Aquatic Biomes Environmental Science Instructor: E. Ennis

Water on the Earth  75% - 78% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water

What factors influence the kind of life an aquatic biome contains?  Salinity  Depth  Speed of water flow

How much freshwater?  Of all the water available on Earth…  Only 3% is freshwater  Of the 3% freshwater, 2% is tied up in glaciers and icebergs…  Only leaving less than 1% available to humans.

Types of Life in An Aquatic Biome

Major types of aquatic biomes  Salt Water Estuaries** Estuaries** Coastlines Coastlines Coral Reefs Coral Reefs Coastal Marshes** Coastal Marshes** Mangrove Swamps** Mangrove Swamps** Oceans Oceans ** May be brackish  Fresh Water Streams Rivers Lakes Ponds Wetlands (inland)

Limnology The study of fresh water and its ecosystems The study of freshwater ecosystems can be divided into 2 systems 1. Lentic – standing water (little or no current) (little or no current) 2. Lotic – flowing water

Examples of Lentic Systems  Standing water Lakes Lakes Ponds Ponds Wetlands Wetlands MarshesMarshes SwampsSwamps bogsbogs

Life Found in Aquatic Systems

Phytoplankton  “Plant Plankton”  Free Floating  Microscopic  Cynobacteria or algae  Producers  Contain cholorphyll - photosynthetic  Support most aquatic food chains and food webs

Plants in the ocean produce over half the world's oxygen. The most important plants in the ocean are too small to be seen without a microscope. They float near the surface and drift with the currents, so they have been named phytoplankton (phyto=plant, plankton=drifter). Phytoplankton are the 'grass' of the sea. Where they grow there is food for marine animals. Ocean color tells you how much phytoplankton there is in the water. Did you know????

How do plankton stay afloat? Spines – increase Surface area Empty cavities Increase buoyancy Chains or linking increases Surface area Flagella allow weak Swimming or movement

Zooplankton  “Animal Plankton”  Non-photosynthetic  Consumers (herbivores) Feed on phytoplankton Feed on phytoplankton  Single Celled Protozoa to larger invertebrates such as jellyfish  Many zooplankton are larval stages of familiar animals

Larval Stages Adult Stages

Strong Swimmers Consumers Fish, turtles, Whales Nekton

Benthos  Bottom Dwellers Anchor to one spot: barnacles, oysters Anchor to one spot: barnacles, oysters Burrow in mud or sand: worms Burrow in mud or sand: worms Walk on bottom: Lobsters, crabs Walk on bottom: Lobsters, crabs  Habitats: Intertidal zones, rocky shores, tide pools Intertidal zones, rocky shores, tide pools Muddy Sandy communities Muddy Sandy communities Deep ocean/ coral reefs Deep ocean/ coral reefs Hydrothermal vent areas Hydrothermal vent areas archaebacteriaarchaebacteria

Decomposers  Break down organic compounds into simple nutrients that can be used by producers  Break down dead bodies and waste

Characteristics of an Aquatic Biome

 Have less pronounced and fixed physical boundaries Makes it difficult to count and manage populations Makes it difficult to count and manage populations due to the size of the ocean and many organisms are largely hidden from view due to the size of the ocean and many organisms are largely hidden from view

Characteristics of an Aquatic Biome  Have more complex and longer food chains and food webs

Physical support from water buoyancy Organisms take advantage of water's buoyancy to transport themselves to nearby or distant habitats with little energy expenditure

 A fish will float on top of the water if it weighs less than the amount of water it displaces (pushes away).  Most fish weigh more than the water they displace and would sink to the ocean floor. But, most fish do not spend their lives on the ocean floor. 

 They can do this because of an organ called a swim-bladder ( a built-in gas filled chamber) that helps the fish get off the ground and up in the water.  Some fast-moving fish and sharks do not have a swim bladder and therefore must keep moving or they will sink.

Fairly constant temperature

Nourishment from dissolved nutrients

Areas of pronounced upwelling -Deep oceanic currents colliding with sharp coastal shelves -Temperature differences / changes -Surface Winds

Water Availability  Oceans cover 139,400,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface  The average depth of the oceans is 12,238 feet

Ocean Area (square miles) Average Depth (ft)Deepest depth (ft) Pacific Ocean64,186,00015,215 Mariana Trench, 36,200 ft deep Atlantic Ocean33,420,00012,881 Puerto Rico Trench, 28,231 ft deep Indian Ocean28,350,00013,002 Java Trench, 25,344 ft deep Southern Ocean 7,848,300 sq. miles ( million sq km ) 13, ,400 ft deep (4,000 to 5,000 meters) the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench, 23,736 ft (7,235 m) deep Arctic Ocean5,106,0003,953 Eurasia Basin, 17,881 ft deep

Easy dispersement of organisms, larvae and eggs Water propulsion

Hydrofoils - use of flippers Up/Down movement of pectoral fins

 A big difference between fish and dolphins is that a fish's tail moves from side to side and a dolphin's moves up and down.

The more slender the body shape, the faster the movement

Advantages  Less exposure to harmful radiation  Dilution and dispersion of pollutants

Disadvantages  Can tolerate a narrow range of temperatures  Exposure to dissolved pollutants  Fluctuating populations size for many species  Dispersion separates many aquatic offspring from parents

Salt Water Life Zones

How Oceans were Formed  Un-level Lithosphere  Rain (static electricity)  Erosion, Mass wasting  Salts from Rock formations

Why are oceans important?  Covers 71-75% of earth’s surface  Make up 99.5% of earth’s habitable volume  Contain 250,000 known species of plant and animals  Provide important and ecological and economic services

Major ecological and economic services provided by marine systems

Ecological Services

 Climate moderation  Carbon dioxide absorption  Nutrient cycling  Reduced storm impact (mangrove swamps, estuaries, barrier islands)  Habitats and nurseries for species (shrimp, crab, oysters, clams, fish)  Genetic resources and biodiversity

Mangrove Swamps (Forest)  Mangrove swamps are found along tropical seacoasts on both sides of the equator

Estuaries

Barrier Islands

Economic Services

Food

Pharmaceuticals Algae: Astaxanthin is a powerful natural antioxidant / dietary supplement

Transportation  Ocean transport is the backbone of internal trade

Coastal Habitats and Employment for Humans

Recreation

Offshore Oil and Natural Gas / Minerals

Coastal Zones

What is a coastal zone?  The coastal zone is the warm, nutrient rich, shallow water from high tide area on land to the edge of the continental shelf. Contains 90% of all marine species Contains 90% of all marine species Site of most commercial fisheries Site of most commercial fisheries  Ample supply of sunlight and nutrients

Estuaries / Coastal Wetlands  Part of coastal zone  Brackish (mixture of salt and freshwater) Usually due to the movement of the tides Usually due to the movement of the tides Salinity and temperature vary due to Salinity and temperature vary due to Daily tidesDaily tides Seasonal variations and its affect of water flowSeasonal variations and its affect of water flow Unpredictable flows of water from flooding or stormsUnpredictable flows of water from flooding or storms  Constant movement of nutrients due to flow of water

Estuaries / Coastal Wetlands  Covered with water all or part of the year River mouths (delta’s) River mouths (delta’s) Inlets Inlets Bays Bays Sounds Sounds Mangrove forest swamps Mangrove forest swamps Salt marshes Salt marshes

Major life zones in an ocean

Continental Rise

Oceans