1. Aquatic Systems

2. All freshwater comes from two sources:
Water that seeps below ground
Some is taken up and used by plants
Large amounts found in underground rock formations called aquifers
Lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams…ALL water above ground
Most urban areas rely on surface water
Supply resources and allow for travel/trade
GROUND WATER
SURFACE WATER

3. Surface water movement: Water Cycle
Earths water supply is constantly recycled

4. Surface Water Movement
1) Runoff
Water flowing down slope along Earth’s surface or seep into the ground
Run off speed determined by slope of the hill
Ends up in a stream or lake, evaporate, or accumulate into puddles

5. Movement Seep into ground Evaporate
Ground must have large enough pores – loose soil
Evaporate

6. Fate of water: Run off or Seep
Certain characteristics will determine whether not water will either seep into or become runoff
1) Vegetation
Vegetation allows for loose soil
Loose soil allows water to enter ground
Gardeners do not pack their soil

7. Fate of water 2) Rate of precipitation Heavy: Light:
soil clumps together closing pores
Fills up ground to quickly and water becomes runoff
Light:
allows water to gently slide through
Less erosion

8. Fate of Water 3) Soil Composition Effects the waters holding capacity
Decayed organic matter (humus)
Creates the pores in soil – Increases retain ability
Minerals
Clay – fine mineral which clump together
Few Spaces
Sand – large pores

9. Fate of Water
4) Slopes
Steep: allows for high runoff & little absorption
Little: low runoff and high absorption

10. Formation of Stream systems
Runoff
Surface water flows in thin sheets and eventually collects in small channels
Runoff increases, channels widen and become deeper and longer
Channels fill up again each time with rain
Channel can become a stream

11. Water sheds: Divide drainage basin Land where all water drains into
High land area that separates watersheds

12. Mississippi Watershed

13. Floods Water fills over the sides of a stream banks
Floodplain: broad flat area of land that extends out from streams for excess flooding

14. Aquatic Ecosystems Objectives:
Describe features of freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Describe threats to freshwater and marine ecosystems.

15. I. Freshwater Ecosystems
Organisms are grouped by location and adaptations:
Plankton – float near the surface of the water
Phytoplankton – microscopic plants
Zooplankton – microscopic animals
Nekton – free-swimming (fish, turtles, whales)
Benthos – bottom-dwellers (mussels, worms, barnacles)

16. A. Lakes and Ponds Littoral zone Benthic zone Eutrophication –
nutrient-rich area near shore
variety of plant and animal life
Benthic zone
Bottom of a pond or lake
Inhabited by decomposers, insect larvae, and clams
Eutrophication –
more nutrients = more plants = more decomposers using oxygen = less oxygen for other organisms
Can be caused by runoff of sewage, fertilizers, animal waste

17. B. Wetlands Marshes (Ex: The Everglades) Swamps (Ex: Louisiana swamps)
Contain non-woody plants (reeds, rushes, cattails)
Swamps (Ex: Louisiana swamps)
Contain woody plants or water-loving trees

18. Functions of Wetlands
Trap sediments, nutrients, and pollutants, keeping them from lakes, reservoirs, and oceans
Buffer shorelines against erosion
Protect against flooding
Provide spawning grounds and habitats
Recreational areas (fishing, bird-watching, hiking, canoeing, photography)

19. Human Impact on Wetlands
Were drained and filled for farming and residential and commercial development
Pollution

20. C. Rivers
Swift-moving
Home to strong swimming fish and organisms with adaptations to cling to rocks
Polluted by
human sewage and garbage
runoff from the land
Drained by industries

21. II. Marine Ecosystems
Mainly in coastal areas and the open ocean

22. A. Coastal Wetlands
Coastal areas covered by salt water at least part of the time
Estuaries – where fresh river water and salty ocean water mix
Constant source of fresh nutrients supplied by the river
Nutrients fall to the bottom (“nutrient trap”)
Provide harbors protected from open ocean – site of major ports
May be used as dumping sites for sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff

23. Coastal Wetlands (cont.)
2. Salt marshes
Develop in estuaries
Found along the Gulf Coast

24. Coastal Wetlands (cont.)
3. Mangrove swamps
Found along the coast in tropical and subtropical zones
Dominated by mangrove trees

25. Coastal Wetlands (cont.)
4. Rocky and sandy shores
Rocky shores have more plants and animals (Why?)
Barrier islands run parallel to the shore and protect the mainland and coastal wetlands.

26. Barrier Islands

27. B. Coral Reefs
Limestone ridges made of the skeletons of animals called coral polyps
Found in shallow, tropical seas with clear, warm salt water and lots of light
Disappearing coral reefs:
Damaged by oil spills, sewage, and runoff
Overfishing
Damaged by anchors, divers, shipwrecks

28. C. Oceans
Plankton on the ______; decomposers and filter feeders on the ________.
Threats to the ocean:
Pollution from land activities
Overfishing
Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems:
Nearly all food in the arctic ecosystem comes from the ocean; land is frozen, so plants don’t grow well.