Lesson 10.

3 How the Different

Terrestrial and Aquatic
Ecosystems are Interlinked with
One Another
WARLITO ZAMORA CANOY·SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2017·

Chapter 10: Interaction and Interdependence

Objective: At the end of the lesson, you should be able to describe how the different
terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are interlinked with one another.

How are terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems interlinked with one another? What are
some of the factors that connect these two ecosystems?

Learn about it!

An ecosystem is the collection of several communities of living organisms interacting
with non-living things.

Types of Ecosystems

There are two types of ecosystems: terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

 Terrestrial ecosystems are ecosystems found only in land; these include tropical
rainforests, deserts, grasslands, deciduous forests, tundra, and taiga.
 Aquatic ecosystems are ecosystems found in bodies of water; these include lakes,
rivers, ponds, wetlands, oceans, and seas.

The linkages between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems have been established in various
ecosystems.

Learn about it!

Factors That Link the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

Different habitats of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are intertwined by the flux of
materials within these ecosystems.

Interaction in Land-Sea Interface

The land-sea interface or coastal ecotone is a major ecosystem where a transition area
between the sea and the shoreline is found. It shows how factors in two ecosystems
interact and affect each other.

1. A food web is formed across the ecotone boundary. Below is an illustration that
depicts the feeding relationships of different organisms within the terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems. For instance, humans that live in a terrestrial ecosystem can get their food
from a lake where fish and arthropods reside.

 Marine subsidies such as decaying animal flesh, detritus (dead organic material),
food scraps, and waste products from animals (sea turtles and seagulls) enter the
terrestrial ecosystem by shoreline drifting.
 Some mammals worldwide, such as racoons and black bears, intentionally feed
on exposed marine organisms such as crabs, molluscs, and fish.

 Terrestrial subsidies such as nitrogen, organic carbon, and phosphorus enter the
aquatic ecosystems via rivers.

Learn about it!

Emerging Aquatic Insects

Emergent aquatic insects are important food sources for riparian predators - predators
that reside within the riparian zone or the interface between land and a body of water
such as a river. Most of the lifespan of these insects are underwater and emerge as adults
to breed and return back into the water to lay eggs.

One good example of a riparian predator that feed on aquatic insects is the spider. It was
studied that the spiders' biomass are higher and web densities increase near an edge of a
stream. When spiders are far from the stream edge, both biomass and web densities
decreased.

Impacts of Anadromous Salmon on Both Terrestrial

and Aquatic Ecosystems

Anadromous salmon is a type of salmon that allocate their lives between freshwater and
the ocean. It transports a large amount of nutrients to both aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

Most of its biomass, about 95%, is marine-derived nutrients (MDN). The nutrients that
salmon provide to aquatic ecosystems are advantageous to marine organisms, such as
other kinds of fish and invertebrates, as well as to riparian zones.
 The benefit of these migrating salmon extends up to terrestrial ecosystems. Terrestrial
ecosystems increase fish survival by providing shade, cover and even nutrients. In return,
these salmon return to these areas to reproduce and deposit nutrients. These nutrients
enter the trophic system, from an aquatic ecosystem to terrestrial ecosystem by directly
consuming the flesh and eggs or indirectly through dissolved nutrients.

Try it!
Research about the different manmade activities that have effects on both terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems.

What do you think?

Human activities have greatly catalysed our progress as a species at the expense of these
ecosystems. What can be done in order to sustain our environment while progressing at
the same time?

Key Points
 An ecosystem is the collection of several communities of living organisms
interacting with non-living things.

 There are two types of ecosystems: terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

 Terrestrial ecosystems are ecosystems found only in land; these include tropical
rainforests, deserts, grasslands, deciduous forests, tundra, and taiga.
 Aquatic ecosystems are ecosystems found in bodies of water; these include lakes,
rivers, ponds, wetlands, oceans, and seas.

 The linkages between terrestrial-aquatic ecosystems have been established in

various ecosystems.

 The land-sea interface or coastal ecotone is a major ecosystem where a transition

area between the body of water and the shoreline is found. It shows how factors
in two ecosystems interact and affect each other.

 Emergent aquatic insects are important food sources for riparian predators -
predators that reside within the riparian zone or the interface between land and a
body of water such as a river.

 Anadromous salmon has an impact on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by

transporting a huge amount of nutrients to both aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

Lesson 10.3 Test Questions

1. It is the sum of communities of living organisms and non-living things.

 A. biosphere

 B. population

 C. species

 D. ecosystem

2. They are ecosystems found on land.

 A. aquatic ecosystems

 B. terrestrial ecosystems

 C. coastal ecotones
 D. estuaries

3. It is a major ecosystem between the sea and shoreline.

 A. coastal ecotone

 B. terrestrial ecosystem

 C. aquatic ecosystem

 D. riparian area

4. Which of the following highlights how coastal ecotone link both aquatic and terrestrial
organisms?

 A. Riparian predators prey on aquatic insects.

 B. Some mammals feed on exposed marine organisms.

 C. Salmon transport nutrients to other fish.

 D. Terrestrial habitat provides shelter for aquatic animals.

5. Which of the following are true about emerging aquatic insects?

 I. Aquatic insects increase the biomass of spiders along the stream edge.

 II. Aquatic insects live all of its life cycle under water.

 III. Aquatic insects are preyed by almost all terrestrial animals.

 IV. Aquatic insects are important food sources for riparian predators.

 A. I and II

 B. II and IV

 C. II and III

 D. I and IV
 Plant detritus and animal carrion such as fish and crabs were found on the shoreline of
desert islands in the Gulf of California.

6. Which of the following best describes this scenario?

 A. There are a lot of marine wastes that negatively affect the shorelines.

 B. Some marine subsidies can enter the terrestrial ecosystem by shoreline

drifting.

 C. Water is a dense medium which does not allow organisms to float through
different habitats.

 D. All marine subsidies pollute both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

7. Which of the following is false about anadromous salmon?

 A. They transport large amounts of nutrients to both aquatic and terrestrial

habitats.

 B. They are advantageous to marine organisms as well as riparian zones.

 C. They provide nutrients to terrestrial ecosystems by direct consumption of flesh

and eggs.

 D. They divide their lives on both aquatic and terrestrial habitat, thus,
advantageous to both ecosystems.

8. Which best explains the significance of riparian zones in linking the aquatic and
terrestrial ecosystem?

 A. Riparian zones house many organisms that feed on aquatic insects.

 B. Riparian zones are the interface between bodies of water and terrestrial
ecosystems.

 C. Riparian zones are vulnerable to attack as they are both terrestrial and aquatic
by nature.
 D. Riparian zones’ carrying capacity is higher compared to other ecosystems.

Stoneflies were significantly reduced when ground beetles dominated a stream edge.

9. Which of the following best describes the ground beetle?

 A. a predator preying on stoneflies on ecotone boundary

 B. a marine subsidy that enters a terrestrial habitat

 C. a riparian predator that feeds on an aquatic insect

 D. a terrestrial subsidy that enters an aquatic habitat

10. Which of the following scenarios does not describe how terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems are linked with one another?

 A. a fish that serve as a vector to transport of marine-derived nutrients inland

 B. marine subsidies transported thousand of miles by migratory birds

 C. a change in the food choice due to change in habitat

 D. terrestrially-derived carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen stimulate in situ

phytoplankton