Freshwater Biome

Name: Taal lake

Location: Batangas, Philippines

Type: Caldera lake

Residing organisms:
Trevally, Freshwater Sardinella, Freshwater seasnake, Tilapia, Bull shark(exterminated by locals in the 1930s)


Physical landforms:
There is a crater lake on Volcano Island, which is the world's largest lake on an island (Volcano Island) in a lake (Taal Lake) on an island (Luzon). Known as the Main Crater Lake, it contains its own small island, Vulcan Point.

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Climate:
Tropical climate with a pronounced dry season from November to April and a wet season for the rest of the year.
Temperature:
The mean annual temperature is 27°C, mean monthly temperatures ranging from 26° to 29°C. April and May are the warmest months with a mean maximum temperature of 35°C, and December and January are the coldest with a mean minimum of 22°C.
Humidity:
The mean annual relative humidity is 78%, the monthly means ranging from a minimum of 60% to a maximum of 92%.
Rainfall:
The average rainfall in the lake throughout the year is 400mm

Biotic factors:
Marine life (fishes, seasnake, planktons),
Plant life ( vallisneria, water hyacinth,algae,hydrilla, ipomoea,cogon grass,kans grass)


Abiotic factors:
Salinity
Oxygen levels
Temperature
Sulfur levels

Biotic and Abiotic relations:
The lake once had a high salinity level because it was part of the sea. Due to eruptions, the connection to the sea narrowed down to a river. Decades of precipitation turned the saltwater to frshwater. High temperature can decrease the concentration of dissolved oxygen and this may lead to a fish kill. Increase in sulfur levels can increase the levels of toxic sulfur and Hydrogen Sulfide and this can kill the organisms in the lake. Increased salinity levels can also kill the organisms in the lake since they already adapted to freshwater.

Interrelationships
Mutualism- Fungi and algae work together to build communities called lichens. Lichens can absorb anything in the atmosphere including pollutants.
Commensalism- Weeds inside the lake provide protection and shelter to the marine life that is living in the lake
Parasitism- In other lakes, Sea Lampreys suck the blood out of its host until the host dies."Ich" is a disease caused by a bacteria which only affects freshwater fishes. The fish will have white spots all over their body and those white spots will fall off and tear off the part where it was stuck.

sources

• http://www.arcbc.org.ph/wetlands/philippines/phl_taal_lake.html
• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/freshwater.php
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Lake
• http://www.weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sun...
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal,_Batangas#Climate