Biomes

• Chaparral• Desert• Savanna• Taiga• Temperate Deciduous Forests• Temperate Grassland• Tropical Rain Forest• Tundra

epiphytes

succulents

Biotic factors

Abiotic factors

wetland

• Areas where land is periodically underwater.

plankton

• Organisms that cannot swim against currents, they are drifters. The majority are microscopic.

Nekton

• Free swimming organisms, such as fish, turtles, and whales.

Benthos

• Bottom dwelling organisms, such as mussels, worms, and barnacles.

• (Many live attached to hard surfaces)

Littoral zone

• Nutrient rich zone near the surface of a lake or pond

Benthic Zone

• The bottom of the pond or lake, which is inhabited by decomposers, insect larvae, and clams.

Eutrophication

• An increase in the amount of nutrients in an aquatic ecosystem.

Factor 1 – Salinity(salinity- the amount of dissolved salts in the water)

Fresh Water Ecosystem Marine Ecosystem

Factor 2 - Sunlight

• Sunlight only reaches a certain distance below surface, so it effects the location of where photosynthetic organisms can live

Factors 3 : Oxygen

• Non photosynthetic organisms need oxygen to survive, so the amount of oxygen in an ecosystem determines how much life can be supported there.

Factor 4: Nutrients• All organisms need nutrients to survive, but

too much can be cause eutrophication

Factor 5: Temperature

• Temperature controls the solubility of oxygen. As temperature increases, oxygen is less soluble.

• Also influence the biological activity of aquatic organisms

Grouping of aquatic organisms

• Plankton Nekton Benthos

Ecosystems: Lakes and Ponds

How they form: Naturally, where groundwater reaches Earth’s surface Unnaturally – damming or rivers by humans or beavers

Life in a lake

Life in the littoral zone

Life in the benthic zone

Littoral zone

• Rooted Plants, such as cattails

• Further from shore – no rooted plants, instead there are phytoplankton

• Fish• Insects• amphibians

Benthic Zone

• Bacteria • Decomposers• Fish adapted to cooler

water• Insect larvae• clams

Eutrophication• Eutrophic lake – a lake that has a large amount

of algae and plant growth

Eutrophication

Fresh Water WetlandsMarshes -Contain non woody plants (cattails)

-Tend to have low, flat lands and little water movement

-Benthic zones are nutrient rich and contain plants, decomposers, and scavengers

-Wide variety of water birds (ducks, herons, etc)

-Migratory birds

-Salinity varies(some slightly saline, some as salty as the ocean)

Swamps• Dominated by woody plants

(trees and shrubs)

-Occur on flat, poorly drained land often near streams

Species of trees depends on salinity

Birds such as wood ducks

Ideal habitat for amphibians (frogs, salamanders, etc)

Reptiles (ex. Alligator)

Marsh or Swamp?

Marsh or Swamp?

Marsh or Swamp?

Marsh or Swamp?

Environmental Functions of wetlands

• Absorb and remove pollutants from water that flow through them

• Control flooding by absorbing extra water when rivers overflow

• Provide spawning grounds and habitat to fish and shellfish we consume

• Provide habitat for native and migratory wildlife (many which are rare, threatened, and endangered)

Rivers

• Many originate from snow melt in mountains.At it’s headwaters river is cold and full of oxygen

-As it flows down mountain it becomes warmer, wider, and slower, containing more vegetation and less oxygen

As it flows nutrients are added to river from sediment and runoff

Life in a river

At headwaters• – mosses anchor to rocks• Trout and minnows adapted

to cold, oxygen-rich water

Downstream• Plants set roots in river’s

rich sediment• Fish such as catfish and carp