Aquatic Biomes

Freshwater-lakes and ponds Littoral zone- shore line. Nutrient rich and diverse. Benthic zone- little sunlight. Animals live off of decaying matter that falls to the bottom.

Freshwater-lakes and ponds Oligotrophic – Nutrient poor/oxygen rich. Often sources that feed it are glaciers, mountainous regions. Eutrophic- Nutrient rich/oxygen poor. Fed by steams with lots of dissolved minerals but the decaying organic matter increases oxygen demand.

Freshwater- lakes and ponds Often, newly formed lakes start as oligotrophic and become eutrophic. Eutrophication can be accelerated by pollution that cause algal blooms. (fertilizer runoff, sewage)

Rivers Rivers at there starting pts. are usually high in oxygen and cold. Plants and animals adapted to rivers may have ways to anchor themselves and are strong swimmers. Pollution and damming are two major threats to rivers.

Freshwater- wetlands Wetlands are covered in water for at least part of the year. Wetlands help to clean and filter water. Wetlands also help to reduce flooding because they can absorb much water. Threats to wetlands include pollution and filling in for development.

Wetlands - Marshes Marshes are freshwater wetlands that have mostly non-woody plants.

Wetlands – Marshes - Everglades The Everglades in southern Florida are the largest marsh in the US It is been greatly reduced in size due to development.

Wetlands - swamps Swamps are freshwater wetlands that contain woody plants

Wetlands - Estuaries An estuary is where a river runs into an ocean. There is varying salinity in an estuary. Estuaries contain very diverse and abundant aquatic life. Pollution and development are major threats.

Marine – coral reef Coral reefs are located in shallow, warm ocean waters. There are made up of the casing of the animal coral. They are extremely diverse. Pollution is a major threat to coral reefs.

Marine – Open Ocean There are few plants in the open ocean. Animal in the open ocean are streamlines for swimming long distances. Pollution and over fishing are major threats

Marine- polar Many polar marine animals are migratory. They are adapted to cold weather usually by storing blubber. Disruption for oil drilling and global warming are major threats.