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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?
Types of 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.
Different habitats of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are intertwined by the flux of
materials within these ecosystems.
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.
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.
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.
Key Points
An ecosystem is the collection of several communities of living organisms
interacting with non-living things.
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.
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.
A. biosphere
B. population
C. species
D. ecosystem
A. aquatic ecosystems
B. terrestrial ecosystems
C. coastal ecotones
D. estuaries
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?
I. Aquatic insects increase the biomass of spiders along the stream edge.
II. Aquatic insects live all of its life cycle under water.
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.
A. There are a lot of marine wastes that negatively affect the shorelines.
C. Water is a dense medium which does not allow organisms to float through
different habitats.
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?
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.
10. Which of the following scenarios does not describe how terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems are linked with one another?