Biomes Chaparral Desert Savanna Taiga Temperate Deciduous Forests

Biomes • • Chaparral Desert Savanna Taiga Temperate Deciduous Forests Temperate Grassland Tropical Rain Forest Tundra

epiphytes

succulents

Biotic factors

Abiotic factors

wetland • Areas where land is periodically underwater.

plankton • Organisms that cannot swim against currents, they are drifters. The majority are microscopic.

Nekton • Free swimming organisms, such as fish, turtles, and whales.

Benthos • Bottom dwelling organisms, such as mussels, worms, and barnacles. • (Many live attached to hard surfaces)

Littoral zone • Nutrient rich zone near the surface of a lake or pond

Benthic Zone • The bottom of the pond or lake, which is inhabited by decomposers, insect larvae, and clams.

Eutrophication • An increase in the amount of nutrients in an aquatic ecosystem.

Factor 1 – Salinity (salinity- the amount of dissolved salts in the water) Fresh Water Ecosystem Marine Ecosystem

Factor 2 - Sunlight • Sunlight only reaches a certain distance below surface, so it effects the location of where photosynthetic organisms can live

Factors 3 : Oxygen • Non photosynthetic organisms need oxygen to survive, so the amount of oxygen in an ecosystem determines how much life can be supported there.

Factor 4: Nutrients • All organisms need nutrients to survive, but too much can be cause eutrophication

Factor 5: Temperature • Temperature controls the solubility of oxygen. As temperature increases, oxygen is less soluble. • Also influence the biological activity of aquatic organisms

Grouping of aquatic organisms • Plankton Nekton Benthos

Ecosystems: Lakes and Ponds How they form: Naturally, where groundwater reaches Earth’s surface Unnaturally – damming or rivers by humans or beavers

Life in a lake Life in the littoral zone Life in the benthic zone

Littoral zone Benthic Zone • Rooted Plants, such as cattails • Bacteria • Decomposers • Fish adapted to cooler water • Insect larvae • clams • Further from shore – no rooted plants, instead there are phytoplankton • Fish • Insects • amphibians

Eutrophication • Eutrophic lake – a lake that has a large amount of algae and plant growth

Eutrophication

Fresh Water Wetlands Marshes Swamps -Contain non woody plants (cattails) • Dominated by woody plants (trees and shrubs) -Tend to have low, flat lands and little water movement -Benthic zones are nutrient rich and contain plants, decomposers, and scavengers -Occur on flat, poorly drained land often near streams Species of trees depends on salinity -Wide variety of water birds (ducks, herons, etc) Birds such as wood ducks -Migratory birds Ideal habitat for amphibians (frogs, salamanders, etc) -Salinity varies(some slightly saline, some as salty as the ocean) Reptiles (ex. Alligator)

Marsh or Swamp?

Marsh or Swamp?

Marsh or Swamp?

Marsh or Swamp?

Environmental Functions of wetlands • Absorb and remove pollutants from water that flow through them • Control flooding by absorbing extra water when rivers overflow • Provide spawning grounds and habitat to fish and shellfish we consume • Provide habitat for native and migratory wildlife (many which are rare, threatened, and endangered)

Rivers • Many originate from snow melt in mountains. At it’s headwaters river is cold and full of oxygen -As it flows down mountain it becomes warmer, wider, and slower, containing more vegetation and less oxygen As it flows nutrients are added to river from sediment and runoff

Life in a river At headwaters Downstream • – mosses anchor to rocks • Trout and minnows adapted to cold, oxygen-rich water • Plants set roots in river’s rich sediment • Fish such as catfish and carp