they are organisms that drift freely in the water. They cannot swim.

They make Oxygen. They are found in top [part of the water or Intertidal Zone.

larger, active swimmers in a body of water. They are organisms that float in water.

examples of Nektons are:

organisms that live on the bottom of a body of water. Many of them are scavengers or decomposers because they feed on materials that float down from the shallower water.

main difference of the 2 ecosystems - Salt water ecosystems & Fresh water ecosystems

Each habitat is unique and is a home to different organisms.

examples of running water ecosystems:

example of standing-water ecosystems:

examples of freshwater wetlands:

it where most of the organisms live . Cattails ,sedges, arrowgrass and other rooted plants grow here.

includes the water away from the shore. This zone maybe too deep for rooted plants to survive. Producers such as algae and plankton float near the surface. Nekton ssuch as trout, whitefish and pike are found here.

below the open-water zone. Little light reaches the bottom, so producers cannot grow here. As a result, there is very little Oxygen.

food must drift into this zone from other zones. Benthos, including worms and mollusks are found in this zone.

the shallowest part of the ocean is called ________.

the key resource is Sunlight. Producers grow in huge numbers near the surface water sunlight can penetrate through.

home to many consumers such as sharks but few producers. Marine mammals also live here but must stay close to surface to breathe.

darker and colder than the other zones because the sunlight is completely blocked. Organisms in this zone tend to be scavengers or decomposers. They live on nutrients that float down from other zones.

the boundary where fresh water feeds into salt water is called _______.

estuaries usually contain salt marshes.

Estuaries are rich ecosystems that exist where freshwater and salt water meet

Why is it important to protect estuary ecosystems?

What are some solutions to saving estuaries?