Marine and Freshwater Biomes

Intro to Aquatic Biomes

S7L4d. Ask questions to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources to differentiate between Earth’s major terrestrial biomes (i.e., tropical rainforest, savanna, temperate forest, desert, grassland, taiga, and tundra) and aquatic ecosystems (i.e., freshwater, estuaries, and marine). (Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the factors that influence patterns across biomes such as the climate, availability of food and water, and location.)

Aquatic Biome

Intro to Biome

The aquatic biome is the largest of all the biomes, covering about 75 percent of Earth’s surface. This biome is usually divided into two categories: freshwater and marine.  Aquatic ecosystems include both saltwater and freshwater biomes.

Know Your Types Biomes

Water makes up three-fourths of Earth’s surface and creates two of its biomes: the freshwater biome and the marine or saltwater biome. The freshwater biome includes ponds, rivers, streams, and other bodies of water with a little salt in them. The marine biome consists of the oceans, which contain plenty of saltwater. Within the ocean, coral reefs are the second kind of marine biome. Estuaries, coastal areas where salt water and fresh water mix, form a third unique marine biome. The ocean is the largest of the Marine Biome.

Multiple Choice

What is the largest biome on planet Earth?

• Desert biome

• Marine biome

• Rainforest biome

• Temperate forest biome

Multiple Choice

What do we call the regions of the marine biome where rivers and streams flow into the oceans?

• Coral reefs

• Twilight zones

• Estuaries

• Trenches

Multiple Choice

The marine biome is divided up into three types:

• Ocean, Coral reefs, and Estuaries

• Lakes, Rivers, and Streams

• Wetlands, Ocean, and River

Please move back to Canvas Module

and complete the Aquatic Biome Chart