ABSTRACT
This chapter develops the urban aquatic habitats description, with respect to their basic characteristics and functioning. Understanding the habitat characteristics that affect aquatic biological communities, as well as the functioning of the aquatic ecosystem, helps to set realistic objectives for the protection or rehabilitation of its ecological status or potential and set implications for management actions. Habitats, defining physical boundaries of aquatic ecosystems, create conditions for the development and functioning of their biotic component, aquatic life. The main aquatic habitat characteristics fall into five groups: flow regime, physical habitat structure, chemical variables (water quality), energy (food) sources and biotic interactions. The health of aquatic ecosystems can be characterized by the quality of the general balance between organisms and their environment. All major factors controlling habitat structure and performance of the biological community in urban waters are strongly affected by anthropogenic activities.
