Aquatic Biomes

Freshwater biomes → Categorized as streams and rivers, lakes and ponds, or freshwater wetlands 

Littoral Zone → The shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds near the shore where most algae and emergent plants such as cattails grow 

Phytoplankton → Floating algae 

Profundal Zone → A region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the limnetic zone in very deep lakes 

Benthic Zone →The muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean beneath the limnetic and profundal zones 

Oligotrophic → Describes a lake with a low level of phytoplankton due to low amounts of nutrients in water 

Mesotrophic → Describes a lake with a moderate level of fertility 

Eutrophic →Describes a lake with a high level of fertility 

Freshwater Wetland → An aquatic biome that is submerged or saturated by water for at least part of each year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation 

Estuary →An area along the coast where freshwater of rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean 

Salt marsh →Found along the coast in temperate climates, a march containing norwoody emergent vegetation 

Mangrove swamp →A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water 

Intertidal Zone → The narrow band of coastline that exists between the levels of high tide and low tide 

Coral Reef → Represents Earth’s most diverse marine biome, and are found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline in tropical regions 

Coral Bleaching → A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white

Open Ocean → Deep-ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom 

Photic Zone → The upper layer of ocean water in the ocean that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis

Aphotic Zone → The deeper layer of ocean water that lacks sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis 

Chemosynthesis → A process used by some bacteria to generate energy methane and hydrogen sulfide