Aquatic Ecosystems 4.5
Water depth – - Photic Zone – sunlight gets through; photosynthesis can occur here - Aphotic Zone – dark (no light); no photosynthesis
Freshwater Ecosystems 3% of Earth’s surface water 3 categories: - Rivers and Streams - Lakes and Ponds - Freshwater Wetlands (3 types) - freshwater bogs, marshes, and swamps
Estuaries = wetland where river meets the sea (fresh and salt water) Support a large amount of biomass Important area for spawning and nursery of many fish and shellfish
Marine Ecosystems = ocean Divided into zones based on depth and distance from shore
3 zones - intertidal zone (in water at high tide, in air at low tide) - coastal ocean (low tide mark to outer edge of continental shelf) - open ocean (edge of continental shelf out) (90% of world’s ocean area)