Transcript You Light Up My Life

Aquatic Ecosystems
Chapter 7
Aquatic Environments:
Types and Characteristics

Aquatic life zones
• Saltwater
• Freshwater
The Aquatic World
Fig. 5-23a, p. 96
Organisms in Aquatic Life Zones
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Phytoplankton
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Zooplankton
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Nekton- Strong swimming
(fish, sharks, etc.)
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Benthos - Bottom-dwelling
(crabs, shellfish, worms)
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Decomposers
Free
floating
Factors that Limit Life
with Water Depth
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Temperature
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Sunlight (photosynthesis, euphotic zone)
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Dissolved oxygen content
Availability of nutrients (like phosphorus and
nitrates- net primary productivity)
Saltwater Life Zones
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Open ocean
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Coastal zone
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Estuaries
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Coastal wetlands
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Mangrove swamps
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Intertidal zones (rocky shores and barrier
beaches)
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Coral reefs
Major Life Zones in the Ocean
High tide
Low tide
Coastal Zone
Open Sea
Sun
Euphotic Zone
Estuarine
Zone
Twilight
Continental
shelf
Bathyal Zone
•Bathyal zone
Abyssal Zone
Darkness
Biological Zones in Open Sea:
•Euphotic zone
Photosynthesis
Sea level
•Abyssal zone
Fig. 5-26, p. 98
Marine Ecosystems
Natural Capital
Marine Ecosystems
Ecological
Services
Economic
Services
Climate moderation
Food
CO2 absorption
Animal and pet feed (fish meal)
Nutrient cycling
Pharmaceuticals
Waste treatment and dilution
Harbors and transportation routes
Reduced storm impact (mangrove,
barrier islands, coastal wetlands)
Coastal habitats for humans
Recreation
Habitats and nursery areas for
marine and terrestrial species
Employment
Genetic resources and biodiversity
Offshore oil and natural gas
Scientific information
Minerals
Building materials
Fig. 5-25, p. 97
Estuaries
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Where freshwater and saltwater meet.
Highly variable environment
(salinity, temperature, light penetration
rapidly changes).
Many fishes and shellfish spend larval
stages here.
Sediment Plume in an Estuary
Madagascar’s
Betsiboka River
flowing into
Mozambique
Channel
Fig. 5-27, p. 98
Estuaries
Two general types:
1) Salt marshes
2)Mangrove forests
Salt Marsh in Lake Titicaca, Peru
Fig. 5-28b, p. 99
Salt Marsh Ecosystem
Herring gulls
Peregrine falcon
Snowy
egret
Cordgrass
Short-billed
dowitcher
Producer
to primary
consumer
Primary
to secondary
consumer
Marsh
periwinkle
Phytoplankton
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
Smelt
Soft-shelled
clam
All producers and
consumers to
decomposers
Zooplankton and
small crustaceans
Clamworm
Bacteria
Fig. 5-28a, p. 99
Marine Ecosystems

Intertidal Zone
Beach Organisms
Sea star
Hermit crab
Shore crab
Rocky Shore Beach
High tide
Periwinkle
Sea urchin
Anemone
Mussel
Low tide
Sculpin
Barnacles
Monterey flatworm
Kelp
Sea lettuce
Nudibranch
Fig. 5-29a, p. 101
Beach Organisms
Barrier beach
Beach flea
Peanut worm
Tiger beetle
Blue crab
Clam
Dwarf
olive
High tide
Sandpiper
Silversides
Low tide
White sand macoma
Sand dollar
Mole
shrimp
Moon snail
Ghost
shrimp
Fig. 5-29b, p. 101
Barrier island – Miami Beach
Primary and Secondary Beach
Dunes
Ocean
Beach
Primary Dune
Intensive recreation,
no building
Trough
Secondary Dune
No direct
Limited
No direct
passage
recreation
passage
or building and walkways or building
Back Dune
Most suitable
for development
Bay or
Lagoon
Intensive
recreation
Bay shore
No filling
Grasses or shrubs
Taller shrubs
Taller shrubs and trees
Fig. 5-30, p. 102
Coral Reef Ecosystem
Gray reef shark
Green sea
turtle
Sea nettle
Producer
to primary
consumer
Fairy basslet
Blue
tangs
Parrot fish
Hard corals
Sergeant major
Algae
Brittle star
Phytoplankton
Symbiotic
algae
Zooplankton
Primary
to secondary
consumer
Banded coral
shrimp
Coney
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
Blackcap basslet
All producers and
consumers to
decomposers
Sponges
Moray
eel
Bacteria
Fig. 5-31, p. 102
Global Distribution of
Coral Reefs
Major Threats to Coral Reefs
Natural Capital Degradation
Coral Reefs
Ocean warming
Soil erosion
Algae growth from fertilizer
runoff
Mangrove destruction
Coral reef bleaching
Rising sea levels
Increased UV exposure
from ozone depletion
Using cyanide and
dynamite to harvest coral
reef fish
Coral removal for building
material, aquariums, and
jewelry
Damage from anchors,
ships, and tourist divers
Fig. 5-32, p. 103
Human Impacts on Marine Ecosystems
Natural Capital Degradation
Marine Ecosystems
Half of coastal wetlands lost
to agriculture and urban
development
Over one-third of mangrove
forests lost since 1980 to
agriculture, development, and
aquaculture shrimp farms
About 10% of world’s beaches
eroding because of coastal
development and rising sea
level
Ocean bottom habitats
degraded by dredging and
trawler fishing boats
Over 25% of coral reefs
severely damaged and 11%
have been destroyed
Fig. 5-33, p. 103
Aquatic Ecosystems

Human Impacts on the Ocean
Aquatic Ecosystems

Human Impacts on the Ocean
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Standing (lentic) water - lakes and
ponds
Flowing (lotic) water - streams
and rivers
Natural Capital
Freshwater Systems
Ecological
Economic
Climate moderationServices
Food
Services
Nutrient cycling
Drinking water
Waste treatment and
dilution
Irrigation water
Where
does our
freshwater
come
from???
Hydroelectricity
Flood control
Groundwater recharge
Habitats for aquatic and
terrestrial species
Transportation
corridors
Recreation
Employment
Genetic resources and
biodiversity
Scientific information
Fig. 5-34, p. 104
Sunlight
Painted
turtle
Green
frog
Blue-winged
teal
Muskrat
Pond
snail
Littoral zone
Limnetic zone
Diving
beetle
Plankton
Profundal zone
Benthic zone
Yellow
perch
Bloodworms
Northern
pike
Fig. 5-35, p. 105
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Lakes and Ponds
Highly productive,
high species richness
Photosynthetically
productive; large fish

Lakes and Ponds
Not always present;
anaerobic, dominated by
decomposers
Thermal
stratification in
temperate lakes

Turnover in
temperate lakes

Oligotrophic- nutrient poor, therefore low net
primary productivity; clear blue-green water
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Eutrophic- nutrient rich with nitrates and
phosphates; lead to increase algae and excessive
growth of producers; murky brown or green water
with poor visibility.
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Animation of river eutrophication
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Surface water- precipitation that does not sink
into the ground.
Runoff
Watershed or drainage basin- area of land
where rivers and streams come together (river basinall the water drains into a large river)
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*Aquifers- porous, water-saturated layers of
sand, gravel or bedrock that are filled from surface
water percolating down through the sediments.
*Water table- upper surface of the zone of
saturation , where all pores between sediment
particles are filled with water.
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Flowing water zones- (Planet Earth)
Source: Tend to be narrow, swift, clear, cold,
nutrient poor, and highly oxygenated; not very
productive
 Transition: warmer, wider, deeper streams, support
more producers than source zone
 Floodplain: Tend to be wide, deeper river meet
valleys. slow, cloudy, warm, nutrient rich, and less
oxygenated; large levels of algae, aquatic plant
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Rain and snow
Lake
Glacier
Rapids
Waterfall
Tributary
Flood plain
Oxbow lake
Salt marsh
Delta
Ocean
Deposited
sediment
Source Zone
Transition Zone
Floodplain Zone
Water
Sediment
Fig. 5-36, p. 106
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Importance of inland wetlands
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Natural sponges/ remove pollutants
Diverse habitats
Types of wetlands
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Marshes (dominated by grasses/reeds)
Swamps (dominated by trees/shrubs)
Prairie potholes (depressions carved out by glaciers)
Floodplains
Arctic tundra (in summer)
Seasonal wetlands
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Freshwater Swamps
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Marsh
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Prairie potholes
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FloodplainMississippi River
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Artic tundra- Alaska in summer
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Dams, diversions and canals - Animation
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Flood control levees and dikes
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Pollutants from cities and farmlands
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Wetland destruction
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Case-in-Point: The Everglades
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Used to cover over 11,000 square miles
flowing from Kissimmee River to Lake
Okeechobee, and then south through the
Everglades to Florida Bay (KOE watershed)
Spans up to 60 miles in width, but can be
only 6 inches in depth in some areas
Considered a hot spot of biodiversity
Only area in the world where Alligators and
Crocodiles exist side by side
Nicknamed “River of Grass” (Marjorie
Stoneman Douglas)
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1905- FL governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward
began the push to drain the Everglades
Miami and Ft. Lauderdale were created when
tracts of land were drained into farmland
1948- Central and South Florida Project (US
congress)-- created man-made canals and levees
moving over 1 billion gallons of water daily into
the ocean
The Everglades is now one half of the size it used
to be due to this change
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CERP (Comprehensive Everglades Restoration
Plan)
30 year, $10.9 billion
 50-50 partnership with FL and US govts
 Improve water quality and water flow
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Flow maps
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Surface Water Storage Reservoirs
Water Preserve Areas
Management of Lake Okeechobee as an Ecological Resource
Improved Water Deliveries to the Estuaries
Underground Water Storage
Treatment Wetlands
Improved Water Deliveries to the Everglades
Removal of Barriers to Sheetflow
Storage of Water in Existing Quarries
Reuse of Wastewater
Improved Water Conservation
Additional Feasibility Studies