Freshwater/Marine Biomes

FORMAT:

Salinity/Flow: Saltiness/How fast a body of water moves

Biota: Plants + Animals

Depth Zones: The different levels of a body of water

Relative Productivity: How active the life there is?

FRESHWATER BIOMES:

Streams (Salinity/Flow, Biota, Depth Zones, and Relative Productivity)

Salinity/Flow: Zero/Fast

Biota: Very small fish, pollutant intolerant macroinvertebrates (which are indicator species)

Depth Zones: N/A

Relative Productivity: High

Rivers (Salinity/Flow, Biota, Depth Zones, and Relative Productivity)

Salinity/Flow: Zero/Medium

Biota: Trout and Salmon (when high O₂) Catfish (when low O₂)

Depth Zones: Fast = High O₂, Slower = Low O₂

Relative Productivity: Medium

Ponds/Freshwater Lakes (Salinity/Flow, Biota, Depth Zones, and Relative Productivity)

Salinity/Flow: Zero/Still

Biota: Variable freshwater fish + plants

Depth Zones: Littoral (shallow zone with emergent plants), Limnetic (top open water zone), Benthic (bottom floor of the water, lowest level), Profundal (Below limnetic, no light)

Relative Productivity: Low Productivity = Oligotrophic (low in nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, water is very clear), High Productivity = Eutrophic (High levels of nutrients, water is murky because of excess algae and plant growth)

Wetland; Swamp, marsh, bog (Salinity/Flow, Biota, Depth Zones, and Relative Productivity)

Salinity/Flow: Zero to very low salinity/Still

Biota: Baby fish, birds, insects + emergent plants and trees

Depth Zones: N/A

Relative Productivity: Very High (because of filtration, flood/erosion prevention, and nurseries)

MARINE BIOMES (Click for “ppt” salinity definition)

ppt = Means “parts per thousand,” the unit used to measure the salinity of dissolved salts in water.

Open Ocean (Salinity/Flow, Biota, Depth Zones, and Relative Productivity)

Salinity/Flow: 33 ppt/currents and gyres (varies, gyres means the large, circulation patterns of ocean currents)

Biota: Phytoplankton, large fish, mammals

Depth Zones: Photic (light), Aphotic (no light), Benthic (seafloor)

Relative Productivity: Low

Salt Marsh/Estuary (Salinity/Flow, Biota, Depth Zones, and Relative Productivity)

Salinity/Flow: Brackish water (fresh and salt mixed; 0.5-35 ppt)

Biota: Mollusks, crustaceans, baby fish, birds + mangrove trees and seagrass

Depth Zones: N/A

Relative Productivity: Very High (because of nurseries, filtration, and erosion control)

Coral Reef (Salinity/Flow, Biota, Depth Zones, and Relative Productivity)

Salinity/Flow: 35 ppt/currents and wave action

Biota: Highest biodiversity in the ocean; 1 million species of invertebrates, fish, reptiles, and birds + corals and zooxanthellae algae (mutualism)

Depth Zones: Commonly in nutrient-poor, oligotrophic waters due to zooxanthellae plankton photosynthesizing (needing clear waters)

Relative Productivity: Very High