Water habitat fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are water habitats?

Water habitats are places where water helps living things feed, shelter, breed, grow or drink. In bushland, fresh water may be found in creeks, ponds, puddles, wetland edges, seepages, damp soil and places where water collects after rain.

Water habitats are important because many animals depend on water for part or all of their life cycle. Frogs lay eggs in water, tadpoles grow there, dragonfly nymphs hunt underwater, ducks feed among aquatic plants and turtles move through ponds and creeks to find food and shelter.

At Field of Mars Reserve and in nearby Sydney bushland, water habitats occur around creeks, wet areas, pond edges and damp ground after rain. One area of bushland can contain many smaller habitats, including water habitats, leaf litter habitats, rock and log habitats, shrub habitats and tree habitats.

Water habitats include ponds, creeks and wet areas where animals can drink, feed, hide and breed.

Water habitats can include shallow water, aquatic plants, wet edges and open water.

Where are water habitats found?

Water habitats are found wherever water collects or flows long enough for living things to use it. They may occur in creeks, ponds, puddles, dams, wetlands, drainage lines, damp ground, school ponds and gardens with clean water and native plants.

In Field of Mars Reserve, water habitats are connected with creeklines, wetland areas and damp places that change after rain. Students can observe these habitats safely from tracks, boardwalks or edges without entering the water, disturbing animals or collecting living things.

Creeks and wet areas in Field of Mars Reserve provide water habitats for frogs, insects, reptiles and birds.

What living and non-living features make up water habitats?

Living features of water habitats include aquatic plants, reeds, sedges, algae, fungi, bacteria, insects, larvae, worms, snails, frogs, turtles, fish, skinks, ducks and other waterbirds. Some living things are easy to see, while others are tiny or hidden in mud, plants, rocks or leaf litter.

Non-living and once-living features include water, mud, rocks, logs, sunlight, shade, temperature, water depth, water movement, oxygen, minerals and spaces between plants and stones. Together, these features create smaller microhabitats where organisms can feed, shelter, grow and reproduce.

Aquatic plants, still water, shade and pond edges create many small water microhabitats.

What plants and animals live in water habitats?

Plants such as reeds, sedges, rushes, native grasses, paperbarks, swamp she-oaks and algae can grow in or beside water habitats. These plants help shade the water, hold soil and mud in place, provide perches and shelter, and add plant material to food webs.

Animals that live in or around water habitats include frogs, tadpoles, dragonfly nymphs, damselfly nymphs, mosquito larvae, water beetles, snails, worms, eastern snake-necked turtles, eastern water skinks, dusky moorhens and pacific black ducks. Some animals live underwater, while others feed, nest, bask or shelter around the edges.

A pacific black duck searches for food in shallow water in Buffalo Creek.

How do animals use water habitats for food, shelter and breeding?

Many animals use water habitats for food. Ducks feed on aquatic plants, seeds and small animals. Turtles hunt underwater for insects, tadpoles, fish and carrion. Dragonfly nymphs are underwater predators that catch smaller aquatic animals, while adult dragonflies hunt flying insects above and around the water.

Water habitats also provide shelter and breeding places. Frogs lay eggs in water and tadpoles grow there before becoming adults. Dragonflies and damselflies lay eggs in or near fresh water, and their nymphs live underwater. Logs, rocks, reeds, mud, submerged plants and shaded edges can all provide places for animals to hide, bask, nest or avoid predators.

Eastern snake-necked turtles often bask on logs beside freshwater creeks and wetlands.

How do water habitats change over time?

Water habitats change with rainfall, evaporation, plant growth, shade, sediment and animal activity. A puddle may appear after heavy rain and dry out later. A creek may flow quickly after storms and then slow to shallow pools. Pond edges may become warmer, cooler, deeper, shallower, muddier or more shaded at different times.

Living things also change water habitats. Plants grow, flower, drop leaves and create shelter. Algae and microbes grow in the water. Tadpoles, insect larvae and other aquatic animals develop and move through life cycle stages. Fallen leaves, sticks and dead animals break down and return nutrients to mud, soil and water.

Water habitats can change as water levels, plant growth and wet edges shift over time.

Why are water habitats important?

Water habitats support biodiversity by providing food, shelter, drinking water and breeding places for many living things. They are especially important for animals with aquatic life stages, such as frogs, mosquitoes, dragonflies and damselflies.

Water habitats are also important parts of food webs. Aquatic plants and algae are producers. Tadpoles, snails, insects, ducks and other animals are consumers. Fungi, bacteria, worms and other decomposers help break down dead material. Healthy water habitats can support many connected living things, from tiny larvae to birds, turtles and reptiles.

Dragonflies are part of freshwater food webs and are often seen around healthy ponds and wetlands.

How can you help protect water habitats?

You can help protect water habitats by staying on tracks, keeping out of ponds and creeks, leaving rocks, logs, plants, leaf litter and mud in place, and observing animals without handling them. Take photos, make sketches or record observations instead of collecting animals, plants or water.

At school and at home, keep rubbish, chemicals, fertilisers and soil out of drains and waterways. Avoid feeding ducks bread, plant local native species near suitable ponds, keep cats contained and dogs on leads where required, and help remove litter safely with adult supervision. Clean water and healthy plant edges help protect frogs, insects, turtles, birds and many other animals.

Native plants and clean water help protect water habitats for frogs, insects and other animals.

Related fact sheets

More habitat fact sheets

• Habitat fact sheet – Learn how habitats provide food, shelter, water and breeding places for living things.
• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – Explore leaf litter that can collect beside creeks, ponds and damp ground.
• Rock and log habitats fact sheet – Discover how rocks and logs create shelter beside and within waterways.
• Ground cover habitats fact sheet – Learn about low plants that grow near damp places, creek edges and ponds.
• Tree habitats fact sheet – Explore how trees shade waterways and add leaves, bark and branches to nearby habitats.

Field of Mars Reserve and local environments

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Learn about the local bushland, creeks, wetlands and smaller habitats near Field of Mars EEC.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – Explore the forest environment where creeklines, damp ground and water habitats may occur.
• Mangrove forest fact sheet – Compare freshwater habitats with tidal water habitats near estuaries and rivers.
• Coastal salt marsh fact sheet – Learn about wetland ecosystems shaped by tides, salt water, mud and salt-tolerant plants.

Plants near water habitats

• Paper-bark tree fact sheet – Learn about trees that often grow near creeklines and wet ground.
• Swamp she-oak fact sheet – Explore a tree that can grow beside creeks, estuaries and low-lying wet places.

Animals that use water habitats

• Eastern snake-necked turtle fact sheet – Discover a freshwater turtle that lives in wetlands, creeks and ponds.
• Dusky moorhen fact sheet – Learn about a waterbird that feeds and nests around wetlands and ponds.
• Pacific black duck fact sheet – Explore a common duck often seen in ponds, creeks and wetlands.
• Striped marsh frog fact sheet – Learn about a frog that depends on freshwater habitats for breeding.
• Common eastern froglet fact sheet – Discover a small frog found near damp ground, ponds and drains.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Dragonfly fact sheet – Learn about insects that live underwater as nymphs and near water as adults.
• Damselfly fact sheet – Compare another water-linked insect with aquatic nymphs and flying adults.
• Mosquito fact sheet – Learn about insects whose larvae live in still or slow-moving water.
• Invertebrate fact sheets – Explore small animals that live in water, leaf litter, soil, bark and other habitats.

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