1. Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems

2. Land Biomes
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A biome is a particular physical environment that contains a characteristic assemblage of plants and animals.
Each biome has different plants and animals living there due to its climate

3. Climate It determines what plants and animals can live in that area
Climate is important in determining the characteristics of a biome.
Climate is the average temperature and precipitation of an area.
It determines what plants and animals can live in that area

4. Microclimate
A climate within a small area that differs significantly from the climate around it is called a microclimate.

5. Land Biomes The major biomes
Tropical rain forest
Tropical dry forest
Tropical savanna
Desert
Temperate grassland
Temperate woodland and shrubland
Temperate forest
Northwestern coniferous forest
Boreal forest
Tundra
Each is defined by a unique set of abiotic factors (climate) and a characteristic ecological community

6. What Biome do you live in?
Temperate Forest

8. Aquatic Ecosystems Are determined primarily by: Depth Flow Temperature
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Are determined primarily by:
Depth
Flow
Temperature
Chemistry of the overlying water

9. Water Chemistry
Water chemistry is the amount of dissolved chemicals in water
Examples: salts, nutrients and oxygen
The water chemistry determines what organisms can live in that area

10. Freshwater Ecosystems
There are two types:
Flowing-Water ecosystems
Standing-Water ecosystems

11. Flowing-Water Ecosystems
Any ecosystem that flows over land.
Rivers
Streams
Creeks
Brooks

12. Standing-Water Ecosystems
Ecosystem where the water is standing still
Lakes
Ponds

13. Plankton
Plankton – tiny, free floating organisms

14. phytoplankton unicellular algae Photosynthetic
base of most aquatic food webs/chains

15. Zooplankton
Eat phytoplankton

16. Estuaries Where a river meets the sea
Creates a mixture of salt and fresh water
Detritus – tiny pieces of organic waste (feces)
Food for organisms at the beginning of the food chains/web

17. Estuary

18. Marine Ecosystems
Photic zone – thin surface layer where sunlight can penetrate
Where algae and plants (producers) can grow.
Aphotic zone – permanently dark

20. Ocean zones
Biologists also divide the ocean into zones based on depth and distance from the shore

21. Intertidal Zone
Zone of the ocean where the area is covered in water for part of the day and is in open air for part of the day.

22. Intertidal life
Organisms living here must be able to survive in the extreme conditions
1 or 2 times per day covered with water, the rest of the time being exposed to air, sunlight and temperature changes
Being bombarded with waves and strong currents

23. Intertidal Communities
There are many different intertidal communities throughout the world. Why?
Climate

24. Zonation
Zonation = the prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in a particular habitat
This can be seen as actual bands of different organisms on the rocks
Causes:
Different abiotic factors
Competition

25. Zonation

26. Coastal Zone
From the low-tide mark to the outer edge of the continental shelf.

27. Abundant life Shallow water allows for a lot of photosynthesis
Very rich in plankton and many other organisms

28. Kelp Forest
One of the most productive coastal ocean communities is the kelp forest
Kelp forests are named for the giant brown alga that can grow at very fast rates
These forests are found in cold temperate seas through out the world.

29. Kelp forest

30. Coral Reefs Warm, shallow water of tropical coastal oceans
Very diverse and productive environment
Named for the coral animals whose hard calcium carbonate skeletons make up their primary structure

31. Coral reefs

32. Open Ocean
Begins at the edge of the continental shelf and extends outward.
90% of the worlds oceans are open ocean

33. Benthic Zone The ocean floor
Benthos – organisms that live on the ocean floor.