water 2. Freshwater: 2.5% of Earth’s water a. Greatest amount is found in polar ice caps and glaciers b. 0.01% available for use The Oceans 1. The ocean is divided into 5 oceans (Southern Ocean was added in 2000) 2. Pacific ocean is the largest; more than ½ of Earth’s water & covers ⅓ of Earth’s surface 3. Oceans have changed over time due to plate tectonics Aquatic Life Zones 1. Aquatic Life Zone: biomes of water 2. Saltwater versus Freshwater 3. Distribution of organisms is determined by salinity (Salt content) of water 4. Saltwater (marine) life zones include: Oceans & bays Estuaries Coastal wetlands Shorelines Coral reefs Mangrove forests 5. Freshwater life zones include: Lakes and ponds Rivers and streams Inland wetlands Organisms in the Life Zones 1. Plankton: weakly swimming, free-floating Phytoplankton: algae Zooplankton: 1° consumers; eat plankton & 2° consumers zooplankton Ultraplankton: very small photosynthetic plankton 70% of primary productivity of ocean 2. Nekton: strong swimming consumers such as fish, 4. Decomposers (bacteria) break turtles, & whales down dead organic matter & waste into nutrients 3. Benthos: bottom dwellers (sessile); such as oysters & sea stars Abiotic Factors that Determine types and Numbers of Organisms
1. Salinity (salt concentration)
2. Light penetrates to depth of 30 m (100 ft) below water surface 3. Currents / waves: present or absent 4. Level of essential nutrients: upwelling brings nitrates (NO3–) and phosphates (PO43–) from ocean bottom to surface Abiotic Factors that Determine types and Numbers of Organisms 5. Dissolved oxygen (DO); varies according to temperature and number of consumers 6. pH 7. Temperature; decreases with water depth Marine Life Zones 1. 3 factors that divide the ocean into marine life zones sunlight distance from shore water depth
Turbidity: degree to which
the water loses its transparency due to the presence of suspended particulates. The more turbid, the less sunlight can penetrate through and the less photosynthesis Coastal Zone 1. Characteristics: Warm, nutrient rich shallow water Extends from high tide mark on land to edge of continental shelf Less than 10% of ocean area Contains 90% of all marine species Site of most large commercial fisheries High net primary productivity from photosynthesis 2. Examples Estuaries Coastal marshes Mangrove forests Coral reefs Estuaries: Where River Meets the Sea Estuaries provide buffers against coastal storm impacts and nursery areas for many commercial and recreational fish. Ecosystem Services of Aquatic Environments 1. Ecosystem services: the benefits that humans get from the ecosystems where they live and around the world. 2. These are typically not benefits that people pay for directly; often we are unaware that we are getting anything at all. Mangrove Forests
1. Mangroves: trees & shrubs that grow in intertidal zones of
estuaries, coastlines, and islands. 2. Form a forest in the tidal zone between land and sea. 3. Found in tropical and subtropical areas 4. Thrive in areas of high salinity Mangrove trees have aerial roots that filter salt out of saltwater 5. Rich in biodiversity! home to countless species of animals, including fish, shrimp, crabs, mollusks, manatees, sea turtles, fishing cats, monitor lizards and mud-skipper fish. Coral Reefs 1. “Rainforest of the Sea” 2. Less than 0.1% of ocean surface, but contain 25% of all marine species 3. Zooxanthella are single- celled algae that live in the tissues of animals such as corals Mutualistic relationship between algae (algae give food & O2 for coral & coral provide protected environment & CO2 for photosynthesis) represents a highly efficient exchange of nutrients in a nutrient- poor environment. Ecosystem Services of Coral Reefs Intertidal Zone 1. Adaptations of organisms living in Intertidal Zone: Organisms must be able to avoid being swept away (many are sessile) or crushed by waves (hard exoskeleton) Must be able to survive being immersed in water in high tide and exposed to air in low tide Must be able to survive changing salinity levels Open Sea
1. Great increase in water
depth 2. Divided into 3 vertical zones based on the penetration of sunlight 3. Temperature decreases with water depth 1. Characteristics of Euphotic Zone: Euphotic Brightly lit upper zone Drifting phytoplankton carry out 40% Zone of world’s photosynthetic activity Low nutrient levels High levels of dissolved oxygen Organisms: large, fast swimming fish such as swordfish, sharks, & bluefin tuna 2. Upwelling: ocean currents driven by differences in temperatures or by coastal winds bring water up from abyssal zone Brings nutrients from ocean bottom to the upper levels Producers use nutrients 1. Characteristics of Bathyal Zone Bathyal Zone Middle zone Receives little sunlight Zooplankton and smaller fishes (may migrate to upper surface to feed) Also contains squid, large whales, and octopi The fish in this zone have become very energy efficient, since it is especially hard to find nutrients. Many organisms have slow metabolic rates to conserve energy. Abyssal Zone 1. Characteristics of the Abyssal Zone: Dark and very cold No photosynthesis Little dissolved oxygen 2. “Marine snow”: dead and decaying organisms that drift down from upper levels Freshwater Ecosystems Standing Water Life Zones 1. Also called lentic (Latin : lentus which means sluggish) 2. Form when precipitation, runoff, streams, rivers, & groundwater seepage fill depressions in Earth’s surface 3. Vary in size, depth, & nutrient content Zones of a Lake Littoral Zone 1. Top zone near the shore 2. Consists of shallow, sunlit waters to depth at which rooted plants stop growing 3. High biodiversity because of ample sunlight & nutrient input from surrounding land 4. Organisms consists of: rooted plants, turtles, frogs, crayfish, bass, perch, and carp Limnetic Zone 1. Open, sunlit surface layer away from the shore 2. Extends to depth penetrated by sunlight 3. Main photosynthetic zone; produces food and O2 that support the consumers 4. Most abundant organisms are phytoplankton & zooplankton 5. Large species of fish live here Profundal Zone 1. Layer of deep, open water where it is too dark for photosynthesis 2. Cell Respiration occurs in all layers; this is a layer of oxygen consumption; O2 levels low 3. Fish are adapted to cooler, darker water Benthic Zone 1. Bottom layer 2. Decomposers, detritus feeders & some benthos fish live here 3. Nutrients come from dead organic matter from littoral & limnetic zones & sediments washed into lake Oligotrophic Lakes 1. "Oligo" means very little; have very little nutrients (N & P) 2. Deep and has steep banks 3. Glaciers & mountain streams supply water 4. Not much sediment brought into lake 5. Clear water; not much algae 6. Rocky or sandy bottom 7. Fish include small mouth bass and trout 8. Little photosynthesis so low primary productivity Eutrophic Lake 1. Truly nutrient rich (N & P) 2. Shallow and have murky water and mucky, soft bottoms. 3. Also have a lot of plants and algae 4. Nutrients support high densities of algae, fish and other aquatic organisms 5. With all of the biomass, there is a lot of decomposition occurring at the bottom which uses up O2 6. decomposition uses up O2 causing the bottom of the lake to become anoxic (depleted of O2 ) causing fish kills Mesotrophic Lake
1. Meso means middle; medium
amount of nutrients (N & P) 2. Algae carry out photosynthesis; supply O2 for fish 3. Fish include sport fish such as walleye, perch, and smallmouth bass Lake Turnover
Water is densest Spring: Summer: Autumn:
at 4° C Ice melts, & Lake regains Surface water Winter: coldest surface water thermal cools & sinks H2O lies just warms to 4°C & stratification, with below underlying below surface ice; sinks, eliminating warm surface layers, remixes water temperature H2O separated the water until the progressively differences. from cold bottom surface begins to warmer at deeper Winds mix water, water by narrow freeze & winter levels, resulting in brings O2 to zone of rapid temperature thermal bottom & temp change profile is re- stratification nutrients to top. (thermocline) established Zones of a Stream Source Zone 1. Headwaters or highland streams 2. Shallow, cold, clear, & swiftly flowing 3. Water tumbles downward over rocks, waterfalls, rapids & picks up O2 from air 4. Not much photosynthesis; low primary productivity 5. Nutrients come from organic matter (leaves, branches, & bodies of living and dead insects) 6. Fish: cold water such as trout that need a lot of dissolved O2 Transition Zone
1. Streams merge and form wider,
deeper, and warmer streams 2. Flow down gentler slopes with fewer obstacles 3. Can be more turbid from sediment, slower flowing, and have less DO than headwaters Floodplain Zone 1. Streams join into wider and deeper rivers that flow across broad, flat valleys. 2. Water is warmer and has less DO than source and transitional zones 3. Water tends to be very turbid with suspended sediment 4. San Jacinto River in the Humble / Atascocita area is in the floodplain zone Riparian Zone 1. Areas that surround water bodies in the watershed, composed of moist to saturated soils, water-loving plant species & their associated ecosystems. 2. Transition areas that connect the water with the land 3. Complex interactions among the water, soil, microorganisms, plants and animals 4. Corridors for wildlife to travel between ecosystems Ecosystem Services of Riparian Zones 1. Healthy riparian zones filter and purify water for drinking, irrigation and recreation 2. Vegetation and soils in riparian zones soak up and store water during high rainfall events 3. Stream corridor vegetation gives stability to stream banks and prevent erosion 4. Help to regulate greenhouse gases by producing large volumes of trees that remove CO2 from atmosphere 5. Complex interrelationships between microorganisms, plants and nutrients in riparian areas help to break down contaminants that we discharge into the environment