TOPIC # 5

LIFE IN WATER SYSTEMS

 Biodiversity in Aquatic Ecosystems
● Biodiversity – variety of different kinds of
species in an ecosystem.
● Large bodies of water have different layers or
zones with each having its own biodiversity.
● Some organisms live in only one zone, while
others live in all three.
Zones in Lakes and Ponds
● Upper Zone – area of a lake from the shore down to where
the aquatic plants stop growing. Species you will find here
include water lilies, small fish, clams, insects, frogs.
● Middle Zone – open water area that still has light reaching
the bottom. Species you will find here include
phytoplankton, fish.
● Deep Zone – No light reaches the bottom, so no plant
growth here. Food for organisms living here comes from
dead organisms/waste from higher zones. Species you will
find here include deep water fish (larger fish).
Zones in Rivers and Streams
- Streams usually alternate
between areas where
water is calm (pools) and
areas where water is
moving rapidly (riffles).
- Organisms often attach
themselves to rocks as
their habitat.
Zones in the Ocean
● I. Estuary – Where freshwater washes into the saltwater (at river
mouths) forming brackish water. Makes for very diverse
ecosystems.
● II. Inter-tidal Zone – shoreline of ocean. Animals here must be
able to withstand pounding of waves.
● III. Continental Shelf – Warmer water in area with full light
penetration. Contains phytoplankton and many fish and plants.
● IV. Oceanic Zone – little light penetrates here so no plant growth.
LAKE / POND

RIVER OCEAN
 Aquatic Adaptations
● Adaptation – physical or behavioral characteristic of a species
that increases the species’ chances of survival in their
ecosystem.
● Many aquatic organisms have adapted to being able to filter their
food from the water.
How might you compare the
two terms below:

Change
Adaption
 Change

Is the act of transforming or substituting

one action or behavior for another.
 Adaption
Is the act of transforming or
substituting one action or
behavior for another.
 Can Aquatic Animals Drown?
● Most aquatic animals use gills, ● Marine mammals, use lungs to
(organs that enable them to get breathe, just like land
oxygen from the water) mammals do.
● Some aquatic animals gather ○ ex) Whale surfacing. They
their oxygen at the water are grabbing a breath or
surface.
two of air.
○ ex) mosquito larvae have
a tube-like siphon that they
reach above the water
surface.
 Aquatic Adaptations Cont.
There are five key ecosystem factors that aquatic species must
adapt to or else they will die out….
1) Temperature
2) Light levels
3) Pressure
4) Salinity
5) Water movement
 1) Temperature

Species must be adapted to the temperature of the

surrounding water. Certain species actually have a form
of antifreeze in their blood to keep it from freezing in cold
waters.
 2) Light Levels
Most species need light. Some animals in the ocean
floor can produce their own light (bioluminescence).
 3) Pressure
Skeletal and muscular tissues are adapted
for pressures/forces a species must deal
with in their habitat zone. They will die if
moved.
4) Salinity
Because of osmosis
animals have been
adapted to specific
concentrations of
salt in the water.
5) Water movement
Animals are adapted to
deal with water
movement and for
moving through water.
(streamlined shape of
shark)
 Adaptations are a response to an
ever-changing ecosystems. Plants and
animals with a diverse gene pool can adapt
better than a less diverse organism.
 Aquatic Plants
● Two types:
○ those that float freely: phytoplankton,
○ those that attach themselves to ocean/lake floor.
● Stomata are specialized cells in plants that open and
close to allow in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis
(making sugar) or oxygen (consuming their sugar)
● Plants need phosphate and nitrate nutrients. They get
these in the oceans from detritus.
 Nutrient Pollution
● Too many nutrients can cause problems in aquatic
environments. An increase in algae growth (algal bloom)
covers the surface of the water, blocking out the light. As the
algae dies, they are decomposed by bacteria, which use up all
the oxygen.
● This cycle continues until a balance is achieved again.
 Population Change
● Population – a group of organisms of the same species living
in the same ecosystem.
● There are three types of population changes:
○ I. Seasonal Change: Populations swell in the summer and
disappear in winter. The disappearance of a population
may mean survivors are dormant, or hibernating in the
winter months.
■ Breeding cycles can also cause seasonal changes in
populations.
●
 Population Change Cont.
● Types of population changes continued
○ II. Short-Term Changes: take place over a relatively short period of
time and don't last very long. They happen irregularly and may be
part of a natural event, or caused by human activities.
○ III. Long-Term Changes: result from natural events or human
activities. A landslide can change the course of a river or stream.
Addition of a new species (zebra mussels introduced by accident) to
an area (the Great Lakes) may result in overpopulation of that
species because there are no natural enemies.
●
 Human and Aquatic Relationships
● Over-fishing, dumping of toxic chemicals
and fertilizers into aquatic ecosystems,
as well as the use of pesticides have all
negatively affected populations of
aquatic species.
● Biomagnification – Residues from
human produced chemicals can find
their way into ground water and bodies
of water. As the chemicals move up the
food chain, they become more and more
concentrated in the tissues of the
organisms.