Aquatic Life Zones - AP Environmental Science

riparian zone

land next to the stream, starting at the top of the bank, with heavy plant cover on either side

euphotic zone

the layer closer to the surface that receives enough light for photosynthesis to occur

littoral zone

a shallow zone in a freshwater habitat where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants

limnetic zone

a zone of open water in lakes and ponds

profundal zone

a region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the limnetic zone in very deep lakes

benthic zone

bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms

coastal zone

Warm, nutrient-rich, shallow part of the ocean that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the edge of a shelflike extension of continental land masses known as the continental shelf.

Estuarine Zone

the relatively narrow area of wetlands along coastlines where salt water and fresh water mix.

bathyal zone

zone of the ocean that extends from the edge of the neritic zone to the base of the continental shelf

abyssal zone

Dark lower zone: very cold, little dissolved oxygen, and survives off nutrients on ocean floor.