Ecology Chapter 7

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Ecology Chapter 7

• Aquatic Ecosystems

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Standard 5 - Biomes

• Examine the major freshwater and marine
  ecosystems
• CLE 3255.5.3,.4,.5
• Obj
• Describe the factors and characteristics that
  determine each water biome and the organisms that
  live there
• Freshwater Biome

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Sec. 1 Freshwater Ecosystems

• Wetland - land that is periodically under water
• Factors that determine which organisms live in an
  area are
• salinity, temperature, oxygen, sunlight, and
  nutrients
• Include lakes, ponds, swamps, and marshes

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Types of Organisms

• Plankton float near the surface
• 2 Types
• 1.) Phytoplankton - microscopic plants
• 2.) Zooplankton - microscopic animals
• Nekton free swimming organisms - fish, turtles,
  whales, etc.
• Benthos bottom dwellers - muscles, worms,
  bacteria, etc.

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Lakes and Ponds

• Lakes, ponds, wetlands, rivers, streams
• 2 Zones
• 1.) Littoral - near the shore
• 2.) Benthic - bottom of the lake or pond -
  decomposers, insect larvae, and clams
• Eutrophication - increase in the amount of
  nutrients in an aquatic ecosystems
• Can cause damage to the lake and life

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Swamps and Marshes

• Swamps dominated by woody plants such as trees
  and shrubs
• Occur on flat, poorly drained land often near
  streams
• Variety of plant and animal life exists

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Swamp
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Marshes

• Contain non-woody plants such as cattails
• Florida Everglades is the largest freshwater
  wetland in US
• Occur in low, flat lands and have little water
  movement
• Several kinds of marshes each with its own
  characteristics and salinity

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Freshwater Marsh
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Rivers

• Most originate from snow melt in mountains
• Changes with the land and climate through which
  it flows
• Runoff effects the growth and health of the water
  and organisms
• Life adapts to the different parts of the river
  (flow, temp, etc.)

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Standard 5 - Biomes

• Examine the major freshwater and marine
  ecosystems
• CLE 3255.5.3,.4,.5
• Obj
• Describe the factors and characteristics that
  determine each water biome and the organisms that
  live there
• Marine Biome

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Sec. 7-2 Marine Ecosystems

• Located mainly in coastal areas and in the open
  ocean
• Organisms in coastal areas adapt to changes in
  water level and salinity
• In open ocean they adapt to temperature, amount
  of sunlight and nutrients

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Coastal Wetlands

• Covered by salt water for all or part of the time
• Estuaries, Marshes, and Swamps
• Provide habitat and nesting for many fish and
  wildlife
• Absorb excess rain, protects areas from flooding

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Estuaries

• An area in which fresh water from rivers mixes
  with salt water from the ocean
• Very productive ecosystems because they
  constantly receive fresh nutrients

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Estuaries Plants and Animals

• Receives lots of sunlight and plenty of nutrients
  for plants and animals
• Provide protected harbors and access to the
  ocean, and connection to the river

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Threats to Estuaries

• In populated areas, used as places to dump wastes
• Pollutants can destroy breaks down over time,
  but estuaries cannot cope with the amounts
  produced by large human populations

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Salt Marshes

• Develop in estuaries where rivers dump mineral
  rich mud
• Breeding ground for clams, fish, birds, shrimps,
  and crabs
• Absorb pollutants and protect inland areas

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Mangrove Swamps

• Located along coastal areas of tropical and
  subtropical zones
• Mangrove trees dominate these areas
• Grow partly submerged in warm shallow waters
• Help protect the coastline from erosion and
  reduce damage from storms

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Rocky and Sandy Shores

• Rocky shores have more plants and animals than
  sandy shores
• Rocks provide anchors and protection to the
  organisms
• Sandy shores often dry out and organisms get
  stranded

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Coral Reefs

• Built by tiny coral animals that secrete
  limestone which slowly accumulate to form the
  coral reef
• Live only in clear and warm salt water with
  sunlight for photosynthesis
• Among the most diverse ecosystem on Earth

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Two types of Corals

• Hard Coral

• Soft Coral

• Brain Coral and elkhorn coral
• Build coral reefs

• Sea fingers and sea whips
• Do not build coral reefs

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Types of Reefs

• Fringing reefs are reefs that form along a
  coastline. They grow on the continental shelf in
  shallow water.
• Barrier reefs grow parallel to shorelines, but
  farther out, usually separated from the land by a
  deep lagoon.
• Coral Atolls are rings of coral that grow on top
  of old, sunken volcanoes in the ocean.

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Humans and coral reefs

• Fragile ecosystem
• 27 of coral reefs in the world are in danger of
  destruction from human activities
• Oil spills, sewage, pesticides, and silt runoff
  have been linked to coral reef destruction

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Human interaction (cont.)

• Over fishing can deplete fish populations and
  upset the reefs balance
• Reefs grow slowly so may not be able to overcome
  repair the damage

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Oceans

• Sunlight that is usable only goes to about 100m
  (330ft) into the ocean before the sunlight is
  absorbed
• Much of the oceans life is concentrated in the
  shallow, coastal waters
• Seaweed and algae grow anchored to rocks,
  phytoplankton float near the surface,
  invertebrates that feed on these are also
  concentrated near the shore

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Plants and Animals of the Ocean

• In open ocean least productive of all ecosystems
• Phytoplankton only grow in area where there is
  enough sunlight
• Zooplankton live near the surface with the
  phytoplankton they feed on
• The larger organisms come closer to the surface
  to feed on these organisms
• Decomposers, filter feeders that do not depend on
  sunlight dwell in the depths

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Sunlit zone or the Euphotic zone

• Plants

• Animals

• include most ocean fishincluding
• sharks and rays, man-o'-war, jellyfish, sea
  turtles, seals, coral, and zooplankton

• Primary Producers
• Free-floating algae -- often called seaweed
• Red algae
• Green algae
• Brown algae
• Phytoplankton -- tiny, one-celled photosynthetic
  plankton like diatoms, dinoflagellates,

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Intertidal zone where the land and sea meet
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Threats to Oceans

• Steadily becoming polluted
• Most pollution come from activities on land due
  to runoff
• Over-fishing and certain fishing methods also
  destroying fish populations
• Nets can drown or strangle animals that must
  return to the surface to breathe when they get
  caught in them

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Artic Antartic Ecosystems

• Artic Ocean gets nutrients from the surrounding
  land masses
• Supports whales, seals, ocean birds, polar bears,
  and provide food for people
• Antartic only continent never colonized by humans
  - used mainly for research
• Only a few plants grow
• Artic plankton feed the fish, whales, and
  penguins that live there