Freshwater food web

A freshwater food web is the network of feeding relationships among organisms in lakes, rivers, ponds, and wetlands. It links energy and nutrients as organisms consume one another and other organic matter.

Primary production: The formation of organic matter from inorganic sources by organisms, chiefly through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Algae and aquatic plants supply much of the energy entering freshwater food webs.
Phytoplankton: Microscopic, drifting photosynthetic organisms found in aquatic environments. These often form the base of open-water food webs in lakes and ponds.
Eutrophication: The enrichment of water with nutrients that can increase biological production and cause harmful ecological changes. Nutrient enrichment can trigger algal blooms and oxygen loss that reorganize feeding relationships.
Invasive species: A species introduced beyond its native range that establishes and causes ecological, economic, or other harm. Introduced predators and competitors can redirect energy flows and displace native consumers.
Marine food web: The network of feeding relationships among organisms in ocean and coastal habitats. Marine webs share trophic principles but differ in habitat structure and dominant producers.
Trophic level: A position in a feeding sequence, defined by how an organism obtains energy. Trophic levels organize the feeding positions linked within a freshwater web.
Zooplankton: Small drifting animals and animal-like organisms that feed on other plankton or organic matter. Zooplankton transfer energy from phytoplankton to fish and larger invertebrates.
Biomanipulation: The deliberate alteration of an aquatic community, often by changing fish populations, to improve water quality or ecosystem conditions. Managers may alter predator and grazer populations to reduce algal blooms.
Freshwater biodiversity: The variety of life and ecological variation in freshwater ecosystems. Food-web structure depends on the diversity and abundance of freshwater organisms.
Terrestrial food web: The network of feeding relationships among organisms in land-based ecosystems. Land-based webs highlight contrasts in producers, detritus pathways, and consumer movement.

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