Lotic Ecosystems Rivers

The lotic or flowing water habitats include rivers streams, brooks etc. The most outstanding features of such habitats is the continuously flowing water which moulds the characteristics of the water bed and influences the distribution of organisms within.

In order to differentiate between the lotic and lentic habitats let us see how rivers (lotic habitats), differ from lakes that represent the Lentic habitat.

• The rivers have a continuous - one directional flow with the entire volume of water flowing uni directionally. In large rivers the flow may be from one climatic zone to another.
• The volume of river water keeps changing, causing variation in its velocity.
• The water level of the rivers exhibit wide range of fluctuations.
• Generally as a rule the depth of rivers is small as compared to lakes.
• River waters usually flow in a narrow channel, though occasionally their channels may expand, to form river lakes.
• The physical, chemical and biological conditions of the river gradually change with distance along the main channels in a definite direction.
• The material transported or eroded by the rivers at any point transported by them downstream with no supporting for return, thus causing their permanent removal.
• In rivers prolonged stagnation is absent. Rivers in comparison to lakes depend more on the surrounding land for nutrients, manufacturing little basic food materials themselves.