Aquatic communities

Biomes: Aquatic

Communities

Biomes: Aquatic Communities

Freshwater Communities:

Freshwater habitats; lakes, ponds,

steams and rivers, are very limited in

area.

Lakes cover only about 1.8 percent of

the earth’s surface and rivers only .3

percent.

All freshwater habitats are strongly

interconnected to terrestrial (land)

habitats.



Many kinds of organisms are restricted to freshwater habitats; including

plants, fish, and a variety of arthropods, mollusks, and other

invertebrates too small to be seen by the naked eye.

Food web showing overlap

of aquatic and

terrestrial communities



Ponds and lakes have three zones in

which organisms live.

The littoral zone is a shallow zone near

the shore.

Here aquatic plants live along with

various predatory insects, amphibians

and small fish.



The limnetic zone refers to the area that

is farther away from shore but close to

the surface of the water.

It is inhabited by floating algae,

zooplankton, and fish.



The profundal zone is a deep water

zone that is below the limits of effective

light penetration.

Numerous bacteria and wormlike

organisms that eat debris on the lake’s

bottom live in this zone.

The breakdown of this debris releases

large amounts of nutrients back into the

lake. Not all freshwater systems are

deep enough to include a profundal

zone however.

Biomes: Wetlands

Wetlands:

Swamps as well as marshes, bogs and

other communities that are covered with

a layer of water are called wetlands.

Wetlands typically are covered with a

layer of water-tolerant plants called

hydrophytes. Marsh grasses and cattails

are examples of hydrophytes.

Wetlands are diverse environments that

support a variety of invertebrates, birds,

and other animals.

Biomes: Wetlands

Wetlands:

Wetlands are among the most

productive ecosystems on Earth,

exceeded only by coral reefs in their

diversity and concentration of species.

Wetlands also play a key ecological

role by providing water storage basins

that moderate flooding, allowing a safe

zone that can hold waters when

periods of heavy precipitation occurs.

Biomes: Wetlands

Wetlands:

Many wetlands are being disrupted by

human development as urban

communities expand.

Government efforts are now underway

to protect and conserve wetlands and

strict laws regarding building in

wetlands are now on the books.

Biomes: Marine Ocean Communities

Shallow ocean water biome:

The zone of shallow water is small in

area, but compared with other parts of

the ocean, it is inhabited by large

numbers of species.

The seashore, between high and low

tide marks, called the intertidal zone, is

home to many species of marine

invertebrates.

Coral reef biome

Intertidal zone


Shallow ocean water biome:

Coral reef communities, home to the

world’s most diverse species, occur in

shallow tropical zones.

The world’s greatest fishing areas, such

as the Georges Banks off New England,

are located in cooler waters, where

nutrients washed out from land support

huge numbers of fish of all sizes.

Coral reef biome


Surface of the open sea:

Drifting freely in the upper waters

of the ocean is a diverse

community of tiny plankton,

composed of bacteria, algae, fish

larvae, and many small

invertebrate animals.

Fishes, whales, and

invertebrates such as jellyfishes

feed on this plankton.

Larger fishes and birds, in turn,

feed on these smaller fish.

plankton

Baleen whale feeding on plankton


Surface of the open sea:

Photosynthetic plankton that

form the base of this food chain

account for 40% of all the

photosynthesis that takes place

on Earth.

Because light penetrates water

to only a depth of about 100 m

(328 ft), this rich community is

confined to the ocean’s surface.plankton

TV

plankton


Ocean depths:

In the deepest waters of the

oceans, the marine community

lives in total darkness, in deep

cold, and under tremendous

pressures.

Despite these hostile conditions;

the deep ocean supports a

diverse community of bizarre and

unique invertebrates and fishes.


Ocean depths:

This includes giant squids and

angler fish that attract prey with

projections from their heads that

emit light.

On the ocean floor, at an

average depth of more than 3 km

(1.9 miles), researchers have

found an unexpected abundance

of species, a diversity that rivals

the tropical rain forests.

Aquatic Biomes:

Assignment:

Use the internet to research and create short a short mini-report (3

paragraphs) on one of the following topics we have covered today.

Research and write about the biodiversity of life found in one of the

following:

Freshwater ponds and streams

Freshwater wetlands

Saltwater-freshwater wetlands (estuaries)

Ocean reefs

Ocean: surface of the sea

Deep ocean life (3 km and more)

DO NOT CUT, COPY OR PASTE: THIS MUST BE 3 PARAGRAPHS

MINIMIUM

Aquatic communities

Technology

Transcript of Aquatic communities