Aquatic Biomes

• Freshwater– Lakes and Ponds– Streams and Rivers– Marshes and Swamps

•Marine– Oceans

– Coastal wetlands

Freshwater

Lakes and Ponds• Very small and

seasonal to very large and deep

• Summer top layer warmest

• Winter bottom layer is warmest

Lake and Pond Life

• Insects• Frogs, Turtles• Fish – feeders and predators• Plants- more along shore less the

deeper you go.– Ponds will have plants even in the deepest

parts• Microscopic life

Rivers and Streams

• Bodies of water moving in one direction

• Source – spring, snow melt, lake

• Cold and fast moving near source– Higher oxygen levels

• Middle – diverse ecosystem, slower moving

• Mouth – warmest, lowest oxygen levels

River Life• Fast moving cold water –

Trout and Dobson fly• Middle parts of river– Bass, turtles, frogs– Otters

• Mouth of the river– Carp and catfish

Wetlands

Swamp• Trees• Poorly drained

land near rivers

Marsh• Low flat land• Shallow waters• Reeds and cattails• Rich sediments

Wetland Animal Life

• Ducks, geese• Muskrats, nutria• Turtles, frogs, newts,

salamanders• Alligators

Wetland Plant Life

• Marshes– Cattails

• Swamps– Bald cypress

Biotope Aquarium – Amazon River

Biotope Aquarium – African Great Lakes

Marine Biome

Oceans• Largest biome on the

planet• Divided into zones

according to how much light penetrates the water:– Sunlight – Twilight– Midnight

Sunlight Zone• Down to about 600 feet

below surface• 90 % of marine life lives here• Photosynthesis can take

place here• Includes tidal zones

Twilight Zone

• From 600 to 3000 feet below the surface

• Very little light• No plant life• Specialized animals

Midnight Zone

• 3000 feet to the bottom• No light – no plants• Cold – except by thermal

vents• Very high pressure

Coastal Wetlands• Halophytic plants – salt loving plants• Where fresh water meets salt water• Brackish water• Erosion and flood control

Salt Marshes

• Where rivers meet oceans• Temperate • Abundant bird life• Tidal flooding – floods

everyday• Sand or mud flats

Mangrove Swamps

• Mangrove trees – tangled roots

• Pneumatophores – special adaptation that supplies tree with air

• Tropical• Protects shoreline