Water, Water Everywhere!

► If you poured all the world’s water on the United States and could
contain it, you’d create a lake 90 miles deep.
► How much water is that? Roughly 326 million cubic miles, according to
the U.S. Geological Survey. Some 72 percent of Earth is covered in
water, but 97 percent of that is salty and no good for drinking.
So, some facts about the freshwater:
► 70 percent of freshwater is locked in ice caps
► Less than 1 percent of the world’s freshwater is readily accessible
► 6 countries (Brazil, Russia, Canada, Indonesia, China and Colombia)
have 50 percent of the freshwater reserves
► One-third of the world’s population lives in “water-stressed” countries
AQUATIC
LIFE
ZONES
Section
5-2
Aquatic “Biomes” are determined by the
salinity of the water
Saltwater/Marine Freshwater
1. open sea 1. Lakes & Ponds
2. estuary 2. Flowing Streams
3. coast line 3. Inland wetlands
4. coral reef
5. coastal marsh
6. mangrove swamp
7. coastal wetlands
AQUATIC LIFE ZONES
 Living in Water
ADVANTAGES LIMITING FACTORS
► Temperature
► Sunlight
► Buoyancy for support ► Dissolved Oxygen
► Limited fluctuations in ► Nutrients
temperature
► Nutrients are dissolved and ► These divide ALZ’s into
easily available layers:
► Wastes are diluted & ► Surface,
dispersed ► Middle
► Bottom
► Different Organisms will
live different places!
 I. MARINE ZONES
► The Ocean is divided into
COASTAL zone & OPEN sea
A. COASTAL ZONE – general information
- warm, nutrient rich
- land to continental shelf
- covered at high tide, exposed at low tide
- 10% of ocean area but 90% of species
- connect with estuaries
- protect land
 COASTAL ZONES – specific
types
1. ESTUARIES
- where fresh & salt water meet
- streams flow into ocean
- lots of nutrients available
- good breeding ground for organisms
2. COASTAL WETLAND
- areas of coastal land covered for part or
all of the year with salt water
- bays, lagoons, salt flats, mud flats, salt
marsh
 COASTAL ZONE
specifics

3. MANGROVE SWAMPS
- warm tropical coasts with an over-
abundance of silt (sediment & nutrients)
- 55 species of salt-tolerant trees & shrubs
- prevent coastal erosion; roots above
water
4. SHORES
- can be rocky or sandy (barrier)
 5. CORAL REEF
► Found in shallow coastal zones of warm
tropical & sub-tropical oceans
► Underwater populations of polyps (animals
similar to jellyfish) that secrete limestone
shells
► Most productive ALZ
 B. OPEN SEA
► Divided into 3 zones, depending on the
amount of sunlight EUPHOTIC
BATHYAL
ABYSSAL
► Very low avg. net primary productivity
 (phytoplankton mostly)
 10% of ocean’s species
► Large gross primary productivity however
 Simply because of total size
 II. FRESHWATER ALZ’S
A. FRESHWATER LAKES – general information
► Large, natural bodies of standing (still)
freshwater
► Formed from pot, runoff or groundwater that
fills depressions in Earth’s surface
► Tend to have a lot of algal growth
 No current to carry away or disperse
► Temp. is often high
► 3 types of lakes; 4 zones within a lake
 3 TYPES OF LAKES
1. OLIGOTROPHIC LAKE (poorly nourished)
► Newly formed
► Very deep with steep banks
► Gravel, sandy, rocky bottoms
► Little shore vegetation, not much algae
► Crystal-blue or green in color
► Small pop's of pp and small fish (trout &
bass)
 3 TYPES OF LAKES
2. EUTROPHIC LAKE (well-nourished)
► Aged lake
► Excessive nutrients, rapid decomposition
► Shallow, murky water from algae growth
► Sunlight can’t penetrate far, not many fish
at the bottom
► Much vegetation
 3 TYPES OF LAKES
3. MESOTROPHIC LAKES
--In between Olio & Euro - tropic
Lakes are divided into 4 Zones
 4. LAKE ZONES
1. LITTORAL ZONE
► Shorelines & very shallow waters around
edges.
► Most vegetation grows here
2. LIMNETIC ZONE
► Top layer of water
► Most organisms found here
► Highest temperature; sun easily
penetrates
 4 ZONES IN LAKE
3. PROFUNDAL ZONE
► Below the limonitic zone
► Less sunlight & nutrients
► Not many organisms found here
4. BENTHIC ZONE
► Very bottom layer of water, including
bottom sediments
► Little, to no, organisms live there
► No sunlight penetrates
Lake Stratification – Seasons
change temperature
 B. FRESHWATER STREAMS
► Running water with currents
► Generally cold temps
► Usually clear, algae is quickly carried away
► Forms from surface water or runoff that
does not soak into ground
► 3 zones
 Freshwater Stream Zones
1. First (narrow) Zone
► Headwaters/mountain highland streams
► Beginning of the stream
► Water is very cold
► Many waterfalls/rapids
► Large amount of dissolved oxygen
► Cold water fish (trout)
► Algae & moss attach to rocks
 Freshwater Stream Zones
2. Second Zone
► 1st zone meets with other
streams
► Slower current, warmer water
► Less obstacles (rocks, etc.)
► Mix of warm & cold water fish
 Freshwater Stream Zones
3. Third Zone
► Streams join together to form a river
► Wide & murky
► High temperatures
► Low dissolved oxygen content
► Lots of sediment that deposits at end
► Carp & catfish
 C. Inland Wetlands
► Lands covered with water all or part of the
year (excluding streams, lakes, reservoirs)
► Examples include:
1. marshes (herbaceous plants)
2. prairie potholes (seasonal)
3. swamps (tress & shrubs)
4. mudflats
5. bogs