PTT 22SEP2014 How did you do science this weekend? What did you do outside? Any questions on your aquatic ecology project?

AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

Abiotic + Biotic = Ecology Terrestrial Aquatic

What are the ABIOTIC needs of aquatic organisms? Sunlight Nutrients- food & minerals

Types of Aquatic Ecosystems Freshwater Ecosystems Lakes & ponds Rivers & streams Transitional Communities Estuaries Wetlands- bogs/fens, swamps, marshes Marine Ecosystems Shorelines Coral Reefs Open Ocean

Freshwater Ecosystems Usually 0.005% salt Some exceptions: Great Salt Lakes- 5-27% salt Dead Sea- 30% salt Moving water- high elevations; cold; high O2; trout; streamlined plants

Freshwater Ecosystems Standing water- lower elevations; warmer; less O2; bass, amphibians; cattails, rushes Why would there be less oxygen in standing water?

Plankton = Producer Plankton is a general term for the tiny, free-floating organisms that live in both freshwater and saltwater environments. Unicellular algae, or phytoplankton, are supported by nutrients in the water and form the base of many aquatic food webs. Planktonic animals, or zooplankton, feed on the phytoplankton.

Fish are suited for their habitat

Adaptation

Over time the fish adapted to their habitat Adaptations can be: Camouflage Body Shape Mouth Type Behavior

Camouflage

Body Shape Different Shapes for different functions

Mouth Type Different shapes for different functions

Behavior Migrations Egg laying

Sucker fish Bottom feeders

Big River fish Lay eggs in shallow water

Colorado Cutthroat Migrate Seasonally to lay eggs Speckled coloration Torpedo shape Relatively flat on the bottom

Create a fish for a river or a lake Name your fish Describe your fish’s adaptations (WHY is it so awesome? Color and creativity is encouraged DUE WEDNESDAY!

PTT 23SEP2014 What are the Abiotic things that all aquatic organisms need? (there are 4) How do fish prey avoid their predator? Or What is an adaptation to avoid predators?

What are the basic needs of aquatic organisms? Sunlight Nutrients- food & minerals

Adaptations How fish meet their needs with the greatest efficiency How fish is best suited for its role in the ecosystem

What are the basic needs of aquatic organisms? Sunlight Nutrients- food & minerals

Over time the fish adapted to their habitat Adaptations can be: Camouflage Body Shape Mouth Type Behavior

Different Shapes for different functions

Different shapes for different functions

Migrations Egg laying Hiding

Adaptation I.D. In your Science Notebook: Using the pictures in front of you: Identify the adaptation that the fish is demonstrating Example: Catfish have a body shape that allows them to swim on the bottom of a river. The adaptation is body shape. You may work on your fish drawing if you are done

PTT 24SEP2014 What series of water cycle processes would bring you from a lake to a glacier? Name 3 of the places water is stored in the water cycle (hint: there are 8).

Abiotic + Biotic = Ecology Terrestrial Aquatic

Abiotic + Biotic = Ecology Sunlight Nutrients- (food & minerals) Terrestrial Aquatic

Changes in these will influence Aquatic organisms Sunlight Nutrients- food & minerals Changes in these will influence Aquatic organisms

River Talk Use your peers, the vocabulary sheet, and your knowledge to fill-in the “Analogies of a Watershed” Fill-in the watershed diagram as well. You will have 24 minutes to complete this task

Tour de Fish Travel through the gallery of fish. Whose do you think we should hang on the wall?

PTT 25SEP2014 Through what water cycle process will a water molecule travel from a lake to an animal? (the more steps, the better) What are the 4 things that aquatic and terrestrial organisms need?

How are these similar?

Also called a basin, drainage or catchment. An area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries to a common outlet, which can be a closed basin, larger stream, or the ocean.

Watershed from space

Water always flows downhill! OR from high to low High Low

Page 1 US watersheds

Page 2 Color the Main Stem in all three pictures Color all primary tributaries Color the secondary tributaries

Page 3 Outline the watershed by putting dots near the end of each trubutairy Connect the dots

Page 4 Color the red, blue, green, and orange river their respective colors. Draw the watershed for each river

There are several reasons why macroinvertebrates are used as water quality indicators: They are sensitive to changes in the ecosystem. Many live in an aquatic ecosystem for over a year. They cannot easily escape changes in the water quality. They can be collected very easily from most aquatic systems with inexpensive or homemade equipment

Transitional Communities Delta ESTUARIES Where freshwater dumps into ocean Brackish water (less salty than seawater) Has rich sediments that often form deltas

Transitional Communities Delta Productive & biodiverse Organisms adapted to varying levels of salinity as tide ebbs & flows “Nursery” for larval forms of many aquatic species of commercial fish & shellfish

Transitional Communities WETLANDS Land saturated at least part of the year Swamps- have trees like bald cypress; high productivity Marshes- no trees; tall grasses; high productivity Bogs/Fens- may or may not have trees; waterlogged soil with lots of peat; low productivity Fens- fed by groundwater & surface runoff Bogs- fed by precipitation Swamp Marsh Bogs: The bottom layer of a bog consists of peat. Peat is an organically rich material that forms when plants die, fall into the water, and are compressed over time, forming a thick layer. This layer of peat can be up to forty feet deep. Bogs are sometimes called "peatlands.” Why doesn't that plant material just decompose into a normal layer of soil? The acidic nature of existing peat, cold temperatures, and low oxygen levels resulting from poor water circulation prevent bacteria and other decomposers from settling and feeding on the plant material. So, the rate of decomposition in a bog is very slow Bogs: acidic, low nutrients Fens are similar to bogs since both have moist, sponge-like ground. Fens, however, have a higher pH and more nutrients. These wetlands form in poorly drained areas Bog Fen

Importance of Wetlands Highly productive- get lots of sunlight, ↑ plants = ↑ animals Nesting, breeding ground for migratory birds Slows flooding by absorbing runoff Silt settles, making water clearer & nutrient rich http://internationalschoolhouse.org/magazine/artificial.htm Eutrophication means nutrient enrichment which all water bodies undergo during their lives. Eutrophication results in lowering of water quality for domestic and recreational uses, following discharge of wastes containing some nutrient salts into water bodies. The problems do not come from the nutrients themselves but from the changes induced in the aquatic productivity. The most important nutrients that cause eutrophication are nitrates and phosphates from fertilizers.

Importance of Wetlands Trap & filter water, Bacteria in soil break down contaminants = “Nature’s Septic Tank” Natural chemical rxns neutralize and detoxify pollutants Gives H2O time to percolate (filter thru soil) & replenish underground aquifers Threats- artificial eutrophication (see slide 13), draining, sedimentation via construction http://internationalschoolhouse.org/magazine/artificial.htm Eutrophication means nutrient enrichment which all water bodies undergo during their lives. Eutrophication results in lowering of water quality for domestic and recreational uses, following discharge of wastes containing some nutrient salts into water bodies. The problems do not come from the nutrients themselves but from the changes induced in the aquatic productivity. The most important nutrients that cause eutrophication are nitrates and phosphates from fertilizers.

What are the basic needs of aquatic organisms? Sunlight Nutrients- food & minerals

PTT 24SEP2014

Marine Ecosystems Benthic zone - lowest level. Organisms living in this zone are called benthos. Photic Zone – well-lit upper layer of the oceans. Aphotic Zone - permanently dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone

MARINE ECOSYSTEMS CORAL REEFS Clear, warm shallow seas Made up of accumulated calcareous (made of calcium) skeletons of coral animals Formation of reefs depends on light penetration. Corals have a symbiotic relationship with algae (which are photosynthetic) . Very diverse, abundant (Rainforests of Sea) Threats- destructive fishing (cyanide & dynamite to stun fish), pet trade; about 75% of coral reefs have been destroyed nside the sac of each coral polyp lives a one-celled algae The algae gives off oxygen and other nutrients that the coral polyp needs to live and in return the polyp gives the algae carbon dioxide and other substances the algae needs. That is why coral reefs grow so near the surface of the water where it is the sunniest--the algae need sunshine for photosynthesis

What factors can alter aquatic ecosystems? Natural Succession- normal cycle of pond becoming forest Artificial Succession- humans add Nitrogen & Phosphate to water via fertilizer & sewage causing succession to happen faster = EUTROPHICATION

What factors can alter aquatic ecosystems? Humans! Find food Recreation Waste disposal Cooling of power plants Transportation Dams, canals