AQUATIC
BIOMES
IMPORTANCE OF AQUATIC BIOMES
• AQUATIC = WATER
• AQUATIC BIOMES COVER
APPROXIMATELY 70% OF EARTH’S
SURFACE.
DEFINING BIOMES
• HOW ARE TERRESTRIAL BIOMES CLASSIFIED?
• BY CLIMATE, MAINLY:
• TEMPERATURE
• PRECIPITATION
DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS OF
AQUATIC BIOMES
• AQUATIC BIOMES ARE USUALLY DETERMINED
BY SALINITY
• OTHER MAJOR FACTORS INCLUDE:
• SUNLIGHT
• TEMPERATURE
• OXYGEN
• NUTRIENTS
AQUATIC BIOMES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS CLASSIFIED INTO 2 MAJOR TYPES:
• SALTWATER/MARINE
• OCEANS
• ESTUARIES
• CORAL REEFS
• FRESHWATER
• LAKES
• RIVERS
• STREAMS
• WETLANDS
SALINITY
• THE SALINITY OF OCEAN WATER IS 30 PARTS
PER THOUSAND
• THE SALINITY OF FRESHWATER IS 0.5 PARTS
PER THOUSAND
• WATER THAT HAS A READING IN BETWEEN
0.5 PPT AND 30 PPT IS CALLED BRACKISH
TURN AND TALK
• WHY WOULD THE DEPTH OF THE WATER MATTER
WHEN CLASSIFYING AQUATIC BIOMES?
SUNLIGHT
AQUATIC BIOMES ARE IMPACTED BY THE AMOUNT OF SUNLIGHT
THAT CAN PENETRATE THE DEPTH OF THE WATER.
• PHOTIC = TOP LAYER; LIGHT CAN PENETRATE
• PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS LIVE HERE
• APHOTIC = WATER BELOW PHOTIC ZONES
• MOSTLY CONSUMERS HERE, ONLY CHEMOSYNTHETIC PRODUCERS
• BENTHIC = BOTTOM OF THE BODY OF WATER
• MOSTLY SCAVENGERS AND DECOMPOSERS HERE
WHY MIGHT SOME BODIES OF WATER NOT HAVE APHOTIC ZONES?
DISSOLVED OXYGEN AND NUTRIENTS
• WATER NEAR THE SURFACE OF LAKES AND THE OCEAN USUALLY HAS
MORE DISSOLVED OXYGEN THAN DEEPER WATER BECAUSE SURFACE
WATER ABSORBS OXYGEN FROM THE AIR ABOVE IT.
• WATER NEAR SHORE GENERALLY HAS MORE DISSOLVED NUTRIENTS
THAN WATER FARTHER FROM SHORE BECAUSE MOST NUTRIENTS
ENTER THE WATER FROM LAND. THEY ARE CARRIED BY RUNOFF,
STREAMS, AND RIVERS.
• WHEN AQUATIC ORGANISMS DIE, THEY SINK TO THE BOTTOM.
DECOMPOSERS NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE WATER BREAK DOWN THE
DEAD ORGANISMS AND RELEASE THEIR NUTRIENTS BACK INTO THE
WATER.
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