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Freshwater lacks the "salty" nature of saltwater.
Streams, rivers, ponds and lakes are the most common freshwater
environments. Like oceans, bodies of freshwater are products of
the surrounding land and the tributaries that feed into them. Lakes,
the largest of the freshwater bodies, often incorporates the products
of freshwater springs as well as streams and rivers. Sometimes many
streams will flow into a larger stream or a river, and rivers can
flow together into larger rivers.
Because lakes are often the ultimate destination of
flowing freshwater habitats, let's look at what makes up the ecosystem
of a lake:
- Springs that originate from rocks or from the soil
- Streams and rivers, as well as their banks
- The bank of the lake, or the beach around the lake
- The lake basin
- Freshwater fish and plants
The Lake Watershed
The watershed incorporates all of the land and water
areas that ultimately drain into a river, stream or lake. The watershed
areas can have their own subwatersheds; for example, the Haw River,
which flows into Jordan Lake, has its own watershed. Watersheds
that drain directly into rivers are often called river basins (NC
DENR). The section on watersheds will give you more information
on what watersheds are, how they influence the main body of water
and how human actions can affect them.
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