1. Standard
S7L4e
Students will describe the characteristics of Earth’s aquatic ecosystems?

2. Aquatic Ecosystems

3. Aquatic refers to water.

4. Important in Aquatic Environments
Amount of Sunlight
Water Temperature
Amount of Dissolved Oxygen
Amount of Salt

5. Don’t forget food webs

6. Freshwater Ecosystems
include flowing and standing water.
vary from small brooks to large rivers.
have little or no salt.

7. Types of Freshwater Ecosystems
Rivers and Streams
Lakes
Ponds
Wetlands

8. Rivers and Streams These have flowing water.
The faster the flow of water, the higher the oxygen content.
Most nutrients in the water are washed in from the land.
Areas with slow moving water have more nutrients, promoting higher plant growth.

9. Ponds These have very little water flow.
They are small, shallow bodies of water.
Sunlight gets to the bottom to promote plant and algae growth.
Plants support animal life.

10. Lakes
Deeper lakes support life along shallow shorelines or near the surface.
In deeper lakes, cold temperatures and lower levels of light limit the types of organisms that can live there.

11. Wetlands are found in regions between solid land and water.
are regions that are wet most of the year.
are very fertile ecosystems.
Other names for wetlands are bogs and swamps.
Examples of animals; beavers, alligators, muskrats, migratory birds.
Plants are types that are able to survive in waterlogged soil.
Some wetlands are a natural filter
for pollutants.

14. Estuaries This is where a river meets an ocean.
                    
Estuaries
This is where a river meets an ocean.
These contain a mixture of freshwater and saltwater.
Changes occur in salinity with the amount of freshwater brought in by rivers and the amount of saltwater pushed in by the tides.
Other names for estuaries are bays, lagoon, harbor, inlets, and sounds.
Estuaries are rich in nutrients brought in by flowing freshwater.
Some are a natural filter for pollutants.

15. Saltwater Ecosystems
95%-97% of the water on the surface of Earth contains high concentrations of salt.
The amount of dissolved salt in water is called salinity.

16. Types of Saltwater Ecosystems
Open Ocean
Coral Reefs
Seashores

17. Open Ocean
Scientists divide the ocean into life zones---based upon depth of sunlight.
The upper two-hundred meters of the ocean, the light z one, is home to plankton---foundation of ocean food chain.
Below two-hundred meters is the dark z one.
Most of the animals in the dark zone feed on each other or from food that floats down from the light z one.

18. The ocean is 3-D. What does this mean?
1. It means that organisms live at every depth of the ocean. (marine environment)
2. In fact, one way scientists classify organisms in the ocean is by where they live and how they move.

19. Who lives where?
1. Plankton----Zooplankton and phytoplankton float in the upper part of the ocean and are carried by the ocean currents.
Nekton----free swimming animals such as most fishes, marine mammals, squid
Benthos----bottom dwelling organisms such as eels and organisms on the ocean floor

21. Coral Reef One of the most diverse ecosystems in the world
They are formed from the calcium carbonate shells of coral.
Coral reefs are a fragile ecosystem and must be
protected.

22. Importance of Coral Reef
Protects Beaches and Shorelines from being Washed Away
Home for Many Organisms
Used in Medical Research

24. Seashores Seashores are found along coastlines.
The intertidal zone is the part of the shoreline that is covered by water during high tide and exposed during low tide.
Organisms must be adapted to the dramatic changes in temperature, moisture, salinity, and wave action.

27. Human Impact
Human activities can harm freshwater and saltwater ecosystems.
Education of ways to prevent polluting our water systems is the best measure to guard against harming these ecosystems.