Given the prominence of feeding activity, and the sheer volume of supplemental food dispensed into the environment, it is worthy to examine the impacts of feeding on nature and to improve one’s understanding of the proper care and responsibilities that come with feeding wild birds.

Aquatic biodiversity is the rich and wonderful variety of plants and animals—from crayfish to catfish, from mussels to mayflies, from tadpoles to trout—that live in watery habitats. It is the number of different native species, or species richness.

Biodiversity is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history. Aquatic fauna in the United States are especially threatened; freshwater species are disappearing at a rate two to five times faster than native land animals. Causes of this decline include habitat loss and fragmentation, channelization of streams, dams, aquatic invasive species, pollution, and warming water temperatures. Humans actions to reduce the loss of aquatic biodiversity include preventing further habitat loss, restoring degraded habitats, stopping the introduction and spread of invasive species, and reducing pollutants and erosion.

Natural aquatic habitats include ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, springs, estuaries, bays, and various types of wetlands. Some of these habitats are shallow and others deep, some are cold-water and others warm-water, some are freshwater and others saltwater, and some have high oxygen levels and others little oxygen.

Nearly 300 species of mussels inhabit freshwater rivers, streams, and lakes in the United States. This is the richest diversity of mussels found in the world and an extraordinary natural heritage that needs protection. Because of the lustrous, pearl-like interior of the shells, some of these pearly mussels have important commercial value in the cultured pearl and jewelry industry.

Of the approximately 500 crayfishes (some times called crawdads or crawfish) found on earth, about 400 crayfish species live in waters in North America, and about 353, nearly 70 percent of the world’s total species, inhabit waters in the United States.

Nearly 800 native fish species in 36 families inhabit the freshwater rivers, streams, and lakes of the United States and Canada. North America has the most diverse temperate freshwater fish fauna in the world.

This is the largest and most ecologically diverse family of freshwater fishes in the world. Minnows are exclusively freshwater, although some species stray into brackish, tidal waters. Over 290 species of minnows occur in North America.

Frogs can be found in all landscapes, from deep under the water to high in trees. There are more than 100 species of frogs in the United States, and many of these are of conservation concern. This publication describes frog biology, diversity, and conservation issues.

Of the more than 700 species of salamanders found worldwide, more than 200 live in North America, and over 40 percent of these are considered to be at risk. Although these secretive creatures are unknown to many people, they are important parts of our natural world and in serious need of our protection. This publication describes salamander biology and conservation concerns.

Turtles are freshwater, marine, and terrestrial vertebrates with a shell. There are about 300 living species worldwide in 12 families and about 89 genera. Of these, eight species are marine, 49 are land, and about 250 are freshwater to semiaquatic.

Six hundred fifty different species of snails are widely distributed across the streams, rivers, and lakes of North America. There are unique species associated with every type of aquatic habitat from the Canadian Arctic to the Everglades of Florida.

In North America, there are more than 8,600 species of insects associated with freshwater environments during some part of their lives. Just about anywhere you go on the planet, there is some kind of insect that will live in almost any place that stays wet for a week or so. Aquatic insects are important food for fish and waterfowl. They also play important roles in keeping freshwater ecosystems functioning properly. This article describes the biology and ecology of aquatic insects, the major groups of aquatic insects found in freshwater habitats, and how to observe them.