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Aquatic Biodiversity

Aquatic Biodiversity. Chapters 8 and 11. Aquatic Food Webs. plankton Phytoplankton (photosynthetic) Zooplankton (consumers) Ultraplankton (bacteria) nekton strong swimming consumers (fish, turtles, whales) benthos bottom-dwelling organisms (starfish, anemones, oysters) decomposers.

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Aquatic Biodiversity

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  1. Aquatic Biodiversity Chapters 8 and 11

  2. Aquatic Food Webs • plankton • Phytoplankton (photosynthetic) • Zooplankton (consumers) • Ultraplankton (bacteria) • nekton • strong swimming consumers (fish, turtles, whales) • benthos • bottom-dwelling organisms (starfish, anemones, oysters) • decomposers

  3. Aquatic Life Zones (biomes) • Saltwater/Marine • oceans, bays, estuaries, coastal wetlands, shorelines, coral reefs, mangrove forests • Freshwater • lakes, rivers, streams, inland wetlands • In these ecosystems populations are limited by temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, food, light, and nutrients required for photosynthesis.

  4. Marine Ecosystems • Ocean • poorly understood ecosystem • reservoir of biodiversity • divided into coastal zones, open ocean, and ocean bottom

  5. Coastal Zone • warm, nutrient-rich, shallow water • extends from the high tide mark to the edge of the continental shelf • less than 10% of the ocean but contains 90% of all ocean species • site of most commercial fishing • high net primary productivity

  6. Coastal Zone • Estuaries • where rivers meet the sea • fresh and salt water mixes (along with sediment and pollutants) • Coastal Wetlands • coastal land areas covered with water all or part of the year • high nutrient inputs • harsh environments--significant daily and seasonal changes in temperature, salinity, soil runoff and pollutants • low diversity

  7. Coastal Zone • intertidal Zone • area of the shoreline between low and high tide • organisms must adapt to pounding waves, under water (high tide), no water (low tide), salinity changes • rocky shores (tide pools) • sandy shores (sand dunes)

  8. Coastal Zone • Coral Reefs • most diverse and productive ecosystems • complex interactions among species • 1/4 of marine species live here

  9. Open Ocean • vast volume of ocean beyond the edge of the continental shelf • divided into three vertical zones (temp. changes with depth) • euphotic zone: brightly lit upper zone, contains phytoplankton, low nutrients, high DO, large fast swimming predatory fish live here • upwelling zones-areas of high nutrients where currents bring nutrients up from ocean bottom • bathyal zone: dimly lit middle zone, zooplankton and smaller fishes live here • abyssal zone: dark, very cold zone at bottom of ocean, little DO, but supports high numbers of living organisms

  10. Ocean Bottom • supports high diversity of organisms • food from “marine snow” • deposit or filter feeders • poorly understood ecosystem

  11. Freshwater Systems • Standing water (lentic bodies) • lakes, ponds, inland wetlands • Flowing water (lotic bodies) • streams and rivers • these systems cover less than 2.5% of the earths surface

  12. Lakes • large bodies of water created when precipitation and runoff fill depressions in the earth’s surface • Four general layers • littoral zone: near shore, shallow sunlit waters, high diversity • limnetic zone: open sunlit surface layer, extends to the depth penetrated by sunlight, photosynthetic zone of the lake • profundal zone: deep open water, too dark for photosynthesis, low oxygen levels, • benthic zone: bottom layer, decomposers and bottom feeders, includes dead matter and sediment

  13. lakes classified by nutrient content • Oligotrophic: poorly nourished, clear water, small populations of fish and plankton • Eutrophic: large supply of nutrients, sediments, shallower, murky water with high turbidity • cultural eutrophication: human increase rate of eutrophication • mesotrophic: middle of two extremes

  14. Streams and Rivers • streams begin in mountainous or hilly areas, then flow downstream • three general zones • source zone: headwaters, shallow, cold, clear and swiftly flowing, high DO content, low productivity • transition zone: form wider deeper and warmer streams, more turbid, slower flowing, less DO, support more producers • floodplain zone: sediment deposited here over time, wide deep rivers that flow through valleys, higher temps, low DO , slow moving, muddy, high silt concentration

  15. Inland Wetlands • lands located away from coastal areas that are covered with freshwater all or part of the time • excludes lakes, reservoirs and streams • highly productive, lots of nutrients • important habitat for many species • filter pollutants, recharge ground water, recreation

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