Aquatic Ecosystems

We are tied to the ocean.

And when we go back to
‘’ the sea, whether it is to
sail or to watch - we are
going back from whence
we came.”
- John F. Kennedy
Outline of the Lesson

▣ Characteristics of aquatic ecosystem

▣ Types of aquatic organisms
▣ Freshwater ecosystems
▣ Marine ecosystems
▣ Ecosystem services of wetlands
▣ Marine aquatic zones
Aquatic Ecosystems

▣ Aquatic ecosystems, like

those on land, have a
series of abiotic factors
that influence what
organisms can survive
there.
▣ Salinity is the amount of
dissolved salt in the
water.
□ Salt is formed when rainwater
dissolves rocks, releasing
minerals into the water.
Aquatic Ecosystems

▣ Water temperature, which is mostly influenced by sunlight.

Aquatic Ecosystems

▣ Availability of sunlight,
which decreases with
water depth.

Bering Sea, 1300

ft. below the
surface.
Oceandoctor.org
Aquatic Ecosystems

Oxygen gas, which

is dissolved in areas
of turbulent water
(waves and rapids).

Whirlpool Rapids Gorge, Niagara River, NY

Aquatic Ecosystems

Plant nutrients
such as nitrates
and phosphates,
which runoff
from land.

Algae Blooms, Boracay Philippines

Aquatic Ecosystems

Turbidity, or the
cloudiness of the
water, is caused by soil
eroded from land.

Agusan River, Butuan City, Philippines

Types of Aquatic
Organisms

▣ Plankton are free-floating or

weakly swimming.
□ Phytoplankton are plant-like
and include algae.
□ Zooplankton are animal-like,
including organisms like
single-celled protozoa or
jellyfish.
▣ Nekton are strong
swimmers and consumers.
□ Fish, whales, sea turtles, etc.
Types of Aquatic
Organisms

▣ Benthos are bottom-

dwellers that either anchor
themselves to bottom
structures or walk along the
sea floor.
□ Sea stars, lobsters, mussels, etc.

▣ Decomposers break down

dead organisms and wastes
into nutrients that can be re-
used.
□ Bacteria.
Lakes and Ponds

▣ Lakes and ponds

contain standing
water, some of which
is too deep for
emergent vegetation.
□ Emergent vegetation
includes plants that are
rooted to the bottom and
emerge above the water’s
surface.
▣ Lakes are larger than
ponds, but there is no
strict defined
boundary.
Zonation of Lake

▣ The littoral zone is

near the shore and
contains shallow,
sunlit waters.
□ Emergent plants are
found in this zone.
Zonation of Lake

▣ The limnetic zone is a

photic open water
area where rooted
plants cannot survive.
□ Floating phytoplankton
are the only
photosynthetic
organisms found here.
□ This zone extends only
as deep as sunlight can
penetrate.
Zonation of Lake

▣ The profundal zone,

directly below the
limnetic zone, is
aphotic, meaning is
receives no sunlight.
▣ The benthic zone is
the bottom of the
lake or pond.
Zonation of Lake

▣ Profundal and
benthic zones have
no producers.
□ Food webs are based
around decomposers
that feed from detritus
(dead matter and
waste) that falls down
from above.
□ Oxygen levels are low,
limiting the size of any
nekton.
Lake Classification

▣ Ecologists will classify

lakes based on their
nutrient levels and
biological
productivity.
▣ Oligotrophic lakes
are very low in
nutrients, limiting
plankton populations
and leaving the water
very clear.
Lake Danao. Ormoc City, Philippines
Lake Classification

Eutrophic lakes have

much greater
concentrations of
nutrients, resulting in
heavy growth of
phytoplankton.

Lake Sebu, South Cotabato Philippines.

Rivers and Streams

▣ Streams are narrow

channels that carry small
amounts of water.
▣ Rivers are wider and carry
more water.
□ Form when streams combine
with runoff water from the
surrounding land.

Maria Cristina Falls, Iligan City, Philippines

Rivers and Streams

Rivers are
divided into
zones, each
with different
characteristics.
Rivers and Streams

▣ The source is the

original point from
which a river flows – a
spring, lake, glacier, or
wetland.
▣ Characteristics of
sources include:
□ High oxygen content
□ Low nutrient levels
□ Cold water temperature
Source of the River Lison, Nans-sous-
Sainte-Anne, France
Rivers and Streams

▣ As the water moves through the transition zone, the streams

widen, become deeper, and are warmed by the sun.
□ Oxygen levels decrease, temperature increases, and nutrient levels rise.
▣ Low-lying areas, called the floodplains, will occasionally flood and
deposit material from upstream.
Rivers and Streams

▣ The river eventually

ends at a larger body
of water. This is
called the river
mouth.
□ Freshwater mixes with
saltwater, forming
brackish water.

Moore River meets the Pacific Ocean, Australia

Freshwater Inland Wetlands

▣ Freshwater wetlands have

water that is regularly at or
near the soil surface.
▣ Marshes are areas of low-
lying wetland that do not
support the growth of
trees.
▣ Swamps are wetlands that
do support trees and
dense shrubs.
▣ Bogs have a floating mass
of plant matter and a
covering of sphagnum
moss.
Freshwater Inland Wetlands

▣ The mosses found in

bogs secrete an acid that
lowers the pH of the
water, slowing down
decomposition
significantly.
□ Scientists have discovered
“bog bodies,” remains of
people preserved by the
acids and other compounds
released by the mosses in
Tollund Man, a body discovered in 1950 of a
bogs. man who died between 4-300 B.C.E.
Marine Ecosystems

▣ Marine ecosystems are in or

near the oceans, and
contain salty water.
▣ Sunlight and nutrients are
the two factors that most
limit life in marine
ecosystems.
□ The coasts tend to have the
most biologically diverse
ecosystems, with the open
ocean having the least.
Coastal Wetlands

▣ At the mouth of some

rivers, sediment carried
by the river will be
deposited and form a
landmass called a
delta.
▣ Estuaries are bodies of
water partially-
enclosed within deltas
where seawater mixes
with freshwater.
Coastal Wetlands

A salt marsh is a
coastal wetland
regularly flooded by
tides, and dominated
by herbs, grasses, and
shrubs.
Coastal Wetlands

Sea grass beds are

wetlands with
submerged plants that
have long, narrow
leaves that resemble
grasslands.
Coastal Wetlands

Mangrove swamps
have trees with
complex root
systems that can
filter salt and
withstand flooding
and wave action.
Ecosystem Services of Wetlands

▣ Wetlands are biodiverse, meaning they support a wide variety of

species of animals, plants, fungi, and protists.
▣ Wetlands protect against flooding by absorbing and retaining
excess water.
▣ Wetlands trap pollutants, resulting in cleaner water that flows
out of them.
Marine Aquatic Zones

▣ In the coastal zone, life

is plentiful due to an
abundance of sunlight
and nutrients.
□ About 90% of the ocean’s
biodiversity is found in
this zone.
Marine Aquatic Zones

▣ Rocky shores are found

on coasts with heavy
wave activity.
▣ Sandy shores are found
in areas with gentler
wave action or that are
sheltered.
□ Black sand is made from
eroded volcanic rock.
□ Brown sand is made from
eroded granite.
□ White sand is made from
eroded coral. Boracay Island, Philippines
Marine Aquatic Zones

▣ The intertidal zone is submerged during high tide and

exposed during low tide.
□ The tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.
Marine Aquatic Zones

▣ Tidal range is the

vertical difference
between high and low
tide.
□ The Bay of Fundy in
Canada has the greatest
tidal range at 16.3 meters
– taller than a 3-story
building.
Shallow Seas

▣ Shallow seas are

areas within the
coastal zone
between the
continental shelf and
the intertidal zone.
□ Reach a maximum
depth of about 200
meters.
□ Receive enough
sunlight to support
photosynthetic
plankton and algae.
Coral Reefs

▣ Coral reefs are shallow

sea ecosystems made
from the skeletons of
small animals called coral
polyps that live in the
warm coastal waters of
the tropics and
subtropics.
▣ Coral polyps are a form a
plankton that have a
mutualistic relationship
with algae.
□ The coral provides a home, the
algae produce 90% of the polyp’s
food through photosynthesis.
Open Ocean

▣ The open ocean is the

sunlit top layer of the
ocean beyond the
continental shelves.
□ Largest part of the ocean.
▣ Moving away from the
coast, the availability of
nutrients decreases
rapidly, greatly limiting the
growth of photosynthetic
plankton.
□ The open ocean is sometimes
referred to as a “marine
desert” due to the relative lack
of life.
Open Ocean

▣ Many species living in

the aphotic and
dysphotic zones are
bioluminescent,
meaning they can
produce and emit light.
□ Light is produced through
chemical reactions or by
symbiotic bacteria.
□ The light can help to find
prey or attract mates.
Open Ocean

▣ The abyssal plain is

the sea floor.
□ Food webs in the
abyssal plain are
based on scavenging
and decomposition
instead of
photosynthesis.
Open Ocean

▣ Marine snow is a
shower of organic
material that falls
from the open water
into the abyssal plain.
□ Decomposers and
scavengers consume
this material.
Open Ocean

▣ Hydrothermal vents
are fissures in the
ocean floor where
heated water and
minerals are released
into the water.
□ Certain organisms can
use these compounds
as a source of energy,
in a process called
chemosynthesis.
Thank you!
Any questions?