Summary: Freshwater biomes include lakes, streams, ponds, and rivers. Each of these bodies of water contains water with a low level of salinity.
Keypoints: Freshwater biomes only make up less than 3 % of the total water on earth, and most of this water is frozen most of the year.
What does freshwater mean?
Freshwater has a salinity of .5 ppt compared to the salinity of saltwater which is 50 ppt. The chart below compares the salinity of different bodies of water. Most Scientists consider a body of water freshwater if the salinity is 1ppt or below.
What animals are found in freshwater biomes?
There is a large variety of animals found in freshwater biomes.
It is estimated that there are 15,000 species of freshwater fish.
In addition, you will find freshwater mollusks like snails and bivalves along with crabs and crawfish.
Many snakes like the Northern water snake are adapted to live in freshwater. Protists like Euglena thrive in freshwater along with many insects like mosquitos.
The water of streams and rivers flow based on the angle of the land. Land that is steep creates a faster-moving river or stream than land that is less steep.
Freshwater can be found in lakes that are very large, or in very small ponds.
7 Facts about Freshwater Biomes
1. The Florida Everglades is the largest freshwater biome.
2. There is no formal definition of a pond in terms of size.
3. Saudia Arabia does not have any rivers.
4. Brazil has the largest number of freshwater biomes.
5. The alligator gar is one of the largest freshwater fish and can grow up to 10 feet long.
6. Lake Superior in the United States is the largest freshwater lake.
7. The Mississippi River is the 4th longest river on Earth and flows over 3900 miles.
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