APES 1.3 Aquatic Biomes

Note: The broadest section of ecology is the biome * These listed biomes encompass ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms within them.

The littoral zone is the edge of a pond or lake * There is more plant life and nutrients here
The benthic zone is the bottom of a pond/lake * Not always deep * Many nutrients
The limnetic zone is the layer below the littoral zone
The photic zone is below the limnetic zone * Less light reaches this layer, therefore less plant life exists in this zone
The profundal zone is just above the pond/lake floor

Not much distinction between these
Streams are typically smaller, run a little faster, and have a change in elevation * Streams empty into rivers or other bodies of water
Rivers have more volume and empty into a larger body of water

Once again, there is no specific point at which a pond becomes a lake or a lake becomes a pond

These biomes typically have shallow waters with a profusion of plant life
Due to the low depth and high concentration of nutrients, this is a very productive biome class
Have trees and larger flora

Between tides
As the tides come and go, this area transitions from being submerged to above the surface
Extreme conditions for the organisms living here

By the coast in the intertidal zone * There are many nutrients here that come from the coast * Sunlight also means this area can be productive * Plants are able to root here * These combined factors make it a production region
The ocean floor, whether right by the coast or at the deepest point, is the benthic zone * As things die and sink, their nutrients are deposited on the ocean floor
Around coral reefs and into the open ocean is the pelagic zone * The vast majority of the ocean * Phytoplankton and floating plants inhabit this space
Going deeper is the photic zone * Less light reaches here
At the deepest points of the ocean is the aphotic zone * Light no longer reaches and no photosynthesis is taking place * Instead, chemosynthesis is what plants use * Hydrothermal vents also provide this region with live-giving chemicals and heat

Depth, temperature, and salinity can cause marine ecosystems to vary
Nitrogen and phosphorus, important nutrients, are dense along the coast * This can be a result of runoff into rivers and eventually estuaries
Upwellings bring nutrients from the depth of the ocean to the surface, boosting productivity
Secondary productivity can be high in cold water where there is lots of dissolved oxygen

The human impact on water systems will be discussed more throughout the course as it pertains to those topics
We deplete natural sources of freshwater primarily through agriculture and drinking water
Runoff containing harmful chemicals or objects has to flow somewhere, that being a body of water * The organisms in this body of water are then affected by what is being dumped into their home
Although we will never run out of water, we are turning freshwater into unusable states quicker than it returns * This means that we have more contaminated or salty water that we cannot use, not less water entirely * Saltwater can be converted into freshwater through desalinization, but this is an expensive and long process
The natural flow of water is also disrupted by human development
The impact of water in the form of floods and storms can be more severe because of human activities * Global warming means more water evaporates, creating bigger and more intense storms * The removal of trees creates smooth ground that water can run over quickly * This means that settlements in basins or valleys may be in danger of particularly intense floods and mudslides