Review

Aquatic Biomes
MSTE 111
 Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the
students should be able to:
a. describe the main ecological
groups of aquatic biomes;
b. differentiate the types of aquatic
biomes; and
c. contribute to class discussion by
sharing insights.
 Aquatic Biome
• it makes up the largest part of
the biosphere

• There are two main types of

Aquatic Biomes:
1. Freshwater
2. Marine

• High biodiversity
 Major Determinant
of Aquatic System

• The amount of dissolved

materials present
• The depth of water
• The availability and quality of
light
• The nature of the bottom
substrate
• Water temperature and
circulating System
 Three Main Ecological Groups

1. Plankton
• organisms incapable of swimming
from current system to another
current system (floating)

Two Major Categories

1. Phytoplankton- plant plankton
2. Zooplankton- animal plankton
 Three Main Ecological Groups

2. Nekton
• stronger swimming species that are
capable of swimming between current
system

Examples: fishes, squids and whales

 Three Main Ecological Groups

3. Benthos
• attached organisms or resting on
bottom mostly filter feeders

Examples: seaweeds, barnacles and

lobsters
 Freshwater Ecosystem
• It makes up only 0.01% of the worlds water and
approximately 0.08% of earth’s surface

• Have a salt concentration of less than 1%

• Covers Ponds ,lakes streams and rivers

Two Distinct Categories
of Freshwater
Ecosystem

1. Lotic System
• Running water
• It includes streams and rivers

2. Lentic System
• Calm water
• Includes Lakes and ponds
 Streams and Rivers
(Lotic System)

• These are bodies of flowing

water moving in one direction
has higher oxygen levels
 3 Different Zones in Lotic System

1. Littoral zone
• shoreline, shallow water region
with a light penetrating up to the
bottom with rooted plants
 3 Different Zones in Lotic System

2. Limnetic
• open water zone to a depth of
effective light penetration
 3 Different Zones in Lotic System

3. Profundal
• bottom and deep water area
beyond effective light
penetration ( absent in ponds)
 Ponds and
Lakes
• These regions range in
size from just a few square
meters to thousands of
square kilometers.

• Ponds and lakes may have

limited species diversity
since they are often
isolated from one another.
 Classification of Lake
1. Eutrophic lakes
• well nourished lake
• Shallow
• very poor visibility
 Classification of Lake
2. Oligotrophic Lakes
• a poorly nourished lake
• Often deep w/ deep
banks
 Classification of Lake

3. Mesotrophic Lake
• lake with moderate
supply
• these are lakes that fall
between two extremes
of nutrient enrichment
 Wetlands
• Wetlands are areas of
standing water that support
aquatic plants

• Many species of amphibians,

reptiles, birds (such as ducks
and waders), and furbearers
can be found in the wetlands
 Marine Ecosystem
• The largest of all the ecosystems
• Oceans are very large bodies of
water that dominate the Earth's
surface.
• Ocean contains the richest diversity
of species even though it contains
fewer species than there are on
land.
 4 Zones of Marine Ecosystem

1. Intertidal zone
- is where the ocean meets
the land — sometimes it
is submerged and at
other times exposed, as
waves and tides come in
and out
 4 Zones of Marine Ecosystem

2. Pelagic zone
- includes those waters
further from the land,
basically the open ocean
 4 Zones of Marine Ecosystem
3. Benthic zone
- is the area below the
pelagic zone, but does not
include the very deepest
parts of the ocean
 4 Zones of Marine Ecosystem
4. Abyssal zone
- Deep ocean
-The water in this region is
very cold (around 3° C),
highly pressured, high in
oxygen content, but low in
nutritional content
 Coral reefs
• Sometimes called the
“Tropical Rainforest of the
Ocean”

• They can be found as

barriers along continents

• Highly diverse in species

 3 Types of Coral Reefs

1. Fringing Reefs
- coral reefs that are close
to the shore, separated by
low waters
 3 Types of Coral Reefs

2. Barrier Reefs
- Reefs that are at least 10
kilometers away from land
are called barrier reefs.
 3 Types of Coral Reefs

3. Atoll Reefs
- A circular coral island that
is far away from land is
called an atoll
- Atolls form when coral
develops on a volcanic
island that has sunk below
the water
 Estuaries
• areas where freshwater streams or
rivers merge with the Ocean

• Microflora like algae, and macroflora,

such as seaweeds, marsh grasses,
and mangrove trees (only in the
tropics), can be found here.

• Estuaries support a diverse fauna,

including a variety of worms,
oysters, crabs, and waterfowl.
Any question?
End of the presentation.