LOTE ECOSYSTEMS: What are they, Characteristics and Examples

There are two main types of aquatic systems, depending on whether their waters are moving or calm. The lotic ecosystems, also known as riparian ecosystems, are those whose waters are always flowing, except when there is a severe drought in which this movement is reduced, and may disappear altogether.

In this article by Ecologist Verde we introduce you to the knowledge of the lotic ecosystems: what are they, their characteristics, examples and the difference between these and the lentic.

Types of aquatic ecosystems

Before we get into talking about lotic ecosystems, let's start by clarifying the main types of aquatic ecosystems:

Freshwater ecosystems

Freshwater ecosystems cover about 0.8% of the Earth's surface and provide habitat for organisms as diverse as reptiles, amphibians, and more than 40% of fish species. These ecosystems contain little or no salt, and can be differentiated into: rivers and streams (lotic ecosystems, fast moving), lakes, ponds and wetlands (lentic ecosystems, slow moving).

Expand this information with these other Green Ecologist articles in which we explain why river water is fresh and we talk about freshwater aquatic ecosystems with examples.

Saltwater ecosystems

Marine or saltwater ecosystems are the largest existing ecosystems and cover more than 70% of the earth's surface, containing about 97% of existing water. They are home to disparate organisms, from corals and echinoderms to brown algae and dinoflagellates. These ecosystems are characterized by their high content of minerals and dissolved salts. Some of the types of saltwater ecosystems are: oceans, estuaries, wetlands, hydrothermal vents, salt marshes, and coral reefs.

Here you can learn more about this topic: Why the sea is salty and What are the saltwater aquatic ecosystems.

What are lotic ecosystems and their characteristics

Lotus ecosystems are systems with fast flowing waters, in one direction only. They include any moving body of water, such as rivers, streams, springs, canals, and so on. Next, we specify the characteristics of lotic ecosystems or moving waters.

Throughout the entire course of its waters they carry dissolved materials, that is to say, materials from the sediment load that goes into solution (they are usually ions from the chemical wear of the substrate).
Its waters have some degree of turbidity, understanding this as the amount of opacity it has, which can be determined by the amount of clays, sand and mud, bacteria and other microorganisms or chemical precipitates that it presents. If it is very cloudy it will be difficult to see through the water and if the turbidity is low, the waters will be transparent
They have a longitudinal progression of temperature (the temperature tends to increase throughout the system's journey; the smaller the river or stream, the greater the temperature variation and the faster the response to environmental fluctuations in temperature and, As the volume of water increases with the route of the river or stream and this becomes more constant, the range of variation of the temperature decreases).
They contain atmospheric gases and, in fact, have a high oxygen concentration, especially in areas with greater water movement and when the temperature is lower, since with increasing water temperature the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases.
Generally, lotic ecosystems are home to a great biodiversity, such as insects (for example, mayflies or stoneflies), fish (trout, eels …) or mammals (such as otters or beavers).
Lotic ecosystems are characterized by having two types of zones: rapids and backwaters. Rapid areas are areas where the water flows so fast that it carries most of the sediment in solution or suspension, while backwater areas are deeper parts of the river where the speed of the water flow decreases and the sediments transported. they tend to settle and accumulate in the bed.

Lotus ecosystems: examples

Some examples of lotic ecosystems They are any ecosystem that presents moving water, such as rivers, streams, springs, streams, and canals.

Lotus ecosystems: rivers and streams

The water in rivers and streams is always flowing, in constant motion, which makes both plants and animals that inhabit them better adapted to these conditions of moving water, as is the case with salmon.

Examples of lotic ecosystems: springs

Springs are areas where groundwater is exposed, generally flowing from the earth's surface. Spring water comes from aquifers or the water table and may have traveled long distances from its point of origin until it flows externally. There are different types of springs and their waters can vary in quality (there are drinkable and non-drinkable), the amount of ions they contain (depends on the course followed and on the geological conditions of the aquifer from which the spring comes) and in temperature (some They are cold water and others can exceed 500 ºC). In addition, springs can be perennial and emerge seasonally or ephemeral and present intervals throughout the year in which they emerge erratically.

In this other post you can learn more about How groundwater is formed.

Difference between lentic and lotic ecosystems

The main differences between lentic and lotic ecosystems are:

The lentic ecosystems, unlike lotics, are those formed by stagnant waters, as is the case with lakes, seas, ponds, ditches, seasonal ponds and swamps.
In lotic ecosystems, you will find algae, floating and rooted plants, and invertebrates, such as crabs and prawns, amphibians such as frogs, salamanders, and reptiles such as water snakes and alligators. In the case of stagnant waters, by having a greater penetrability of light, they can support a wide variety of aquatic plants.
D during hottest dry spellsUnlike lotics, lentic ecosystems tend to withstand these unfavorable conditions longer and take longer to dry out completely, so organisms living in these systems can continue to do so despite declining supplies.
In lentic systems there are 3 different layers: epilimnion, metalimnion and hypolimnion. The epilimnion is the superficial layer of water, which has the highest concentration of oxygen and light, as well as life; the metalimnion is the intermediate layer, in which the water temperature begins to decrease (it is usually in this stratum where the thermocline is located) and life, although it continues to present numerous organisms; the hypolimnion is the deepest area, which maintains the temperature in winter (it takes longer to heat up but also to cool down) and where the amount of light capable of penetrating the waters decreases enormously, and total darkness can occur. It is for this reason that in this last layer there are the least amount of living organisms.
Another difference between both types of ecosystems is that lotic ecosystems tend to be more superficial than lentic ones and this causes temperature to be one of the most important abiotic factors for life in these systems. The water of lotic ecosystems freezes and thaws more quickly than the deep waters of lentic ones. Lotus ecosystems depend on rainfall, snowmelt, and springs to keep the water flowing. In times of drought, these surface systems dry up and this leads to the death of many organisms that live in them.

Learn more about this other type of ecosystem with this article in which we talk about Lentic Ecosystems: what they are and examples.