The Freshwater Biome accounts for one fifth of the area of the Earth and provides half of the drinking water, one third of the water used for irrigation, and nearly ninety percent of the world's bathwater. The biome consists of inland lakes, streams, brooks, creeks, and rivers--as well as ditches, sloughs, gutters, puddles and canals.

These bodies of freshwater, known collectively as "liquid pathways," both keep our planet hydrated and provide a habitat for over 700 species of fish, some 1200 amphibians and a variety of mollusks and insect life. The earth's freshwater biome and the species it supports are being seriously threatened by pollution from farm runoff, industrial discharges, recreational boating, and fast food packaging. Because of the increasing pollution of the freshwater biome, bottled water has recently become more popular than freshwater as a beverage. 

Though bottled water has temporarily decreased the demand for water derived from the freshwater biome, scientists predict that supplies of bottled water may be largely depleted by 2030, when, once again, humans will rely mostly on the freshwater biome to quench their thirst.

Major Plant and Animal Life Supported by the Freshwater Biome
Plant Life	Animal Life
Algae Cattails Brine-Spike Swampfrond Tamarack Deerflower Myrtle False Ivy	Flagellates and Wrigglers Diatoms Leeches River rats, Muskrats, Otters and Minks. Sunfish and Bass Bowfin Catfish species Hendrickson Turtle Painted turtle

 

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Web site created by Dr. Alan Gooden, Geobiology Department, Henrietta University, Prempe, NM. Send your comments or questions about biomes to shankhead@thevillagelink.com