Lenitic Societies 315 



I . Lenitic* or still- water societie s . 



II. Lotic\ or rapid-water societies, living in waves or 

 currents. 



LENITIC 

 SOCIETIES 



|OKED together, less by 

 any common character 

 of their own than by 

 the lack of lotic charac- 

 teristics, we include 

 under this group name 

 those associations of 

 littoral organisms that dwell in the more quiet places 

 and show no special adaptations for withstanding the 

 wash of waves or currents. Wherever we draw the 

 line between lenitic and lotic regions, there will be 

 organisms to transgress it, for hydrographic conditions 

 intergrade. We have already seen how many organ- 

 isms transgress the boundary between limnetic and 

 littoral regions. Just as in that case we found a fairly 

 satisfactory boundary where the increasing depth of still 

 water is such as to preclude the growth of the higher 

 plants, so here the boundary between lenitic and lotic 

 regions may be placed where the movement of the 

 water is sufficient to preclude the growth of these same 

 plants. 



*Lenis = calm, placid. 

 \Lotus = washed. 



