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Lakes are formed by different acts of nature. Many appeared after glaciers moved across Earth during the last ice age, between 12,000 and 1.8 million years ago, and left giant bowl-shaped hollows in the land that filled with rainwater and runoff. Others were created when Earth's crust shifted, leaving grooves and ridges to catch water. And sometimes when a volcano erupts, all the magma flows out. If the land collapses into the empty crater, it leaves holes that can turn into huge lakes. Crater Lake in Oregon was made this way.

Rivers are created when melting snow or ice runs down mountains, following the grooves and channels of the land on the way to the sea-rivers always flow to an ocean. Wetlands, areas where the land is covered with water most of the time, often form in the land surrounding rivers that flood, or in areas where groundwater seeps up through the bedrock underneath the soil. Bedrock is made of different types of rocks like granite, sandstone and limestone. Water can seep through the cracks between these rocks, and it can dissolve limestone. Beavers can even create wetlands by building dams on rivers and streams.

The largest freshwater habitat in the world is the Everglades, a 1.5 million acre wetlands in southern Florida. The Amazon River in South America begins in the Andes Mountains and goes 4,000 miles (6,400 km) to the Atlantic Ocean; it flows through six countries, including Peru and Ecuador. Lake Baikal in Siberia, a region in Russia, is the world's biggest lake. This North Asian body of water contains one-fifth of all the freshwater on the planet.

So whether you're a hungry turtle, a pollutant-sucking plant, or a thirsty human who also likes to play in the water, freshwater habitats are vital ecosystems for our planet!
Text by Avery Hurt

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Rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, and streams are all freshwater habitats. So are wetlands like swamps, which have woody plants and trees; and marshes, which have no trees but lots of grasses and reeds. Freshwater accounts for only three percent of the world's water.

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The Basics of Freshwater: Crash Course Kids 14.1

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That pond behind your house is a freshwater habitat. So is the stream running behind your school. Freshwater habitats are any natural water sources that don't contain salt. They include ponds, wetlands, rivers, streams, swamps, marshes and creeks.

Lakes and ponds high in the mountains usually have clean, pure water. This water has few dissolved nutrients. Plankton doesn't grow particularly well here, but the water is rich in oxygen, which animals need to survive. These freshwater habitats are a good place for fish and insects to live.

Lakes, ponds and streams in lowland areas tend to have more dissolved nutrients, which encourages plankton to grow. This water doesn't contain as much oxygen, which fish and other animals need to survive.
Fun Facts

Even a dried creek bed may contain life. Some amphibians and insects can burrow into the mud and survive for months or even years. Once heavy rains come, they reappear.

Phosphate runoff from lawn fertilizers can pollute rivers, ponds and streams. The phosphates encourage plankton growth. If the plankton grow too much, they remove oxygen from the water and other animals die.

Plankton, or algae, are single-celled organisms that provide food for many small animals. They aren't plants, but they make food using photosynthesis.

The babies, or larvae, of many flying insects live in the water and eat algae. Watch for dragonflies or mayflies the next time you're near a pond.

Plankton can't survive in fast-flowing water, such as rivers, which is why you won't find a lot of animals here. Some fish, such as salmon, choose these places to lay their eggs because predators are few.

Vocabulary

1. Marsh: a wet, boggy area filled with water plants, brackish water and animals

2. Dissolve: break into tiny pieces

3. Phosphate: a plant nutrient found in fertilizers

Learn More
Head over to the University of California to learn more about freshwater biomes.
Extra Credit
Question: Are all lakes freshwater lakes?

Answer: Some lakes are full of dissolved soda or salt, making them inhospitable to most life.

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Fun Living in Freshwater Habitats Facts for Kids

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That pond behind your house is a freshwater habitat. So is the stream running behind your school. Freshwater habitats are any natural water sources that don't contain salt. They include ponds, wetlands, rivers, streams, swamps, marshes and creeks. Lakes and ponds high in the mountains usually have clean, pure water.