Alternative site for the Global ecosystem typology with additional information for ecosystem profiles and indicative maps.
This site is maintained by jrfep
The Freshwater Realm includes all permanent and temporary freshwater bodies as well as saline water bodies that are not directly connected to the oceans and characterised by water regimes defined by frequency, duration, flow velocity, depth and extent of inundation. Although some authorities describe this same unit as ‘inland water bodies’, we follow a conventional interpretation that includes saline water bodies as ‘freshwater’ for nomenclatural brevity and to avoid implications that freshwaters are always distant from the coast. Flow regimes are critical to the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems. They regulate allochthonous inputs of water and nutrients from catchments, as well as inundation and drying regimes and turbulence ([Table 3]). Catchment geomorphology, substrates and climate are key components of the ambient environment that regulate resource inputs and disturbance regimes. Trophic complexity increases with the size and connectivity of the water body. Biota of the benthos and the water column are closely associated with flow regimes and catchments in the diverse expressions of freshwater ecosystems.