1. Aquatic Biomes

2. The Basics
Nearly 75% of Earth’s surface is covered in water and includes streams, marshes, lakes, and oceans.
All of these are governed by biotic and abiotic factors, including light, nutrient availability, and oxygen.
Include freshwater ecosystems, estuaries, and marine ecosystems.

3. Freshwater Ecosystems
Only 3% of surface water is freshwater. 2% of this is ice. There are two main types of freshwater ecosystems.
1. Flowing H2O
2. Standing H2O

4. Flowing-Water Ecosystems
Includes: rivers, streams, creeks, and brooks
Organisms that live here are well-adapted to the rate of flow (larvae with hooks, catfish suckers, streamlined fishes, etc.)

5. Standing-Water Ecosystems
Includes: lakes and ponds
Provides habitats for plankton (tiny, free-floating organisms)
Phytoplankton (plant-like) form base of many aquatic food webs
Zooplankton (animal-like) feed on the phytoplankton

6. Plankton

7. Other Freshwater Ecosystems
Wetlands: water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year.
Water may be flowing or standing and can be fresh, salty, or brackish
Serves as a breeding ground for insects, fishes, and other aquatic animals, amphibians, and migratory birds.

8. Wetlands

9. Three Types of Wetlands
Bogs
Dominated by sphagnum moss
Form in depressions where water collects
Acidic water

10. Three Types of Wetlands
Marshes
Shallow wetlands along rivers
May be underwater for all or part of the year
Contains cattails, rushes, and other tall grass-like plants

11. Three Types of Wetlands
Swamps
Water flows slowly through these “flooded forests”
Presence of trees & shrubs distinguish a swamp from a marsh

12. Swamps

13. Estuaries Formed where rivers meet oceans
Many are shallow (photosynthesis occurs through entire depth)
The primary producers here are: plants, algae, and photosynthetic and chemosynthetic bacteria
Contain fewer species than freshwater or marine ecosystems, but contain a lot of biomass

14. Estuaries
Serve as spawning/nursery grounds for commercially important fishes, shrimps, and crabs
Many young animals feed and grow in estuaries, head out to sea to mature, then return to reproduce
Waterfowl use estuaries for nesting, feed and resting during migrations

15. Estuaries

16. Types of Estuaries Salt marshes
Temperate-zone estuaries, mostly salt-tolerant grasses
Found along eastern coast of USA from Maine to Georgia

17. Types of Estuaries Mangrove swamps
Widespread across subtropical and tropical regions like southern Florida and Hawaii
Mangrove trees (salt-tolerant) and seagrasses reside here.

18. Mangroves

19. Mangroves

20. Mangroves

21. Marine Ecosystems
Photosynthesis is limited only to the photic zone (down to a depth of about 200 meters);
Only algae and other producers grow here

22. Marine Ecosystems Below the photic zone is the aphotic zone
Permanently dark
Chemosynthetic autotrophs are the only producers in this zone

23. Marine Ecosystems
Are divided into zones based on their depth and distance from shore. These zones are:
Intertidal Zone
Coastal Ocean Zone
Open Ocean Zone
The benthic zone covers the ocean floor and is not exclusive to any of the other marine zones.

24. Draw the picture on page 109
Label: land, intertidal zone, coastal ocean, open ocean, benthic zone, photic zone, aphotic zone, and depths (in meters)

25. The Intertidal Zone Exposed to regular but extreme changes
Air
Wave action
Temperature change
Currents
Barnacles cling to rocks

26. Coastal Oceans
Extends from the low-tide mark to the outer edge of the continental shelf
Photosynthesis occurs throughout this depth
Rich in plankton and many other organisms; still in the photic zone.

27. Coastal Oceans
The most productive coastal ocean community is the kelp forest found along California and the Pacific Northwest

28. Coastal Oceans Coral reefs are found here
Among the most diverse & productive environments on Earth
Built on calcium chloride skeletons

29. Open Oceans Begin at the edge of the continental shelf
The largest zone (marine zone), covering 90% of ocean surface area

30. Open Oceans
Organisms are exposed to high pressure, extreme cold, and total darkness
Low levels of nutrients

31. Benthic Zone
Lives attached to or near bottom of the ocean. Anemones, marine worms, sea cucumbers, and clams all live here

32. Benthic Zone
Benthos do not move much. They feed on detritus that filters down from the surface
Near deep sea vents: chemosynthetic producers that derive energy from sulfur