AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

TOPIC OUTLINE

i. Freshwater Ecosystems
ii. Brackish Ecosystems: Estuaries
iii. Major Ocean Life Zones
 The most fundamental division in aquatic ecology is probably between
freshwater and saltwater environments.
 Factors affecting distribution of organisms
Salinity- the concentration of dissolved salts (such as sodium chloride)
in a body of water
dissolved oxygen
nutrient minerals
3 main ecological categories of organisms

1. Plankton- usually small or microscopic organisms; tend to drift

or swim feebly, so, for the most part, they are carried about at
the mercy of currents and waves.
2. Nekton- larger, more strongly swimming organisms such as
fishes, turtles, and whales.
3. Benthos- bottom-dwelling organisms that fix themselves to one
spot (sponges and oysters), burrow into the sand (worms and
clams), or simply walk about on the bottom (crawfish and
aquatic insect larvae).
Freshwater Ecosystems

 include lakes and ponds (standingwater ecosystems), rivers and streams

(flowing-water ecosystems), and marshes and swamps (freshwater
wetlands).
 about 2% of Earth’s surface
 play an important role in the hydrologic cycle:
 Large bodies of fresh water help moderate daily and seasonal
temperature fluctuations on nearby land regions, and freshwater habitats
provide homes for many species.
Standing-water ecosystem

A body of fresh water surrounded by land and whose water

does not flow; a lake or a pond.
Zonation is characteristic of standing-water ecosystems.
3 zones of a large lake: the littoral, limnetic, and profundal
zones
Zonation in a
Large Lake
 Lake: a standing-water ecosystem
surrounded by land.
ZONE DESCRIPTION ORGANISMS
littoral zone shallow water area around the Emergent vegetation, such as
lake’s edge cattails and bur reeds, as well as
several deeper-dwelling aquatic
plants and algae,
limnetic zone open, sunlit water away from the microscopic plankton; Larger fishes
shore also spend most of their time in the
limnetic zone

profundal zone beneath the limnetic zone; smaller Detritus drifts into this zone from
lakes and ponds typically lack this the littoral and limnetic zones;
zone; accentuated by thermal bacteria decompose this detritus.
stratification (temperature changes
sharply with depth)
 Flowing-water ecosystems

 are highly variable; surrounding environment changes greatly between a river’s

source and its mouth
 Certain parts of the stream’s course are shaded by forest, while other parts are
exposed to direct sunlight.
 Groundwater may well up through sediments on the bottom in one particular area,
making the water temperature cooler in summer or warmer in winter than in
adjacent parts of the stream or river
 Flowing-water ecosystems

 Organisms vary greatly from one stream to another, depending primarily on the
strength of the current.
fast currents: some inhabitants have adaptations such as suckers, with which
they attach themselves to rocks to prevent being swept away.
With flattened bodies to slip under or between rocks
fish that are streamlined and muscular enough to swim in the current.
 Freshwater wetlands

 Lands that shallow fresh water covers for at least part of the year;
wetlands have a characteristic soil and water- tolerant vegetation
 include marshes, dominated by grasslike plants, and swamps, dominated
by woody trees or shrubs
 Wetland soils: waterlogged for variable periods and are therefore
anaerobic; are rich in accumulated organic materials
 provide excellent wildlife habitat for migratory waterfowl and other bird
species, as well as for beaver, otters, muskrats, and game fi sh.
 Provides ecosystem services
 threatened by pollution, development, agriculture, and dam construction
Freshwater wetlands

 Ecosystem services- Important

environmental benefits, such as
clean air to breathe, clean water
to drink, and fertile soil in which to
grow crops, that the natural
environment provides.
Freshwater swamps

-are inland areas

covered by water
and dominated by
trees, such as
baldcypress
Brackish Ecosystems: Estuaries

 A coastal body of water, partly surrounded by land, with access to

the open ocean and a large supply of fresh water from a river.
 Water levels rise and fall with the tides
 Salinity fluctuates with tidal cycles, the time of year, and
precipitation;also changes gradually within the estuary, from fresh
water at the river entrance, to brackish (somewhat salty) water, to
salty ocean water at the mouth of the estuary
 organisms must have a high tolerance for changing conditions
Brackish Ecosystems: Estuaries

 usually feature salt marshes

 shallow wetlands in which salt-tolerant grasses grow
perform many ecosystem services, including providing biological
habitats, trapping sediment and pollution, supplying
groundwater, and buffering storms by absorbing their energy,
which prevents flood damage elsewhere.
Brackish Ecosystems: Estuaries

 Mangrove forests
 the tropical equivalent of salt marshes
 cover perhaps 70 % of tropical coastlines
 provide valuable ecosystem services
 Their interlacing roots are breeding grounds and nurseries for several commercially
important fi shes and shellfi sh, such as mullet, spotted sea trout, crabs, and shrimp.
 Mangrove branches are nesting sites for many species of birds, such as pelicans,
herons, egrets, and roseate spoonbills.
 Mangrove roots stabilize the submerged soil, thereby preventing coastal erosion
and providing a barrier against the ocean during storms.
 Brain coral growing around red mangrove roots in Tunicate Cove,
Belize.

Mangrove roots grow into deeper

water as well as into mudflats that are
exposed at low tide.

Many animals live among the complex

root systems of mangrove forests.
1. Which environmental factors shape flowing water ecosystems?
standing-water ecosystems?
2. How do the characteristics of a freshwater wetland differ from
those of an estuary? How does a mangrove swamp differ from a salt
marsh?
 Major Ocean Life Zones
 intertidal zone
 benthic (ocean floor) environment
 two provinces—neritic and oceanic—of the pelagic (ocean water)
environment
neritic province
- part of the pelagic environment from the shore to where the water reaches a
depth of 200 m (650 ft)
-overlies the continental shelf.
oceanic province
- part of the pelagic environment where the water depth is greater than 200m,
beyond the continental shelf.
 The Intertidal Zone: Transition
Between Land and Ocean

 area of shoreline between low and high tides

 Rocky shores provide fi ne anchorage for seaweeds and marine animals
 organisms are exposed to wave action when submerged during high tides and exposed
to temperature changes and drying out when in contact with the air during low tides
 Organisms and their adaptations:
 mussels have tough, threadlike anchors secreted by a gland in the foot
 barnacles secrete a tightly bonding glue that hardens underwater.
 Some organisms hide in burrows or under rocks or crevices at low tide.
 Some small crabs run about the splash line, following it up and down the beach.
Zonation in the ocean
The Benthic Environment

 The ocean floor, which extends from the intertidal zone to the deep-ocean trenches.
 consists of sediments (mainly sand and mud) where many bottom-dwelling animals, such
as worms and clams, burrow
 Bacteria are common at (1625 ft) below the ocean floor.
 three zones in the deeper benthic (from shallowest to deepest): the bathyal, abyssal, and
hadal zones.
 The communities in the relatively shallow benthic zone that are particularly productive
include coral reefs, sea grass beds, and kelp forests.
 The Benthic Environment

Corals
-are small, soft-bodied animals
similar to jellyfish and sea
anemones.
-live in hard cups, or shells, of
limestone (calcium carbonate)
that they produce using the
minerals dissolved in ocean distribution of coral reefs around the world
water.
-forms from the accumulated
layers of limestone.
Coral reefs

-are found in warm (usually greater

than 21°C [70°F]), shallow seawater
-The living portions of coral reefs
grow in shallow waters where light
penetrates.
-The tiny coral animals require light
for zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae)
that live and photosynthesize in their
tissues
-coral animals capture food at night
with stinging tentacles that paralyze
plankton (small or microscopic
organisms carried by currents and
waves) and small animals that drift
nearby.
 Coral reefs

Coral reef ecosystems are the most

diverse of all marine environments
They contain hundreds of species of fi
shes and invertebrates, such as giant
clams, snails, sea urchins, sea stars,
sponges, flatworms, brittle stars, sea
fans, shrimp, and spiny lobsters.
provide habitat for many kinds of
marine organisms and protect
coastlines from shoreline erosion
provide humans with seafood,
pharmaceuticals, and recreation and
tourism dollars.
 Sea grasses
-are flowering plants adapted to complete
submersion in salty ocean water
-occur only in shallow water (to depths of 10 m,
or 33 ft) where they receive enough light to
photosynthesize
-Extensive beds of sea grasses occur in quiet
temperate, subtropical, and tropical waters.
-Eelgrass is the most widely distributed sea grass
along the coasts of North America
-most common sea grasses in the Caribbean
Sea are manatee grass and turtle grass
-high primary productivity and are ecologically
important: Their roots and rhizomes help
stabilize sediments, reducing erosion, and they
provide food and habitat for many marine
organisms Turtle grasses form underwater meadows that are
ecologically important for shelter and food for many
organisms.
 Kelps

- known to reach lengths of 60 m (200 ft)

- are the largest and most complex of all algae
commonly called seaweeds
- are brown algae, are common in cooler temperate
marine waters of both the Northern and Southern
Hemispheres
- are especially abundant in relatively shallow waters
(depths of about 25 m, or 82 ft) along rocky
coastlines.
- are photosynthetic and are the primary food
producers for the kelp “forest” ecosystem.
- Kelp forests provide habitats for many marine
animals, such as tubeworms, sponges, sea
cucumbers, clams, crabs, fishes, and sea otters.
- Bacteria that decompose kelp provide food for Kelp forest
sponges, tunicates, worms, clams, and snails
The Neritic Province: From the
Shore to 200 Meters

 The part of the pelagic environment that overlies the ocean floor from the
shoreline to a depth of 200 m (650 ft).
 Organisms are all floaters or swimmers
 euphotic zone- upper level of the pelagic environment which extends from the
surface to a maximum depth of 150 m (490 ft) in the clearest open ocean water.
 Large numbers of phytoplankton (microscopic algae) produce food by
photosynthesis and are the base of food webs.
 Zooplankton, including tiny crustaceans, jellyfish, comb jellies, and the larvae of
barnacles, seaurchins, worms, and crabs, feed on phytoplankton.
The Neritic Province: From the
Shore to 200 Meters

 Zooplankton are in turn consumed by plankton-eating nekton (any marine

organism that swims freely), such as herring, sardines, squid, baleen whales, and
manta rays
 These in turn become prey for carnivorous nekton such as sharks, tuna, porpoises,
and toothed whales.
 Nekton are mostly confined to the shallower neritic waters (less than 60 m, or 195
ft, deep), near their food.
A manta ray swims slowly through the water,
swallowing vast quantities of microscopic
plankton as it swims. The wingspan of a
mature manta ray can reach about 6 m (20
ft).
The Oceanic Province:
Most of the Ocean

 The part of the pelagic environment that overlies the ocean floor at depths greater than
200 m (650 ft).
 loosely described as the “deep sea.” (The average depth of the ocean is 4000 m, more
than 2 mi.)
 All but the shallowest waters of the oceanic province have cold temperatures, high
pressure, and an absence of sunlight.
 Fishes of the deep waters of the oceanic province are strikingly adapted to darkness and
scarcity of food
 adapted to drifting or slow swimming, often have reduced bone and muscle mass.
 Many of these animals have lightproducing organs to locate one another for mating or
food capture.
The Oceanic Province:
Most of the Ocean

 Most organisms of the deep waters of the oceanic province depend on marine snow,
organic debris that drifts down into their habitat from the upper, lighted regions of the
oceanic province.
 Organisms are filter feeders, scavengers, and predators
 Many are invertebrates, some of which attain great sizes.
 The giant squid measures up to 18 m (59 ft) in length, including its tentacles.
Unlike other fish species in the ocean’s depths, the
dragonfish can see red light. The pockets of red light
shining beneath each of its eyes allow it to detect other
organisms without being seen
What are the four main life zones in the ocean, and how do they
differ from one another?