**3. The lotic ecosystem**

Running water is referred to be lotic (from the Greek word lavo, which means "to wash"), in which the entire body of water moves in one direction. These could include springs, rivers, streams, and lakes. A tiny natural body of water is referred to as a brook, whereas a comparatively big natural body of water is referred to as a river. The stream is typically described as being larger than a brook but smaller than a river. Water from the earth, which appears on the surface as a stream in the spring, is a problem [15, 16]. The current's speed, which can produce either slow-moving or fast-moving streams with highly different features, essentially determines the lotic [17]. Plant and animal communities in slow-moving streams typically resemble those in lentic (lake and pond) habitat. According to Tokeshi and Pinder [18], algae and plants are crucial to lotic systems as a source of energy, for building microhabitats that protect other animals from predators and the current, and as a food source [18, 19].
