Water Biomes:

Recognized by characteristics such as depth, movement, amounts of nutrients, oxygen and salt.

Include: Marine and Freshwater Biomes

Marine Biome:

The oceans and seas make up the marine biome, which covers over 70% of the Earth.

Very salty water – organisms must be adapted to high amounts of salt Contains many smaller ecosystems that support a wide variety of organisms

Marine Ecosystems:

Coral Reefs: An example of a marine ecosystem.

Found in warm shallow marine water Provide food and shelter for many organisms Sometimes called the “rainforests” of the oceans as they are the homes of many organisms

Intertidal Zone:

Most marine organisms can be found near the shores or the surface of the oceans.

The area of the shore that the ocean covers at high tide and leaves at low tide.

Organisms must be able to survive in the salty water, live both underwater and in air, tolerate changes in temperature, and withstand the force of the waves.

Examples: Worms and clams burrow under the sand; mussels and barnacles attach themselves to rocks.

Open Ocean:

As you move away from the intertidal zone, the

sea floor (called the Benthic zone) is always

under water.

However, there are different conditions at different depths.

The amount of light, temperature, and pressure changes as you go deeper into the ocean.

At, and near, the surface of the ocean, which gets the most sunlight, organisms can use the energy from the sun to carry out photosynthesis. Called the Photic Zone.

Example: Tiny photosynthetic algae and other organisms in water are know as plankton.

Plankton are the food source for tiny animals, some types of fish and even whales

Open Ocean: Continued

Down deeper, there is little or no sunlight, higher pressure and lower temperature.

Animal adaptations – some have the ability to glow. It may use this to attract prey or a signal to mate.

Some organisms use chemicals to make their food (chemosynthesis)

Open Ocean: Continued

Others feed on material that drifts down from above or feed on other deep ocean organisms.

Freshwater Biome:

Little or no salt in the water Example: Rivers and Streams Ecosystems

Freshwater Biome: Continued

Rivers and streams are formed by running waters from precipitation or melting snow.

Other Examples:

Lakes and Ponds Ecosystems

Are still waters that collect in low areas Organisms are adapted to living in water with little or no salt and changing levels of nutrients and oxygen.

There are different amounts of water movement.

Estuary Ecosystem: the boundary between

freshwater and marine biomes.

Rivers and Streams Ecosystems:

Water can move very quickly Organisms have to be adapted to prevent them from being carried away by the moving water. Ex. Mosses and tine shelled animals attach themselves to rock or burrow into the soil.

Other organisms, like fish, swim and control their movement through rivers and streams.

Rushing water tends to have more oxygen than still water because of the swirling and splashing of the rushing water mixing oxygen from the air into the river or stream.

Nutrients are washed into the rivers and streams from the land. They are carried downstream.

Slower rivers and streams often have less oxygen and more nutrients.

Lakes and Ponds Ecosystems

Rivers and streams can empty into a lake or pond.

Ponds are usually smaller and more shallow than lakes.

Sunlight is often able to reach the bottom.

Photosynthetic organisms are able to grow providing food for other organisms.

Lakes tend to be large and deeper bodies of water.

Plankton may be able to only get enough light to grow near the surface of a lake.

Plants may be able to grow in the shallow water near the shore.

Amounts of oxygen and nutrients vary in lakes.

Fish, frogs and many types of birds can be found in or near lakes and ponds.

Estuary Ecosystem:

Where rivers and streams meet the ocean, there is a mixing of salty water with fresh water.

The boundary between freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Nutrients carried by rivers and streams empty into the estuary.

Plants are able to grow providing food and shelter for many organisms.

The young of many fish mature before heading out into the ocean.

Many sea birds also build their nests and raise their young here.