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    Aquatic Ecosystems

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    Partha hr
    This document provides an overview of various aquatic ecosystems. It describes freshwater ecosystems like lakes, ponds, wetlands, and rivers. It explains the organisms that live in these environments like plankton, nekton, benthos, and decomposers. It also discusses threats to these ecosystems from pollution, development, and climate change. Finally, it covers marine ecosystems like estuaries, salt marshes, coral reefs, oceans, and polar regions as well as threats they face.

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    Aquatic Ecosystems

    Uploaded by

    Partha hr
    22 views25 pages
    This document provides an overview of various aquatic ecosystems. It describes freshwater ecosystems like lakes, ponds, wetlands, and rivers. It explains the organisms that live in these environments like plankton, nekton, benthos, and decomposers. It also discusses threats to these ecosystems from pollution, development, and climate change. Finally, it covers marine ecosystems like estuaries, salt marshes, coral reefs, oceans, and polar regions as well as threats they face.

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    Aquatic Ecosystems (3)

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    This document provides an overview of various aquatic ecosystems. It describes freshwater ecosystems like lakes, ponds, wetlands, and rivers. It explains the organisms that live in these environments like plankton, nekton, benthos, and decomposers. It also discusses threats to these ecosystems from pollution, development, and climate change. Finally, it covers marine ecosystems like estuaries, salt marshes, coral reefs, oceans, and polar regions as well as threats they face.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    22 views25 pages

    Aquatic Ecosystems

    Uploaded by

    Partha hr
    This document provides an overview of various aquatic ecosystems. It describes freshwater ecosystems like lakes, ponds, wetlands, and rivers. It explains the organisms that live in these environments like plankton, nekton, benthos, and decomposers. It also discusses threats to these ecosystems from pollution, development, and climate change. Finally, it covers marine ecosystems like estuaries, salt marshes, coral reefs, oceans, and polar regions as well as threats they face.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 25

    Environmental Science

    Ecosystem

    Aquatic Ecosystems
    Freshwater Ecosystems

    • Lakes and Ponds


    • Wetlands
    • Rivers

    • Factors affecting which organisms live in freshwater


    ecosystems
    • Temperature
    • Sunlight
    • Oxygen
    • Nutrients
    Aquatic Ecosystem Organisms
    • Plankton
    • Organisms that float near the surface
    • Two types
    • Phytoplankton – produce most food for ecosystem
    • Zooplankton – microscopic animals
    • Nekton
    • Free-swimming organisms
    • Fish, turtles, whales
    • Benthos
    • Bottom-dwelling organisms
    • Mussels, worms, barnacles
    • Decomposers
    • Break down dead organisms
    Lakes and Ponds

    • Layers of a Lake
    –Littoral zone
    • Top layer near the shore
    • Nutrient rich
    • Plants are rooted in mud
    • Plants make energy from photosynthesis
    – Depend on sunlight
    –Benthic zone
    • Bottom of the lake
    • Bacteria lives here
    • No sunlight reaches this layer
    • Dead organisms are consumed by decomposers
    Lakes and Ponds, cont.

    • Eutrophication
    • Increase of nutrients
    • Occurs when a large amount of plant growth in a lake or pond
    • Increases amount of bacteria
    • Bacteria uses up oxygen
    • Eventually not enough oxygen for organisms
    • Runoff can accelerate eutrophication
    • Sewage, fertilizers, animal wastes
    Freshwater Wetlands
    • Areas of lands covered in water for at least part of the year
    • Two types – marshes and swamps
    • Environmental Functions
    • Absorb and remove pollutants
    • Control flooding by absorbing extra water
    • Provide homes for wildlife
    • Prevent against erosion
    • Provide recreational areas for fishing, etc.
    • Provide breeding grounds for fish and shellfish
    Marshes

    • Occur in low, flat lands


    • Have little water movement
    • Plants root in sediment under water
    • Reeds, rushes, cattails
    • Water birds have adapted to marshes
    • Heron – spearlike beak to grab fish
    • Ducks – flat beak to sift through water for fish
    • Kinds of marshes according to salinity
    • Brackish marshes – slightly salty water
    • Salt marshes – saltier water
    Swamps

    • Flat, poorly drained land near streams


    • Types of swamps
    • Mangrove swamps
    • In warm climates near the ocean (salt water)
    • Freshwater swamps
    • Ideal environment for amphibians
    • Swamps attract birds and reptiles
    • Wood ducks, alligators
    Human Impact on Wetlands

    • Wetlands were considered wastelands where insects breed


    • Humans drained the wetlands for this reason

    • Important roles now recognized


    • Purifiers for wastewater
    • Flood prevention
    • Habitats for wildlife

    • Most states have laws against the destruction of wetlands


    Rivers

    • Many begin from snow melt in mountains


    • Cold, full of oxygen, fast moving

    • River flows down the mountain


    • Becomes wider, warmer, slower, less oxygen

    • A river changes depending on the land and climate it is


    flowing through
    Life in a River

    • Mosses
    • Anchor to rocks with roots called rhizoids
    • Plankton
    • Live further down stream in warmer water
    • Trout and minnows
    • Live at the headwaters (strong current)
    • Plants
    • Some are rooted in the river’s sediment
    • Leaves will vary in shape depending on river’s current
    Rivers in Danger

    • Industries polluting the water


    • Kills organisms
    • Makes fish inedible

    • Runoff from land


    • Puts pesticides in the river and sediment

    • Dams
    • Change the ecosystem in and around river
    Marine Ecosystems

    • Coastal Wetlands
    • Areas covered by salt water for all or part of the time
    • Many fish and wildlife live here
    • Absorb excess rain
    • Helps to avoid flooding problems
    • Filter out pollutants and sediments
    • Are recreational areas for boating, fishing, etc
    Estuaries

    • Estuary
    • Area where fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from an
    ocean
    • Currents form here
    • Cause mud and nutrients to fall to the bottom
    • Marsh grasses will begin to grow here
    • Constantly receiving fresh nutrients
    • Makes it a very productive ecosystem
    Plants and Animals of Estuaries

    • Rooted plants
    • Sunlight can reach the bottom since water is shallow
    • Nutrient supply is always high
    • Plankton live here
    • Mammals feed on plankton
    • Dolphins, manatees, seals
    • Oysters, clams feed on the plants
    • All organisms that live here can tolerate various
    levels of salinity
    Threats to Estuaries

    • Ports are built over estuaries


    • Provides easy access to oceans
    • Usually populated areas surround an estuary
    • Waste is dumped in the estuary
    • Pollutants
    • Sewage
    • Industrial waste containing toxic chemicals
    • Agricultural runoff containing pesticides, fertilizers
    Salt Marshes

    • Develop in estuaries where rivers deposit their load of


    mineral-rich mud
    • Clams, fish, aquatic birds live here
    • Protects young animals when small
    • Shrimp
    • Crab
    • Fish
    • When older, they migrate to the sea
    • Absorbs pollutants
    • Protect inland areas
    Mangrove Swamps

    • Located along coastal areas of tropical and subtropical zones


    • Mangrove trees are the main plant
    • Protects the coastline from erosion
    • Reduces damage from storms
    • Many animals use as a breeding grounds
    • Sometimes filled with waste and destroyed
    Rocky and Sandy Shores

    • Rocky Shores
    • Many plants anchor to rocks
    • Many animals live on the rocks
    • Anemones
    • Mussels
    • Sponges
    • Sandy Shores
    • Dry out when tide goes out
    • Tiny organisms live off of plankton
    • Barrier islands
    • Land that runs parallel to the shore
    • Protect the mainland and coastal wetlands
    Coral Reefs

    • Limestone ridges built by tiny coral animals called


    polyps
    • They secrete skeletons of limestone
    • Calcium carbonate
    • Thousands of plants and animals live here
    • Most diverse ecosystem on Earth
    • Live in clear, warm salt water
    • Live in shallow water so sunlight can reach
    • They are predators that never chase their prey
    • Stinging tentacles to capture organisms that float by
    Disappearing Coral Reefs
    • Corals die if:
    • Water becomes too hot or too cold
    • Fresh water drains into the water near reef
    • Water is too muddy, polluted or too high in nutrients
    • Causes of coral reef destruction
    • Oil spills
    • Sewage
    • Pesticides
    • Silt runoff
    • Overfishing
    • Careless divers
    • Shipwrecks
    • Ships dropping anchor
    • People breaking off pieces
    Oceans

    • Animals
    • Phytoplankton
    • Live where light and nutrients are (shallow water)
    • Have flagella to keep them from sinking deeper
    • Zooplankton
    • Feed on phytoplankton near surface
    • Examples
    • Jellyfish
    • Tiny shrimp
    • Larvae of fish, oysters, lobsters
    • Decomposers
    • Live on bottom of ocean
    • Consume dead organisms
    Threats to the Oceans

    • Pollution
    • Industrial waste
    • Sewage
    • Plant nutrients (fertilizers, etc.)

    • Overfishing and nets


    • Animals can get tangled in nets and die
    Arctic and Antarctic Ecosystems

    • North and South Poles


    • Large population of plankton
    • Many fish eat the plankton
    • Birds, whales, seals feed on the fish
    • Fish and seals feed the polar bears
    • Antarctic is not populated by humans
    • Mainly used for research purposes
    Assignment Done by

    -TEJAS KR
    -PRADEEP HR
    -HARISH D
    -MITHUN MS

    Thank you……

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