Aquatic%20Ecosystems

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Aquatic Ecosystems
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• What are the 2 deciding factors that affect land
  biomes?
• Would this be the same for aquatic biomes?
• Salinity
• Nutrients

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Freshwater Ecosystems

• Rivers
• Streams
• Lakes
• Ponds
• Marshes
• Swamps
• Wetlands

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Flowing Water Rivers and Streams

• Along the river, different populations of
  organisms are found due to shading, depth,
  temperature, current and energy sources.

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Watersheds

• describes an area of land that contains a common
  set of streams and rivers
• drains into a single larger body of water, such
  as a larger river, a lake or an ocean

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Human Impacts

• Dams- change the populations at the site of the
  dam as well as downstream from the dam.
• Water Pollution- affects downstream populations
• Urbanization

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Standing Water Lakes and Ponds

• Three Zones
• Littoral Zone- shallow water area, most
  productive
• Limnetic Zone- Open water beyond literal zone,
  less vegetation, includes larger fish
• Profundal Zone-bottom, deepest part of the lake.

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Thermal Stratification

• Dependent on sunlight penetration
• Turnovers mix nutrients

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Wetlands, Marshes, Swamps

• Wetlands saturated for at least part of a year
  and have high organic matter, HIGHEST SPECIES
  DIVERSITY, HIGHEST PRODUCTIVITY OF ALL ECOSYSTEMS
• Swamps and Marshes permanently saturated,
  includes grasslike plants
• Provide invaluable ecosystem services replenish
  water supply, clean and filter water, stores
  floodwater, and provide food and shelter

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Estuaries A salt and freshwater mix

• Shifting water level
• Changes in salinity
• Organisms uniquely adapted
• Very fertile, high productivity
• Constant influx of nutrients
• Tidal action circulates nutrients
• High level of light pentration
• Large plant mass traps detritus, which fish feed
  upon

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Mangrove forests and salt marshes

• Often seen as worthless, but they provide
  valuable services
• Salt marshes Habitat, traps pollution and
  sediment, groundwater supply, buffers storms
• Mangrove forests breeding ground for fish and
  crabs, nesting sites for birds, stabilize soils,
  storm protection

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Chesapeake Bay

• Largest, richest estuary in US
• Provides oysters, crabs, fish
• Home to more than 17 million people
• Suffers from pollution from agriculture,
  automobiles, homes, industry
• Massive campaign to reduce pollution

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Marine Ecosystems Ocean

• Intertidal Zones
• Biologically productive
• occur on coast
• Stressful conditions

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Marine Ecosystems Oceans

• Benthic Environment
• Ocean Floor
• Mostly sediments
• Borrowing organisms worms, clams
• Lots of bacteria
• Abyssal benthic zone and the hadal benthic zone
  include life without sun

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Oceans
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Impact of Human Activities on the Oceans

• Development destroys coastal ecosystems
• Pollution from rivers, dumping, spills,
  atmospheric pollution
• Agricultural runoff
• Increased fishing technologies

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Coral Reefs
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Coral Reefs The Underwater Tropical Rain Forest

• Found in warm, shallow sea waters
• Some consist of red coralline algae
• Some consist of colonies of tiny coral animals
  and their symbiotic zooxanthellae
• Grow slowly, new polyp colonies attach and grow
  on old coral.
• 3 types fringing reefs, atolls, barrier reefs

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Coral Reefs

• Fringing Reef
• Submerged platforms of living coral extending
  from the shore into the sea
• Barrier Reef
• Follow the shore but are separated from it by
  water
• Great Barrier Reef is worlds largest
• Atoll Ring-shaped islands of coral in open sea
• Form on submerged mud banks or volcano craters
• Surround a seawater lagoon
• Channels connect lagoon to the sea

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Coral Reefs of the World
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The Great Barrier Reef

• 1500 species of fish
• 400 different types of coral
• 4,000 mollusks
• 500 species of seaweed
• 215 species of birds
• 16 species of sea snake
• 6 species of sea turtle
• Whales visit during winter

• Worlds largest coral reef
• Over 1257 mileslong
• Off the northeast coast of Australia
• Only grows about one inch per year

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Human Impacts on Coral Reefs

• 30-50 of coral species rare or endangered in the
  tropical western Atlantic
• Deforestation? erosion? increased silt ? upsets
  balance and inhibits new growth
• Diverting fresh water ? increased salinity
• Pollution, building, overpopulation
• Dredging

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The Everglades
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The Everglades

• Haven for wildlife
• Sawgrass wetland ecosystem
• Designated national park, International Biosphere
  Reserve, World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of
  International Importance
• Affects the Florida Bay and Keys
• Local economies rely on fisheries and tourism

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The Everglades

• Human Influence
• Agricultural pollutants- nitrogen and phosphorus-
  change plant community
• Hoover Dike prevented water from lake Okeechobee
  to drain into the everglades
• Canals, levees, pump stations divert water to the
  Ocean
• Urbanization- pollutants and habitat fragmentation

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The Everglades

• Farmers clean runoff to reduce phosphorus and
  nitrogen
• Some agricultural land bought and restored to
  wetlands
• Re-engineer canals, levees, pumps
• Drill into the aquifer and pump excess water into
  it in the rainy season