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Water Biomes

Water Biomes

• There are two different types of water biomes

1) Marine Biomes2) Freshwater Biomes

• Water biomes are characterized by the type of water (salt or fresh) and how fast the water is moving.

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Marine Biomes

• Almost 75% of the Earths surface is covered by water.

• 97% of the worlds water supply comes from Marine Biomes

• Some of the largest animals on earth inhabit them

• Marine ecosystems have salty water, which is the most impacted abioticfactor in these systems.

Marine Biomes

• Similar to land biomes, here are some abiotic factors that help shape marine biomes:

1) Temperature of the water2) Amount of sunlight3) Distance from land4) Amount of salt

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Marine Food Chains

• Producers (can make own food) in marine biomes usually are at the top of the waterwhere sunlight can reach.

• Phytoplankton- microscopic photosynthetic organisms

Here is phytoplankton starting the food chain

Marine Food Chains• Zooplankton are very small

animal-like protists which feed on phytoplankton

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Zones of the Marine Biomes

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Zones of the Ocean

Intertidal Zone

Neritic ZoneOceanic Zone

Benthic Zone

A) Intertidal Zone• Area where the ocean meets the land. • Above water when the tide is out and

under water when the tide is in.• Mud flats, rocky shores, and sandy

beaches • Sea grasses, snails, sea stars, crabs, birds, and clams are all common in the intertidal zone.

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B) Neritic Zone• Water gradually becomes deeper

toward the edge of the continental shelf.

• Less than 200 meters in depth• Receives a lot of sunlight

• Coral reefs- sea turtles, colorful fish, coral, sponges, and dolphins

C) Oceanic Zone• Past the continental shelf• To a depth about 200 meters• No light penetrates so organisms rely on

organic material that falls from the surface.

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Oceanic Zone Continued• Animals are adapted to survive in darkness

and high pressure of deep water.• Sharks, squids, whales, and fish.

D) Benthic Zone

• The sea floor.• Organisms mostly

consume material that filters from above.

• Can have ocean vents where heat escapesthrough the cracks of Earth’s crust.

Hydrothermal Vent on the bottom of ocean

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Benthic Zone Continued• Worms, sea urchins, and bacteria live

there.

Sea Urchins

Bacteria around a vent

Sea Cucumber

Coral Reefs

• Located near sunny, warm, tropical waters.

• Coral reefs are the most biologicallydiverse water biomes.

• Fluctuating temperatures and increasepollution can severely affect thehealth of coral reefs.

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What is Coral?• Coral- a rocklike structure of calcareous

(calcium) skeletons that is built up over thousands of years.

• Coral contains polyps that have small stinging cells.

• Belong to the PhylumCnidaria.

Coral Reefs Continued

• Coral live in a close relationship with single-celled algae.

• Algae produce nutrients for coral and coral give algae a place to grow.

• Coral reef is thehome to manydifferent marinespecies.

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The Future of Coral Reefs

• The two biggest challenges for coral reefs are pollution and dredging off the coast.

• Pollution causes bleaching of coral and can affect all the organisms around it.

Estuaries• The area where

freshwater from streams and riversflows into the ocean.

• The salinity (amount of salt) in the water is controlled by the tide.

• Fresh water supplies nutrients to phytoplankton which support larger consumers.

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Freshwater Biomes

Freshwater Biomes• Freshwater biomes are characterized

by the speed at which the water is moving.

• Brooks, streams, andrivers are ecosystemsbased on moving water.

• Tributary- a trickle orstream that joins alarger stream.

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Freshwater Biomes• Organisms that live in

fast moving water have special adaptations to avoid being swept away.

• Insect larvae live under rocks, and tadpoles use suction disks to hold onto rocks.

Melting Snow

Waterfall

Tributary

Lake or Ocean

Zones of Freshwater System• Ponds and Lakes

have different ecosystems than streams and rivers.

• Lake Superior is the largest lake in the world.

Litoral zoneOpen-water zone

Deep-water zone

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Zones of Freshwater

Zones of Freshwater• A) Littoral Zone- area where the water

meets the land.

-Animals include: snails, small arthropods, insects, clams, worms, frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes and various kinds of fish

-Plants include: cattails, rushes, water lilies

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Zones of Freshwater• B) Open-water zone- extends from the

littoral zone across the top of the water. Only goes as deep as light can reach

- Plants include: mostly phytoplankton- Animals include: bass, blue gill, trout, and other fish

Zones of Freshwater• C) Deep-water zone- part of the water

where no light reaches and organisms feed on dead organic material.

- Plants include: none- Animals include: catfish, carp, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans, fungi and bacteria.

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Types of Freshwater Systems

Other types of freshwater ecosystems that we will discuss are:

1. Wetlands2. Marshes3. Swamps

Wetlands• An area of land where the water level is

near or above the surface for most of the year.

• Plays an important role in flood control• Support a variety of plant and animal life

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Marshes

• A treeless wetland ecosystem where plants such as cattails and rushes grow.

• Some organisms nest near wetlands to escape large predators.

Swamps• Type of wetland

characterized by flooded trees.

• Spanish moss and vinesgrow on the trees.

• Water is very slow moving and causes lots of growth on top of the water.

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