The Shoreline or "Littoral Region"
The loch's shore is a stony, wave-washed ribbon shelving steeply into the depths.
Therefore only a narrow band of rooted aquatic vegetation is near enough to the
surface to obtain sufficient light.
The animals of this region are sustained by organic particles washed in. They
are mostly insect larvae and are adapted to maintain their position in the turbulence
amongst the stones. Some, like the Stone Fly nymph, have a flattened profile and
grasping claws while Caddis larvae find concealment in cases made of coarse sand
grains. Thus, the shoreline animals most resemble communities found in fast flowing
streams.
The shallowest water shelters Minnows while Stickleback and Lamprey hide amongst
the stones. However, the inshore waters are really dominated by Brown Trout
which feed on invertebrates amongst the stones and at the surface, on adult
winged insects. Deeper down, especially off river mouths, are the Eels and beneath
them, the Arctic Charr. The Atlantic Salmon also pass along the shoreline on
the way to their spawning grounds in one of the in-flowing rivers.
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