Topic 10 cont’d Marine Biomes

Abiotic Factors  Wind  Dissolved gases  Waves  Nutrient availability  Salinity and pH  Depth  Pressure  Temperature  Wind  Dissolved gases  Waves  Nutrient availability  Salinity and pH  Depth  Pressure  Temperature

Types of marine biomes  Estuaries  Intertidal zones  Subtidal zones  Coral reefs  Open ocean  Abyssal plains  Hydrothermic vents  Estuaries  Intertidal zones  Subtidal zones  Coral reefs  Open ocean  Abyssal plains  Hydrothermic vents

Estuaries  Coastal regions where freshwater rivers and streams flow into the ocean

Physical Characteristics of Estuaries  Salinity-  Can vary from 5 – 30 ppt  Depth also contributes to salinity (WHY?)  Salinity is not uniform (WHY?)  Temperature-  Can vary hourly and seasonally also…WHY?  Temperature-  Can vary hourly and seasonally also…WHY?

Dealing with Salinity Changes  Organisms in the estuaries are normally euryhaline  osmoregulators  osmoconformers

Dealing with Salinity Changes  Flowering plants either  expel excess solutes, or  concentrate solutes in specific tissues

Communities within an Estuary  Open water in bays and tidal creeks

Communities within an Estuary  Saltmarsh  The vegetated area lining an estuary

Communities: MangrovesMangroves  Found in tropical and subtropical coastal areas  Replace salt marshes in these areas

Mangroves  Mangrove forests provide habitat for marine organisms such as invertebrates, fish, turtles, birds and marine mammals.

More on mangroves  Adaptations

Worldwide Distribution of Saltmarshes and Mangrove Forests

Estuaries: ecological importance  High primary productivity  Carbon dioxide sink  Support high species diversity  Nursery for marine organisms  Nesting/migration stopovers  Erosion reduction/habitat  Filtration

Estuaries: economic importance  Fishing industry  Recreational revenue  Property protection  Water filtration  Aquaculture/mariculture  Tidal power  Carbon sink

Estuaries: human impacts  Construction/development  Industrial businesses  Agriculture/golf courses/lawns  Dredging  Oil drilling  Overhunting  Boat traffic

Protecting wetlands Federal Regulations  Clean Water Act  Migratory Bird Conservation Act  Marine Protection Act Federal Regulations  Clean Water Act  Migratory Bird Conservation Act  Marine Protection Act Economic incentives  Reduce property taxes on wetlands to promote maintaining  Fines for violating the federal regulations  Government subsidies for wetland preservation

Other Marine Ecosystems

Open Ocean Marine lifestyles

Hydrothermal Vent Communities