A RESEARCH WORK

ON
DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS AND
ANIMALS IN ESTUARINE HABITATS

PRESENTED BY
YUSUF TAOFIQ
 ESTUARINE HABITATS

 Definition: Estuaries are bodies of water where

rivers meet the sea. It is a transitional area
between fresh water and marine water. It can also
be identified as brackish water
 PLANT SPECIES AND THEIR ADAPTIVE FEATURES
S/N PLANT SPECIES
1 Planktons
(diatoms)
2 Algae
3 Red Mangrove
(rhizophora racemosa)
4 White mangrove
(avicennia nitida)
ADAPTIVE FEATURES
They posses
• Air spaces in their tissues.
• Rhizoids or false feet for attachment to rock shores.
• Air bladder for buoyancy.
They posses
• Chlorophyll for photosynthetic activities.
• Large surface area for floating.
• Has silt roots which grow down from the stem into the
soft mud and develop numerous rootlets which have air
spaces for conducting air to the tissues of the roots.
• The roots also provide support and prevents plants from
being washed away by the tides.
• It has pneumatophores or breathing roots for exchange
of gases.
ANIMALS SPECIES AND THEIR ADAPTIVE FEATURES

S/N ANIMAL SPECIES ADAPTIVE FEATURES

1 Mosquito larvae and • These organisms posses breathing trumpets for
pupae gaseous exchange.
2 Crabs • They can burrow fast into the mud against predators,
strong waves or tides.
3 Water Snails and Shrimps • These animals can burrow into the mud when the
tide is going out thus escaping the periodic dilution of
its external medium.
4 Worms • They have strong protective and impermeable
coverings against high salinity.
5 Mud Skippers • These animals have fins adapted for crawling when
on land and for swimming when in water.
6 Fishes • Fishes like tilapia have fins for movement and
swim bladder for buoyancy
FOOD CHAIN IN ESTUARINE HABITATS

A typical food chain in estuarine habitats may

have up to three, four, five tropic levels. The
phytoplankton's such as diatoms and detritus
form the basic producers which supports the food
chain. E.g.
 Detritus -> Worms -> Snails -> Birds
 Diatoms -> Shrimps -> Fishes
 Phytoplanktons -> Branacles -> Fish ->Bird
FACTORS AFFECTING ESTUARINE HABITATS

The factors which affect estuarine habitats are

common to aquatic habitats and these include
 Temperature
 Wind
 Relative humidity
 Light
 pH
 FRESH WATER HABITATS
Definition
Fresh water habitat is a body of water formed
mainly from inland water and contains a very low
level of salinity. Examples are:
 Rivers
 Ponds
 Streams
 Springs
 Lakes
TYPES OF FRESH WATERS
Fresh water are classified in bases of their
mobility. Based on this, two types are identified;
 Lentic fresh waters
 Lotic fresh waters
LENTIC FRESH WATERS

These include standing or stagnant waters. These

waters do not flow nor move. Examples of lentic
fresh waters are:
 Lakes
 Ponds
 Swamps
 Dams
LOTIC FRESH WATERS

They include all running waters which can flow

continuously in a specific direction. In other
words, these are flowing or running waters like;
 Rivers;
 Springs; and
 Streams.
CHARACTERISTICS OF FRESH WATER HABITATS

The following characteristics are associated with

fresh water habitats:
 Low salinity
 Small in size
 Variation in temperature
 High concentration of oxygen content
 Shallowness of water
 Seasonal variation
 Current
1. Low salinity: Fresh water habitats normally contain a very low level of
salts. It has about 0.5% of salts compared about 3.5% for sea water.
2. Small in size: Fresh water habitat is usually very small compared to the
ocean water which is about 75% of the earths surface.
3. Variation in temperature: The temperature of fresh water usually
varies with season and depth. Temperature at the surface of the water
varies slightly with that at the bottom of the water.
4. High concentration of oxygen content: Oxygen is usually available in
all parts of the fresh water especially in the surface of the water.
5. Shallowness of water: Most fresh water habitats are very shallow;
hence, sunlight can easily penetrate through the water bottom.
6. Seasonal variation: Some fresh water habitats like streams and rivers
normally dry up during the season while others have their volumes
reduced. The volume of water in rivers also increase during the rainy
season. Turbidity and fast flow of rivers are also high in the rainy
seasons than the dry season.
7. Current: Currents can affect the distribution of gases, salts and small
organisms in fresh water habitats such as rivers and streams.
MAJOR ECOLOGICAL ZONES OF FRESH
WATER HABITATS

The zones of a lentic fresh water habitat, e.g. lake, are similar to
those of the marine habitats but there are no supratidal or inter-
tidal zones.
There are two major zones in a lentic fresh water habitat.
1. Littoral zone
2. Benthic zone
 LITTORAL ZONE

This is the shallow part of a fresh water habitat which contains

several plants and animals. The littoral zone has rooted
vegetation at its base and has the highest level of primary
production because sunlight can easily penetrate the zone;
hence, photosynthetic activities are common.
 Plants associated with this zone include spirogyra,
chlamydomonas, water lettuce, water fern, duckweed, diatoms,
and sedges.
 Animals associated with this zone includes water fleas, water
snails, flat worms, ring worms, frogs, toads, water skaters,
ducks, snakes, crocodiles, tadpoles, hydrae and hippopotamus.
 BENTHIC ZONE

This is the deepest part of the lentic fresh water habitat. The
benthic zone does not have rooted vegetation like littoral zone,
although flowering plants may occur at its surface.
 Plants associated with this zone have well-developed root
system in the mud. These plants includes water lily, water
arum, ferns, crinum lily, commelina and grasses.
 Animals associated with the benthic zone includes protozoa,
rotifers, hydrae, tilapia fish, mud fish, cat fish, leeches,
caddish fly larvae, larvae and pupae of mosquito water snail,
water spider, crayfish, water scorpion, water boatman and
water bugs.
 Eutrophication

Eutrophication is the excessive growth of plant

life or algae in water course or bodies caused by
increase in inorganic nutrients or minerals
leading to death of aquatic organisms.
Causes:
(i) Overuse of fertilizers into water bodies
(ii) Sewage discharge from fish farming
LOTIC FRESH WATER HABITATS
 In a lotic fresh water habitat, e.g. rivers, there are
two zones which are :
 Pool zone
 Rapid zone
 Pool zone: In this zone, water is relatively slow and
calm.
 Rapid zone: In this zone, water is very fast.
 The lotic fresh water habitat is not as stratified as the
lentic fresh water habitat.
THANKS FOR

LISTENING