Aquatic Biomes

Freshwater Ecosystems

found in rivers, lakes, and marine ecosystems

Marine Ecosystems

found in oceans

Estuaries

exist where rivers and oceans meet along coastlines and are rich in nutrients, high biodiversity, animals will nest here, animals must be adapted to changing salinity here

Plankton

tiny organisms that float near the surface of the ocean

Phytoplankton

producers that make up the base of ALL the oceans food chains

Intertidal Zone

land between high and low tides that includes beaches and rocky shores, animals are adapted to live in water and on land, changing salinity, water depth, wave action, find crabs, sea grasses, barnacles, and anemones

Neritic Zone

underwater zone from the shore to the edge of the continental shelf, most BIODIVERSE, light reaches the bottom, find colorful fish, anemones, coral, kelp, red algae, shrimp, brittle stars, and sea otters

Open Ocean/ Oceanic Zone

includes all surface waters down to a depth of 2,000 meters, the surface is dominated by plankton, majority of sea life is found here, at greater depths animals are adapted to the cold and dark, you’ll find sharks, whales, dolphins, fish, and sea turtles

Deep Ocean/ Benthic Zone

coldest and darkest conditions, some animals have bioluminescence, no light, no photosynthesis, animals eat other dead things, some use chemicals for energy from hydrothermal vents to survive, below 2,000 meters to the ocean floor, find anglerfish

Sunlight/Euphotic Zone

light can penetrate water for photosynthesis

Twilight/Bathyal Zone

little light, NO producers, all organisms are carnivores or scavengers

Midnight/Benthic Zone

very dark and cold, high pressure, organisms feed on dead sinking matter, some bacteria here use hydrothermal vents and chemicals for energy