Aquatic Biomes
Describe the characteristics of Earth's major lerrestrial biomes (i.e. tropical
raln foresl, savanna, temperate, desert, taiga,
lundna.and mountain) and aquatic communities (i.e. freshwater, estuaries, and marine).
Understand the characteristics of Earth's aquatic biomes.
An aquatic biome is a biome in water.
DIRECTIONS Read the foilowing information and
answer the questions.
Water is everywhere on Earth. Salt water covers nearly
75% of Earth's surface. Freshwater flows over land,
collecting in rivers, lakes, weflands, and underground. Like
terrestrial biomes, aquatic biomes are influenced by both
biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors.
Oceans are made up of marine biomes. The abiotic
factors that most influence marine biomes are sunlight,
water temperature, and water depth. These factors combine
to influence different zones within the ocean.
lntertidal zones are areas where the shore meets the
ocean. This type of zone is sunny. lt is exposed to both air
and water. Waves constanily crash onto it. Organisms in an
intertidal zone must have adaptations that allow them to
survive the zone's conditions. Anemones, sea stars, and
snails have sticky feet or holdfasts that allow them to hold
onto rocks while waves wash over them. Clams and crabs
burrow into the sand.
Neritic zones are the underwater areas next to intertidal
zones. ln a neritic zone, the ocean floor slopes downward.
This type of zone is sunny, relatively shallow, and often
warm. Plankton, seaweeds, corals, sponges, fishes, and
dolphins live in neritic zones.
Oceanic zones are areas of the open ocean. The surface
waters of an oceanic zone are warm and sunlit. The deeper
waters in it are cold and dark. plankton live near the
surface oi the open ocean. Whales, squids, jellyfish, and
sharks all live in oceanic zones.
Benthic zones are areas of the deep ocean floor. They
are very cold and dark. Bacteria, worms, sea urchins,
crabs, and some fishes live in benthic zones.
Peoples Education
Copying is illegat.
Chapter
What percentage of Earth
s
surface is covered by water?
How do abiotic factors
influence an intertidal zone?
3 o Classification and Biomes
61
and
streams' rivers' ponds' lakes'
Freshwater biomes include
flow from one point to another'
wetlands' Streams and rivers
Which abiotic factors
them' Plants often grow
influence
speed
and
Water temperature
most influence the Plants
grow
Algae and mosses
rivers'
and
ot
and animals that live in
along the sides
live
insects
and
'i'"u*t
snails'
Clams'
on rocks in and near the water'
a stream?
Fish live
bottom of a stream or river'
in the mud oruotftt ui the
in oPen water.
waters' They are influenced 'by
Ponds and lakes are still
and lakes
depth' and sunlight' Ponds
water temperatur", *ut"'
of the water'
zones are on the edges
have three zones' Littoral
ln which zones of a lake
rushes'
warm and sunny' Cattails'
often
are
waters
Their shallow
might You find fish?
insects' clams'
Snails'
zone'
of
typ"
tftit
and al$ae grow in
littoral
snakes' and fish also live in
frogs, salamanders, turiies'
the sunny surface waters'
zones. Open-water zones include
live in this type of zone' Deep-water
Algae, plankton, unJi'tn
lake or
water near the bottom of the
zonesare the dttk:;;ld
and catfish live in this type
pond. Worms, bacteria' crustaceans'
of zone.
What is the difference
are. ottel
that
land
qtL
of
areas
are
crrs
il"iilno,
weua{tus
between a swamP and
' )ty of plants and animals'
varl€
great
a
to
homg
wet. Wetlands are
,, ^L-. .k^ er^,.mnq are
a marsh?
that have trees and :.1l1il:l-.:T::
lilies'
;;'iu"it' willows' bald cvpresses' water
ufe,:i*::t'J:i1
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:ffi 'ffii;#;;
l"
I
;"ffi' #;.'
l
,
t
'i:;
r^rotlandS
'^-^L^^ ^"o
y,::'..11o'
ive i n'*uT
Yliln?:,:'."
ol:
to
oSf
ri ;;J;s are orten next
l'1i::,,'i::i''
muskrats
and
frogs'
turtles'
rice'
wild
Grasses,
or streams.
live in marshes'
freshwater and marine biomes
Estuaries are biomes where
at the mouth of a river'
meet. An estuary is often found
must be able to adjust to
Organisms that live in estuaries
plankton'
in the water' Sea grasses'
changing amounts of salt
and fish live in the nutrient-rich
shrimp, crabs, bird;: oy'i"tt'
waters of estuaries'
:Hl#lilo:,'I"o i''n""
i
questions'
DIREC,IIONS Answer the foltowing
t-.
of a lake?
most like the deep-water zone
Which zone in an ocean is
2.Whywouldthespeedofwaterb^eafactoraffectingthetypesoforganismsthat
could live in streams and rivers?
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Peoples Education
DIRECTIONS Read and answer each question carefully.
L.
How is a marsh near a lake different from the lake's littoral zone?
2.
What abiotic factors most influence weflands?
3.
Why don't fish generally live in the intertidal zone?
4.
Which type of wetland would receive the most sunlight at the
water's surface?
5.
How is the neritic zone in a marine ecosystem similar to the littoral zone
in a lake?
6.
Why might herons hunt for food in the littoral zone of lakes?
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Chapter
3 e Classification and Biomes
63