How do aquatic animals survive in frozen lakes?
Only the top layer of a lake or river freezes, un- derneath the frozen upper layer the water remains in its liquid form and does not freeze. Also, oxygen is trapped beneath the layer of ice. As a result, fish and other aquatic animals find it possible to live comfortably in the frozen lakes and ponds.
How do aquatic animals survive in the lake which is frozen in winter?
When water boils at a certain temperature it turns into steam. Underneath the frozen upper layer, the water remains in its liquid form and does not freeze. Also, oxygen is trapped beneath the layer of ice. As a result, fish and other aquatic animals find it possible to live comfortably in the frozen lakes and ponds.
How aquatic animals like fish survive below frozen ice in the lake?
The surface water finally freezs while the lower layer remain at 4c as ice is a bad conductor of heat freezing in the lower layer is a very slow pprocess. Thus underneath the frozen layer fish and other aquatic animals and plants survive.
How do fish survive under ice?
Fish have several adaptions to survive a winter below the ice. First, they are cold blooded meaning their body temperature matches their environment. Colder temperatures mean a reduction in their metabolism. This slows numerous metabolic processes, such as respiration, digestion, and activity level.
How does ice protect fish?
It lowers the freezing temperature, so it prevents damage that could be caused by ice formation. Because fish are ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals, when the water they live in is below freezing, they need a way to keep themselves from freezing.
How does ice help fish in a lake?
The layer of ice that forms on top of a lake, pond, river, or stream provides some insulation that helps the waterbody retain its heat. Because warm water sinks in very cold freshwater, fish in these water bodies often gather in groups near the bottom.
Why do aquatic animals survive?
Aquatic animals may breathe air or extract oxygen that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through the skin. Natural environments and the animals that live in them can be categorized as aquatic (water) or terrestrial (land).
How do aquatic survive?
Aquatic animals may breathe air or extract oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through the skin. Natural environments and the animals that live in them can be categorized as aquatic (water) or terrestrial (land).
How does ice protect the lives of animals?
Unlike plants, animals can move so they would move as far as possible or be trapped and frozen when the ice sank. If ice did not float, life underwater would be impossible! Ice floats when water freezes on the top. It stays on the top and ice slowly gets thicker, freezing our lakes and ponds from the top down.
What happens to the fish in the ice?
The consistency in the food chain under the ice assures that ice fishermen can secure a catch, knowing that hungry fish will be attracted to their lures. But food is one side of the survival coin for fish. On the other side are their oxygen needs.
Thus underneath the frozen layer fish and other aquatic animals and plants survive. Had the expansion of water been uniform the lakes or ponds would have been completely frozen or along with the aquatic plants and animals. In this situation no plant and animals. In this situation no plant and animal would have survived.
How does the melting of ice protect life?
As ice melts in spring, it absorbs heat from the environment to slowly change its state back to liquid. Because it takes a lot of energy to change the state of water, this gradual process helps prevent a sudden increase in temperature that could be harmful to life.
