AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

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AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
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INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES

1. Describe the characteristics of a freshwater and
   marine ecosystem.
2. Describe the factors that determine where an
   organism lives in an aquatic ecosystem.
3. Describe the make-up of the littoral and benthic
   zones in an aquatic ecosystem.
4. Describe two environmental functions of a
   wetlands.
5. Describe the threats to aquatic ecosystems.
6. Describe the functions of an estuary.
7. Compare salt marshes and mangrove swamps.
8. Explain how coral reefs are important.
9. Explain how large bodies of water affect climate.
10. Describe how man has an impact on aquatic
    ecosystems.

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VOCABULARY

• Wetland 2. Plankton 3. Nekton
• 4. Benthos 5. Littoral zone
• 6. Benthic zone 7. Eutrophication
• 8. Watershed 9. Lentic zone
• 10. Lotic zone 11. Limnetic zone
• 12. Profundal zone 13. Epilimnion zone
• 14. Hypolimnion zone 15. Thermocline
• 15. Olgitrophic lake 16.Eutrophic lake
• 17. Mesotrophic lake 18. Buoyancy
• 19. Heat capacity 20. Surface tension
• 21. Polarity

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VOCABULARY CONTINUED

• 22. Salt marsh 23. Coastal fresh marsh
• 24. Vernal pools 25. Prairie pothole
• 26. Swamps 27. Bogs
• 28. Forested floodplain wetlands
• 29. Mangrove swamp
• 30. Continental shelf 31. Intertidal zone
• 32. Euphotic zone 33. Bathyal zone
• 34. Abyssal zone 35. Barrier island
• 36. coral reef 37. Source zone
• 38. Transition zone 39. Surface water
• 40. Run off

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AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS

1. Water
2. Dissolved solids
3. Salts
4. Photosynthetic organisms
5. Consumer organisms
6. Decomposer organisms
7. Nutrient cycles

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PROPERTIES OF H2O

• Buoyancy
• - the upward force water exerts on an
  object submersed in it.
• - this provides support for organisms living
  in water
• 2. Heat capacity
• - the ability of water to absorb heat
  without an increase in temperature
• 3. Surface tension
• - holds water molecules together
• 4. Polarity
• - water molecule has a slightly charged
  and pole
• - water is a good solvent
• - frozen water

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FRESH WATER ECOSYSTEMS

• Two general types
• Lentic standing bodies of water ( lakes, ponds
  and inland wetlands)
• Lotic flowing bodies of water (streams and
  rivers)

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LENTIC ZONESBy photosynthesis

1. Littoral zone area near the shore at the top of
   the water that receives sunlight and extends down
   to where rooted plants stop growing.
2. Limnetic zone area of open water at the top of
   the water that receives sunlight and
   photosynthesis takes place.
3. Profundal zone deep open water, too deep for
   photosynthesis.
4. Benthic zone bottom of the lake

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LENTIC ZONESBy Temperature

1. Epilimnion upper layer of warm water, has more
   dissolved oxygen.
2. Hypolimnion lower layer of colder, denser
   water, has less dissolved oxygen.
3. Thermocline is the area in between in which
   temperature decreases rapidly with depth.

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TYPES OF LAKES

1. Oligotrophic newly-formed lake, small supply of
   plant nutrients, deep w/steep banks/ low primary
   production.
2. Eutrophic large, excessive supply of nutrients/
   high primary production/ can be created by
   pollution
3. Mesotrophic between other two types/
   transitional lake

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STREAMS

• Source zone
• - area where a stream begins
• - usually cold mountain water with high
  dissolved oxygen content
• 2. Transition zone
• - where wider, deeper streams form
• - still moving fairly quickly
• 3. Floodplain zone
• - wider, deeper rivers
• - flow slowly with decreased oxygen content

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OTHER FORMS OF WATER

1. Surface water water that does not sink into the
   soil
2. Runoff surface water that ends up running into
   a stream
3. Watershed the land area that contributes runoff
   sediment and dissolved substances to a stream

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AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM PROJECT

• Student will create a poster showing the water
  source of one South Carolina river basin. It will
  indicate the beginning of the source and follow
  its flow until it reaches the ocean.
• Key locations along the path will be identified.
• Contributing streams will be identified along
  with any lakes or large bodies of water.
• 3 colors will be used.
• All text will be in 12 font typed lettering.
• Project is due October 26
• If received early, extra credit will be awarded.

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REVIEW

• Name the two most important characteristics of an
  aquatic ecosystem.
• a. water/ temperature/ dissolved oxygen/
  photosynthetic organisms
• What does buoyancy mean?
• a. the force of the water pushing up on an
  object submerged in it
• Why are water molecules called polar?
• a. each side has a slight or - charge

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Review cont.

• 4. Name the two types of water ecosystems?
• a. Lentic/ Lotic
• 5. Which type is standing water and which type is
  flowing water?
• Describe the benthic zone.
• a. low oxygen/ dark/ cold/ low production/
  little diversity
• 7. Describe the Littoral zone?
• a. high oxygen/ light/ warmer/ high
  production/ large diversity

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REVIEW CONT.

• Which is a newly formed lake?
• a. Eutrophic b. Mesotrophic c. Oligotrophic
• c. Oligotrophic lake
• 9. Which is a mature lake?
• a. Eutrophic lake
• 10. Describe a Oligotrophic lake?
• a. newly formed, deep, steep banks, low
  primary production, few plants
• 11. What is the place where a stream begins
  called?
• a. source
• 12. Describe a water shed.
• a. land area that provides water to a city,
  contributes runoff sediment and dissolved
  subtances to a stream.

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ESTUARIES AND WETLANDS

• Estuaries
• a partially enclosed area of coastal water
  where sea water mixes with freshwater and
  nutrients from rivers, streams, and runoff.
• Wetlands
• areas on land that can be covered with water
• Coastal wetlands with salt or brackish water
  (bays, sounds, mangrove forests, salt marshes)
• Inland wetlands with fresh water (marshes,
  swamps, floodplains, bogs, and fens)

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MANGROVE SWAMPS/ FORESTS

1. Live in muddy coastal areas
2. Large flowering plants, never completely
   submerged
3. Thrive in sediment rich lagoons, bays, and
   estuaries (subtropical or tropical)
4. Distribution depends on temperature and rainfall
5. Have intricate network of arching prop roots
6. Seeds germinate on the trees and drop to the
   water or substrate.
7. Root when bottom settles in substrate

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TYPES OF WETLANDS

• Salt marshes
• a. found in temperate zones
• b. usually at river mouths on coastal
• plains.
• c. dominated by grasses
• 2. Coastal fresh marshes
• a. located directly inland from salt
• marshes
• b. tides have an effect and salt content is
• low

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SC SALT MARSHES

• Salt marsh grass
• a. Spartina alterniflora cord grass
• b. base of energy pyramid
• 2. Functions as
• a. food source
• b. nursery
• c. filter
• d. buffer
• e. shelter

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WETLANDS TYPES II

• 3. Vernal pools
• a. pools that fill up in spring and dry
• up in summer
• b. a type of marsh w/o fish, but serve
• as breeding grounds
• c. not flowing water source
• 4. Prairie potholes
• a. shallow depression formed by retreating
• glaciers from the Ice Age.
• b. found in upper midwest, a type of marsh

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WETLANDS TYPES III

• 5. Swamps
• a. dominated by woody shrubs and
• trees
• b. can be fresh or salt water
• (include mangroves)
• 6. Bogs
• - peat lands formed by plant
• decomposition, usually cooler temps
• - have poorly drained, acidic soil

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SC FRESHEATER SWAMPS

• Show slide presentations

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WETLAND TYPES IV

• 7. Pocosins
• - boggy shrub wetlands ( Va. SC)
• - a warm temp bog
• 8. Forested floodplain wetlands
• - wetlands that occur along larger
• rivers

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MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

• Coastal zone (90 of marine species live here)
• a. from the highest point on land that high
  tide reaches to the continental shelf.
• b. Continental shelf is the shallow sea bed
  surrounding a continent
• c. Intertidal zone
• that part of the coast that is
  submerged at high tide and exposed at low
  tide.
• - contains tide pools
• d. water tends to be warm, shallow, with
  many nutrients. (sunlight, runoff)

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MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
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CORAL REEFS

1. Limestone ridges made from coral polyps.
2. Coral polyps secret limestone as a skeleton and
   when they die the skeleton remains and new polyps
   build on them.
3. Are formed only in clear warm water, subtropics
   and tropics

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THREATS TO CORAL REEFS

• Temperature
• Fresh water
• Muddy
• Polluted
• Too high in nutrients

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OPEN OCEAN

• Euphotic Zone
• - uppermost area of ocean
• - highest levels of sunlight,
  photosynthesis, dissolved oxygen
• - lowest levels of nutrients
• - can get nutrients from upwellings

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BATHYAL ZONE

• Middle Zone
• - dimly-lit, little photosynthesis
• - low dissolved oxygen
• - begins at about 1500 meters and goes to
  ocean floor
• - most nutrients are debris that is
  floating through on its way to the ocean floor

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ABYSSAL ZONE

• Bottom of ocean
• - no light
• - even less dissolved oxygen
• - no photosynthesis
• - special adaptations for high pressure and
  other conditions

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