AQUATIC LIFE ZONES:

SALTWATER (MARINE) Ecosystems: Estuaries, coastlines, coral reefs, coastal marshes, mangrove swamps, continental shelf, & deep ocean

AQUATIC Ecosystems: Lakes and Ponds, Streams and Rivers, and Inland wetlands

TYPES OF ORGANISMS:

Plankton – free floating (or weak swimmers)

(phytoplankton – primary producers & zooplankton – primary consumers)

Nekton – strong swimmers (fish, turtles, whales)

Benthos – bottom dwellers (oysters, barnacles, crustacean, worms)

Decomposers – mostly bacteria

SALINITY & TEMPERATURE

DETERMINE THE DISTRIBUTION

OF THE OCEANIC REALMS

Physical & Chemical Characteristics

Water provides buoyancy = physical support, reduces the need for large supporting structures of trunks and legs, helps aquatic organisms move verticallyWater provides consistency = keeps organism from drying out or requiring water, constant temperature range

Water provides readily dissolved nutrients – b/c water is the universal solvent the nutrients are ready for uptake by primary producersWater provides constant flux – like wind terrestrially, water gives constant circulation and disperses organisms and their larvae & dilutes toxins

Adaptations for Floating

Abyssal

Primary Productivity

Very little nutrients (marine snow) ~250, 000 named organisms

No primary producers – many organisms rise to the euphotic zone at night to feed

Diversity of organisms in each layer is determined by: 1) temp 2) sunlight 3) dissolved oxygen 4) nutrients (dissolved CO2 to from carbonate ions for shells), nitrates, phosphates

Coastal zone makes up only <10% of the ocean and contains 90% of all marine organisms

Ecological and Economic Benefits Partially enclosed area of Partially enclosed area of

coastal water where coastal water where freshwater & silt from rivers freshwater & silt from rivers meets the seameets the sea..

High productive areaHigh productive area

Temperature & Salinity vary Temperature & Salinity vary daily rhythms of the tides, daily rhythms of the tides, seasonally with river input seasonally with river input fluctuations, and with fluctuations, and with unpredictable stormsunpredictable storms

Serves as a breeding ground Serves as a breeding ground form any organisms form any organisms (waterfowl, marine organisms)(waterfowl, marine organisms)

Acts as a buffer to inland Acts as a buffer to inland areas during stormsareas during storms

Filtrates sediments, excess Filtrates sediments, excess nutrients and pollutantsnutrients and pollutants

ESTUARIES/Salt Marsh

BAYS, SOUNDS, & INLETS

Chesapeake Bay

Lie along the coast line in estuaries and intertidal communities of the tropics and subtropics.

Adaptations to live in anoxic / nutrient Adaptations to live in anoxic / nutrient poor soil; marine water conditions; & poor soil; marine water conditions; & limited supply of freshwaterlimited supply of freshwater

Leaves secrete excess saltsLeaves secrete excess salts

Pneumatophores –”roots” for Pneumatophores –”roots” for uptake of gasesuptake of gases

Mangroves provide habitat form many organisms & reduce long term beach erosionAct as a filtering system – especially for heavy metals that settle into the anoxic soil below

DUNE DUNE SYSTEMSSYSTEMS

Vegetation is Vegetation is crucial for the crucial for the success of the success of the dune systemdune system

Construction & Development Construction & Development should ideally be behind the should ideally be behind the secondary dune system secondary dune system

Economically dunes are Economically dunes are important in the reduction of important in the reduction of storm surge damage to coastal storm surge damage to coastal developmentdevelopment

Barrier Island Systems

Helps protect main land Helps protect main land development.development.

Also protects coastal dunes Also protects coastal dunes & estuary systems.& estuary systems.

CORAL REEF DYNAMICS

• Most biologically diverse aquatic system (niche availability)

• Three categories of organisms 1) sessile – attached organisms 2) borrowing organisms 3) fishes

• Live between 18°C to 30°C (even one degree above that can trigger bleaching)

Coral Reefs exist in low Coral Reefs exist in low nutrient waters (oligotrophic) nutrient waters (oligotrophic) and therefore rely on an and therefore rely on an endosymbiotic algae endosymbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) to provide (zooxanthellae) to provide nutrientsnutrientsPhotomicrograph of Photomicrograph of

algae clusters in coral algae clusters in coral polyppolyp

Ecosystem that survives without sunlight!

Primary producers = chemosynthetic bacteria

Bacteria use sulfur compound to synthesize energy

Clams & Tubeworms either eat bacteria or harbor them in their body to supply themselves with “food”