Chapter 26, Problem 7MC

Summary Introduction

Introduction:

Microorganisms occupy a number of habitats- terrestrial and aquatic. Depending upon the availability of oxygen, light, and temperature, microbes are distributed vertically within the lake ecosystems. Aquatic habitats, especially lakes can be divided into different zones based on the depth and distance from the shoreline – littoral, limnetic, profundal, and benthic. The littoral zone is the area near the shore. The limnetic zone is occupied by waters beyond the littoral zone and is away from the shore. The deepwater areas of the lake beyond the limnetic zone are occupied by the profundal zone. Benthic zone forms the deepest portion of the lake, which includes the sediment layers.