrogen bond
requires a lot of energy to break
and change the structure to
convert it to a different state lets
say liquid water to vapor.
➔ The meltwater still retains some
➔ This hydrogen bonding is also
structure considering that the
responsible for keeping it in a
hydrogen bonding is still present in
liquid state rather than normally it
them which means the amount of
being gas at around -80°C
energy needed to melt is small.
➔ Thus water freezes and thaws
ICE AND MELTING rather easily.
➔ Let’s consider the melting point of ➔ The density of the water thus
water at 0°C. When water is at 0°C increases and at 4°C the water is
it is solid and the ice retains its at its maximum density.
crystal structure based on ➔ As water at 4°C gets warmer, they
tetrahedrons of water molecules. vibrate more and move away
➔ This structure holds molecules further from each other. This in
relatively apart and gives low tern lessens the density of the
density to ice. water. Relative to the meltwater.
➔ This in tern causes ice to float on ➔ As water at 4°C gets colder, they
liquid water. bond more together, and this bond
solidifies the meltwater and makes
it into ice.

BUFFERING AND EVAPORATION

➔ Water above 4°C steadily gets less
dense so warmer water floats on
cooler water. However due to the

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 high specific heat of water, ➔ Hydrological Cycle (Water Cycle) –
temperature change occurs slowly refers to the water movement that
as heat is applied. occurs in the different
➔ Liquid water is thus able to serve environmental by means of
as buffer to changes (gain or loss) different processes.
of heat. TURNOVER
➔ If enough of energy is applied to
water, it will cause it to approach
its boiling point which is the heat
required to completely destroy the
hydrogen bond structure shared
between water molecules
converting liquid water into vapor.

CONTINUATION…

➔ If water is considered as the main

limiting factor in many environment
and is considered as the source of
life on Earth, where are they
allocated? And how much water is
there on Earth?
➔ The total amount of water are
distributed accordingly
◆ Oceans and Seas
(Saltwater) – 97.2%
◆ Ground Water (Freshwater)
– 0.6%
◆ Polar Ice Caps
(Freshwater) – 2.1%
◆ Rivers and Lake Systems ➔ Refer to the image on the right.
(Freshwater) 0.02% ➔ R represents the average amount
➔ Considering that the only 0.02% of of water in thousands of km3
the 1.386 billion km3 volume of ➔ t represents the residency time in
water is utilized by freshwater years
ecosystems, how are freshwater ➔ Arrow values represents the
ecosystems able to proliferate in annual flux in km3 y-1
various parts of the water? ➔ As can be seen in the figure, water
➔ Turnover and Hydrological Cycle molecules may stay a couple of
plays a major role in keeping thousand of years in glaciers, while
freshwater ecosystems supplied only spending less that a year in
with sufficient water supply lakes or rivers.

TURNOVER AND HYDROLOGICAL

CYCLE
➔ Turnover – pertains to the duration
and amount by which water is
transferred and returned to a
particular environment.

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➔ The variations of turnover rates
maintain water availability in
different areas.
➔ This also has implications to
certain conditions in each areas.
➔ Rapid replacement of water in
surface freshwater systems is one
reason why restoration of polluted
freshwaters is comparatively easy
compared to oceans.
FOUR SEAONS AND ITS EFFECT TP
PROCESSES INVOLVED IN WATER
CYCLE
➔ Transpiration
➔ Precipitation
➔ Evaporation
➔ Condensation
➔ Flow and Runoffs
PATTERNS OF HYDROLOGY
➔ Hydrology is defined as the
amounts of water passing through
the environment and their
seasonal distribution ab variability
within a time span.
➔ Hydrography varies enormously
from place to place and between
years in the same placem
➔ Usually expressed as a
Hydrograph.
➔ In hydrology it is important to take
note of two water systems.
➔ Exorheic system – also called
open basins are water systems
that drains water into rivers and/or
other body of water that ultimately
drains into the ocean
➔ Endorheic system – also called
closed basins are water systems
that does not allow water to be
drained to the ocean. Water can
only be moved via evaporation
and/or ground water draining.
HYDROLOGY
➔ Autumn – lowered temperature
which is enough to slow the rate of
evaporation allowing net run-off to
increase before net run-off = 0
because of frozen water due to
extremely low temperatures.
➔ Winter – Extremely low
temperature occurs which freezes
water and prevents water run-offs.
Water brought by rain/hail is being
stored in the environment in the
form of snow/ice. Evaporation rate
is at its lowest.
➔ Spring – extremely low
temperatures starts to rise allowing
snow/ice to thaw and cause
meltwater to cause excessive
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 water run-off. Evaporation rate
also increases
➔ Summer – temperatures are
increased to such extent that
evaporation rate is at its highest.
Water run-off is often zero or even
negative (water that is retained by
soil serving as baseflow is usually
used)
➔ When baseflow of shallow water
systems are used, it cause them to
dry up (Ponds, Streams)
PATTERNS OF HYDROLOGY
(TEMPERATE REGIONS)
➔ In colder temperate regions, snow
accumulates on the catchment
(basin) in winter times and in
spring the water basins will be
flushed with meltwater.
➔ In warmer temperate regions
however, rain runs off continuously
in winter and spring.
➔ Porcupine Canada – Colder
Temperate Region
➔ Luanhe China – Warmer
Temperate Region
➔ Though evaporation will be present
in both colder and warmer
temperate regions, the rate of
evaporation in colder temperate
regions would be slower.
➔ Water then freezes due to the
lower temperature in colder
temperate regions and run-off will
be lower compared to warmer
temperate regions.
➔ In changing of seasons however
where colder temperate regions
starts to experience spring and
summer, the frozen water starts to
melt and makes run-off higher
compared to warmer temperate
regions.
WARM TEMPERATE REGIONS
➔ Compared with colder temperate
regions, warm temperate regions
have little to none presence of
snow. Meaning water runs off of
the land throughout the winter.
➔ Run-off will cease earlier in
summer due to increase
temperature while in late autumn,
run-off will start to increase.
➔ Shallow rivers, streams and ponds
are prone to drying up because of
the prolonged absence of water
run-off.
TROPICAL REGIONS
➔ The same interplay of run-off and
evaporation is present in tropical
regions compared to others.
However the interplay between the
two is extreme in tropical regions.
➔ Those in the wet tropics such as
rain forest may have continual
rain-fed river flow and no periods
where net run-off reaches zero or
negative values. (these
environments always are soaked
in water).
➔ Dry tropics on the contrary due to
the limited amounts of rainfall are
prone to having net run-off of 0 to
negative values. (these
environments have only a short
span of time to hold water before it
evaporates)
➔ Patterns in Hydrology are
generally set by climate regime.
➔ Local complications (alterations)
will arise from these patterns
however.
◆ 1. Rivers from the tropical
regions may contradictorily
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 experience rise in water
volume in the dry season.
Or wetlands in the amazon
seemingly dry will suddenly
have an increase in water
level due to receiving it
somewhere else
◆ 2. Due to water being
limited in supply, it is
usually tapped for irrigation
schemes or can be
regulated for hydroelectric
use.
➔ These alterations have shown
considerable effects that it has
impacted the natural patterns of
hydrology.
➔ This in turn affects organisms and
are known to often lead to terminal
disruption to their life histories.
relationship of organism with
viscosity in terms of Reynolds
Number (Re)
FLUID DYNAMICS
➔ Reynolds Number (Re)is defined
as the ratio of a moving organism
(density x speed x length) over
viscosity
➔ Re is greater (for large sized
objects) –
◆ Pressure >> Drag
➔ Re is average (for medium sized
objects) – Pressure and Drag
both important
➔ Re is minimal (for small sized
organisms) – Drag and viscosity
Dominate

VISCOSITY OF WATER
➔ Viscosity is another property of
water that has significant
importance in the ecology of
freshwater organisms.
➔ Water being liquid, has molecules
linked together in bunches by their
hydrogen bonds are free enough
to move relative to one another.
➔ These hydrogen bonding also ➔ Re is average (for medium sized
allow for the retention of some objects)
crystalline structure allowing water ◆ Larger invertebrates or
molecules to stick to surfaces and smaller fish usually belong
to each other. to intermediate Reynolds
➔ This property gives water viscosity, numbers. They have to
a stickiness and forms a relatively cope up with viscous (drag)
dense medium through which and inertial forces
other molecules are less (pressure).
permeable from. ◆ Coping with drag means
➔ Viscosity is therefore the rate of expending energy and thus
change of angle of distortion leads to evolution to adapt
divided by the shear stress. various shapes to minimize
➔ Two local forces act in a blob of drag.
water namely;
◆ Pressure
◆ Shear stress (Drag)
➔ Though water is not as viscous as
other substances such as tar, the
viscosity of water itself presents a
problem to organisms.
➔ When talking about viscous
environment we look at the

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➔ streamlined body is a shape that
reduces friction drag between a
fluid, such as air or water, and an
object moving through it. Its
particular body shape provides
minimal resistance to air and
water.

DIFFUSION
➔ Concentration gradient –
imbalance amount of molecules
between two areas will cause the
area with more molecules to
disperse into the less compact
area.
◆ Simple diffusion
◆ Facilitate diffusion