AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS Temperature & Light are major abiotic factors that influence life BENTHOS…bottom dwellers NEKTON…free swimmers PLANKTON…floaters (mostly microscopic) PELAGIC…open water

FRESHWATER ECOSYTEM Ponds, lakes, rivers, streams FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE LIFE: Moving vs. still Photic vs. aphotic Amount of oxygen, nutrirents Temperature variations COMMON ORGANISMS Cattails, algae Fish, turtles, crayfish, aquatic insects

WETLANDS Swamps, marshes, estuaries, (and any area that has water on it as some time of year!)  Considered wastelands; HOWEVER….highly productive and important *home to many species & migratory stops (including many endangered) *game fish/seafood industry *trap carbon dioxide (photosynthesis) *control flooding *commercially important products (blueberries, peat moss) Mangrove trees, reeds, grasses Insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles

ESTUARY Where salt water and fresh water mix Highly productive Relatively shallow Nursery grounds feeding & hunting grounds Lots of grasses, algae Fish, dolphins, seals, sharks, oysters, barnacles, birds, insects

MARINE ECOSYSTEMS Oceans, salt lakes Major abiotic factor that influences life here: SALINITY Also, light, temp, oxygen, nutrients Algae (phytoplankton) Fish, sharks, shellfish, whales, octopus, crabs, shrimp