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Freshwater lakes

Lakes are part of the
freshwater biome,
which typically range
in size from as little as
a few square yards up
to thousands of square
miles.
Lakes can be divided
into three different
“zones”.

1. The littoral zone
is located near the
shores of lakes and
ponds and is home to
algae, snails, insects,
crustaceans and
amphibians. It is the warmest of the zones since it shallow and can absorb
the sun’s heat.
2. The limnetic zone is situated near the surface in the open water and is
populated by plankton, small organisms, and freshwater fish.
3. The profundal zone includes the deepest waters of lakes and ponds, and is
much cooler and denser than the other two zones.

Fun Freshwater facts:

• Freshwater covers 0.8% of aquatic ecosystems
• 797% of all surface water is in oceans
• Great lakes in north America and Lake Baikal in Russia, containing 7/8 of this fresh water surface
• The Baikal is home of more than 2,500 species of plants and animals, 2/3 which can be found nowhere else in the
world
• Fresh water is naturally occurring water on Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, icebergs, bogs, ponds,
lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams.
• Lake Eyre is the largest freshwater lake in Australia
• There are over 700 different species of fish that live in a freshwater biome.
• The water in a freshwater biome contains less than 1% of salt water. Any body of water that contains little to no
salt is considered freshwater.