Aquatic Biomes and Tropical Rainforest
Aquatic Biomes
An aquatic biome is an ecological community dominated by water. This biome can be broken down into two categories: o Freshwater, which includes rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and freshwater wetland. o Marine or saltwater, which includes oceans, seas, estuaries, coral reefs and saltwater wetland.
Each of these aquatic ecosystems can be defined by variables such as temperature, the presence or absence of light, and the availability of nutrients. Aquatic biomes cover almost all the world (around 75% of the surface) and only 3% of them are freshwaters.
Freshwater ecosystems
This ecosystem is defined as having a low salt concentration of less than 1%. It helps to make up all the different animals’ life in this planet. Ponds and lakes range in size from few yards to thousands miles across, and they are divided into the littoral zone, limnetic zone and the profundal zone. The littoral zone is the part of the lake or pond which is shallow and located near the shoreline. In this zone there is abundant light, nutrients and plants. Those plants provide protection and food for animals, insects and crustaceans.
The limnetic zone is offshore, where the water is deep and it receives enough sunlight to support life. There are tiny forms of life called as phytoplankton, which are tiny plant forms, and zooplankton, which are tiny animal forms. Those tiny forms of life lead to bigger animals’ life such as fish, which feed from those planktons.
The profundal zone is beneath the limnetic zone, where it doesn’t receive light to sustain plants’ life. The organisms that die from above this zone settle down and are being eaten by decomposers. Because ponds and lakes are isolated from other bodies of water, they don’t have new species of animals or plant, or it is limited.
Streams and rivers are defined by the flow of water in one direction. The source of these regions can be the snowmelt from the mountains, runoff of rains, or the outflows of a lake. They flow until
An aquatic biome is an ecological community dominated by water. This biome can be broken down into two categories: o Freshwater, which includes rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and freshwater wetland. o Marine or saltwater, which includes oceans, seas, estuaries, coral reefs and saltwater wetland.
Each of these aquatic ecosystems can be defined by variables such as temperature, the presence or absence of light, and the availability of nutrients. Aquatic biomes cover almost all the world (around 75% of the surface) and only 3% of them are freshwaters.
Freshwater ecosystems
This ecosystem is defined as having a low salt concentration of less than 1%. It helps to make up all the different animals’ life in this planet. Ponds and lakes range in size from few yards to thousands miles across, and they are divided into the littoral zone, limnetic zone and the profundal zone. The littoral zone is the part of the lake or pond which is shallow and located near the shoreline. In this zone there is abundant light, nutrients and plants. Those plants provide protection and food for animals, insects and crustaceans.
The limnetic zone is offshore, where the water is deep and it receives enough sunlight to support life. There are tiny forms of life called as phytoplankton, which are tiny plant forms, and zooplankton, which are tiny animal forms. Those tiny forms of life lead to bigger animals’ life such as fish, which feed from those planktons.
The profundal zone is beneath the limnetic zone, where it doesn’t receive light to sustain plants’ life. The organisms that die from above this zone settle down and are being eaten by decomposers. Because ponds and lakes are isolated from other bodies of water, they don’t have new species of animals or plant, or it is limited.
Streams and rivers are defined by the flow of water in one direction. The source of these regions can be the snowmelt from the mountains, runoff of rains, or the outflows of a lake. They flow until