Aquatic Biomes Marine Ecosystems Cover almost 75 of
Aquatic Biomes
Marine Ecosystems • Cover almost 75% of Earth’s surface and contains 97% of Earth’s water supply; and they provide most of the water for Earth’s rainfall through the water cycle processes of evaporation and precipitation;
�Saltwater-3% concentration �Freshwater-1% concentration
• Marine Life that is most abundant in Freshwater and marine (salt water environment) is called plankton. There are 2 types.
2 types of plankton � 1. phytoplankton – microscopic sun absorbing organisms that float near the surface of the water. These organisms make their own food. �zooplankton – are consumers that feed on phytoplankton. They are small animals that form the feeding chain in oceans, seas and other bodies of water;
Areas of Saltwater Estuaries � 1. estuary - an area where freshwater from streams and rivers spills into the ocean or another large body of water; Marine environments begin at estuaries;
�Mobile Bay is an estuary which empties into the Gulf of Mexico, which deposits material into the Atlantic Ocean.
�freshwater from nearby rivers (Mobile River, Alabama River, and Tombigbee River) is deposited in Mobile Bay �Deposition – is the process where sediments water, soils and materials lay to rest.
Oceans � 1. Worlds largest source of saltwater � 2. Four major oceans and one minor ocean � 3. Marine life: nekton, plankton & benthos thrive in these area feeding off of plankton & other species of flora & fauna
Freshwater Ecosystems � Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, Springs (Aquifers) and Streams � Freshwater is less than 1% salt by Concentration
Moving Water �Most of the world’s supply of freshwater is actually frozen. 99% of the world’s freshwater is located at the two polar regions as ice or glaciers.
Moving Water �Each stream of water, of melting ice or moving water that joins a larger body of water is called a tributary; �tributary – a stream that flows into a larger stream or lake �load – the materials carried by a stream
Moving Water �Organisms that live in this moving water must adapt to being swept away by currents just as the plankton and benthos must adapt to tides in the ocean.
Moving Water � As rivers grow wider carving its own path in the Earth it slows down and meanders back & forth across the landscape;
Moving Water �erosion – is the process by which material is transported or removed; (due to moving water from rivers and streams) �meander – rivers or streams that carve their own path in the landscape �oxbow lake – rivers or streams that have broken off from its original main river source due to deposition of sediment;
Moving Water �delta – a fan-shaped place where the sediment from other rivers and small bodies of water deposit material at the mouth of a stream; Moving water ends up join other rivers or streams until it reaches a larger body of water, (Gulf, Sea, or Ocean) �watershed – area of land drained by a water system (drainage basin- Dog River Watershed)
�Abiotic Factors – all non-living things in an ecosystem – temperature, precipitation, wind, (measurable factors) �Biotic Factors – all living things in an ecosystem (flora, fauna, fungi)
�Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, Springs (Aquifers) and Streams �Freshwater is less than 1% salt by Concentration
�Most of the world’s supply of freshwater is actually frozen. 99% of the world’s freshwater is located at the two polar regions as ice or glaciers.
Still Water � 1. Is different from rivers and streams, there is no current, and � no circulation of water. There are no tides or crests;
Ponds and Lakes �Ponds & Lakes- have three basic environments � 1 st zone: Littoral Zone - the zone closest to the edge of the land �home to floating leaf plants, , and weeds that grow beneath the water; frogs, fish, snakes and turtles live in this zone.
nd 2 zone �Limnetic Zone – zone extends from the littoral zone across the top of the water; �phytoplankton are found here, along with a variety of fish species and marine life which rely on photosynthesis to live
rd 3 Zone �Profundal Zone – this is the deep water zone of a lake or pond; �no light reaches the bottom; �catfish, worms, fungi and bacteria live here that feed off of the remains of other decaying organisms that sink to the bottom
�Swamp & Marshes– Florida Everglades
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