A river ecosystem consists of inter-related living & non-living parts. The river ecosystem provides us with free ecosystem services. For this reason, there is a noticeable difference between the environment and the living communities of rivers with those of the ponds.
In the river there are different types of algae fishes like Hilsha, Pungas, Chital, Boal etc. live in the rivers. The bodies of these fishes are laterally compressed. For this feature of their body shape, they are capable of moving easily in the strong current. Near the bank of the river where the current is less, living communities like those of the ponds grow there. In the ecosystem of rivers, the food chain is short e.g. Algae, Hilsa, Boal.
River ecosystem have:
- flowing water that is mostly unidirectional
- a state of continuous physical change
- many different (and changing) microhabitats
- variability in the flow rates of water
- plants and animals that have adapted to live within water flow conditions.
