Aquatic Biomes

Aquatic Biomes

Aquatic Biomes

The limiting factors in water

biomes are:

– Amount of salt (salinity)
– Amount of dissolved oxygen
– Sunlight

2 Types of Aquatic Biomes

• Freshwater

– Rivers and Streams
– Lakes and Ponds

• Saltwater (Marine)

– Ocean
– Estuaries
– Seashores (tidal areas)

Freshwater Biomes

Freshwater contains little or no salt, so

it has a LOW salinity.

Flowing freshwater = rivers and streams
Still Freshwater = lakes and ponds

Flowing Freshwater

• Streams

– The faster a stream flows the

greater the amount of dissolved
oxygen in it.

Faster water flows =

oxygen

Flowing Freshwater

• Streams

– The fish that live in streams are

adapted to fast moving water

Flowing Freshwater

• Rivers

– Water moves slower in a river and

debris settles on the bottom.

– Because of this, rivers tend to have

more nutrients and less dissolved
oxygen.

nutrients and oxygen

Flowing Freshwater

–Rivers

Freshwater

• Ponds

– Small, shallow bodies of water
– Sunlight penetrates all the way to

the bottom

– Most completely filled with plant

material

– Very high amount of nutrients

Freshwater

• Ponds

Freshwater

• Lakes

– Larger and deeper than ponds
– Plant growth is limited to the

shoreline

– Sunlight does NOT penetrate to

the bottom= no plants after a
certain depth!

Freshwater

• Lakes

Match

Match the following

• Small, shallow bodies of water

  Sunlight penetrates all the way to the bottom

  Most completely filled with plant material

  Very high amount of nutrients

• Larger and deeper than ponds

  Plant growth is limited to the shoreline

  Sunlight does NOT penetrate to the bottom= no plants after a certain depth!

• Small river known for higher levels of oxygen due to the higher rate of flow

• Body of moving water with lower levels of oxygen, higher levels of nutrients, and debris settling on bottom

Pond

Lake

Stream

River

• Pond

• Lake

• Stream

• River

Water Biomes

Plankton are microscopic algae,

plants, and other organisms that
float on the surface of water
biomes.

They need
sunlight to
survive.

Aquatic Biomes

Phytoplanktonare important

producers in water biomes.

They are
the first
step in many
aquatic food
chains

Saltwater Biomes

About 95% of the water on Earth

has a high concentration of salt.
(High salinity)

Saltwater

• Estuaries (Wetlands)

– Area where a river meets an ocean
– Mix of salt and freshwater
– Located near coastlines, border

land

– Extremely fertile
– Nutrient levels are higher than

both salt and freshwater

Saltwater

• Estuaries

– Chesapeake Bay

Saltwater

• Seashores

– Tides have a huge influence on life

here

– INTERTIDAL ZONE- portion of

the shoreline that is covered with
water at high tide and exposed to
the air at low tide.

Intertidal Zone

• Can be sandy or rocky
• Small fish, clams, crabs, other

mussels are trapped in the
TIDAL POOLS during low tide

Intertidal Zone

Saltwater

• Oceans

– Can be divided into 2 main life

zones
1. Photic zone- sunlight
penetrates
2. Aphotic zone- NO sunlight

Photic Zone- above 200m

• Made up of the

euphotic & disphotic
zones

• Sunlight penetrates

• Plant life and animal

life is abundant

Aphotic Zone- below 200m

• Sunlight DOES

NOT penetrate

• There are no plants

• Animal life is highly

specialized

Aphotic Zone- below 200m

• Many of the

denizens of the
deep ocean have
a special
adaptation known
as
bioluminescence

Draw

Draw a representation of the different layers of the ocean in the space provided. Feel free to include organisms. INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING TERMS: photic zone and aphotic zone.

Multiple Choice

The aquatic biome is the second largest biome in the world.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Select

Which of the following are considered categories of the aquatic biome? (SELECT 2)

• freshwater

• marine

• mud puddles

Multiple Choice

Which of the following are classified as freshwater habitats?

• oceans and seas

• ponds, lakes, and oceans

• ponds, lakes, and rivers

Multiple Choice

Ponds and lakes are stationary bodies of water.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Estuaries are bodies of freshwater only.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

The three main factors that influence life in aquatic biomes are ______________.

• pollution, boats, and volcanoes

• salinity, depth, and speed of water flow

• rising tides, salinity, and temperature

Multiple Choice

Salinity is _______________.

• the amount of salt present in water

• the name of a science rock band