AQUATIC LIFE ZONES: SALTWATER (MARINE) Ecosystems: Estuaries, coastlines, coral reefs, coastal marshes, mangrove swamps, continental shelf, & deep ocean AQUATIC Ecosystems: Lakes and Ponds, Streams and Rivers, and Inland wetlands TYPES OF ORGANISMS: Plankton – free floating (or weak swimmers) (phytoplankton – primary producers & zooplankton – primary consumers) Nekton – strong swimmers (fish, turtles, whales) Benthos – bottom dwellers (oysters, barnacles, crustacean, worms) Decomposers – mostly bacteria

SALINITY & TEMPERATURE DETERMINE THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE OCEANIC REALMS

Physical & Chemical Characteristics Water provides buoyancy = physical support, reduces the need for large supporting structures of trunks and legs, helps aquatic organisms move vertically Water provides consistency = keeps organism from drying out or requiring water, constant temperature range Water provides readily dissolved nutrients – b/c water is the universal solvent the nutrients are ready for uptake by primary producers Water provides constant flux – like wind terrestrially, water gives constant circulation and disperses organisms and their larvae & dilutes toxins Adaptations for Floating

Abyssal Primary Productivity Very little nutrients (marine snow) ~250, 000 named organisms No primary producers – many organisms rise to the euphotic zone at night to feed

Diversity of organisms in each layer is determined by: 1) temp 2) sunlight 3) dissolved oxygen 4) nutrients (dissolved CO 2 to from carbonate ions for shells), nitrates, phosphates Coastal zone makes up only <10% of the ocean and contains 90% of all marine organisms

Ecological and Economic Benefits  Partially enclosed area of coastal water where freshwater & silt from rivers meets the sea.  High productive area  Temperature & Salinity vary daily rhythms of the tides, seasonally with river input fluctuations, and with unpredictable storms  Serves as a breeding ground form any organisms (waterfowl, marine organisms)  Acts as a buffer to inland areas during storms  Filtrates sediments, excess nutrients and pollutants ESTUARIES/Salt Marsh BAYS, SOUNDS, & INLETS Chesapeake Bay

Lie along the coast line in estuaries and intertidal communities of the tropics and subtropics. Adaptations to live in anoxic / nutrient poor soil; marine water conditions; & limited supply of freshwater  Leaves secrete excess salts  Pneumatophores –”roots” for uptake of gases Mangroves provide habitat form many organisms & reduce long term beach erosion Act as a filtering system – especially for heavy metals that settle into the anoxic soil below

Chesapeake Bay: – THE DEAD ZONE The Chesapeake watershed incorporates six states (DE, MD, NY, VA, PA, & W. VA) Important waterfowl nesting site: herring gulls, osprey, bald eagle Oyster beds, Blue Crab support large economic industries ProtectWHAT??

Contaminants like sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen, toxic metals, herbicides and pesticides, organic material, oil, and bacteria. Roadways release oil and grease, tailpipe emissions. Lawns contribute fertilizer and animal waste. Construction sites release quantities of mud. STORMWATERSTORMWATER DEAD ZONE : Anoxic Conditions Sewage AGRICULTUR E EUTROPHICATION: increased nutrients = increased algal mats = increased bacteria growth = decrease in available oxygen

DUNE SYSTEMS Vegetation is crucial for the success of the dune system Construction & Development should ideally be behind the secondary dune system Economically dunes are important in the reduction of storm surge damage to coastal development

Barrier Island Systems Helps protect main land development. Also protects coastal dunes & estuary systems.

CORAL REEF DYNAMICS Most biologically diverse aquatic system (niche availability) Three categories of organisms 1) sessile – attached organisms 2) borrowing organisms 3) fishes Live between 18°C to 30°C (even one degree above that can trigger bleaching) Coral Reefs exist in low nutrient waters (oligotrophic) and therefore rely on an endosymbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) to provide nutrients Photomicrograph of algae clusters in coral polyp

Over harvesting certain organisms can cause coral death – CROWN OF THORNS CASE STUDY Removal of certain species, especially the Triton, allows Crown of Thorns starfish population to increase. COT’s are natural predators of corals and can deplete the reef if populations are too high.

LENTIC ZONES (standing bodies of water) LAKES, PONDS, & INLAND WETLANDS High biodiversity – phytoplankton, plants (duckweed) floating, submergent, emergent, insects, amphibians, fish Main photosynthetic zone Little to no photosynthesis, cooler water, lower dissolved O 2 Very little oxygen; no photosynthesis; clams, fish, insect larvae, decomposers Littoral Zone Limnetic Zone Profundal Zone Benthic Zone

NUTRIENT LEVEL IMPACTS OVER TIME

In winter the cold temps cause the lake to separate in to different layers (density) Wind blowing cause vertical currents bringing up nutrients and dissolved oxygen Warming temps cause the thermocline to return Surface water cools/ sinks – thermocline disappears-dissolved oxygen & nutrients rises Thermocline- water temp changes rapidly with depth SEASONAL CHANGES OF TEMPERATE LAKES

INLAND WETLANDS Swamps Marshes BOGS

LOTIC ZONES (moving water) – rivers, streams, creeks Surface water (precipitation) flows through the drainage basin or watershed as runoff into streams & tributaries to rivers and carries with it nutrients & dissolved oxygen.