Aquatic Ecosystems

Freshwater Ecosystem

Rivers and Streams

• The water flows rapidly
• Animals have hooks and suckers to cling on to rocks like trout
• Very few plants grow here; the animals rely on seeds for food in streams
• The streams join together and form a river
• Plants have roots in the pebbles in rivers

Lakes and Ponds

• Sunlight can reach the bottom, allowing plats to grow
• Algae floats on the top
• Dragonflies, turtles, snails, and frogs live here
• Scavengers live near the bottom such as catfish
• Bacteria and other decomposers feed on the remains of organisms

Marine Ecosystems

Estuary

• Where fresh water meets salt water
• Algae and plants such as march grasses provide food and shelter
• Crabs, Worms, Clams, and Fish use the estuaries as breeding grounds

Intertidal Zone

• Organisms need to survive pounding waters and sudden changes in water level
• Animals such as barnacles and sea stars clinging to rocks
• Others, such as crabs and clams burrow in the sand
• The changes in water level also cause there to be a change in temperature

Neretic Zone

• Sunlight passes through the water and allows photosynthesis to occur
• Many large schools of fish feed on algae
• Coral Reefs provide shelter to a wide variety of organisms

Surface Zone

• Algae carry out photosynthesis in this region
• Tuna, Swordfish, and some whales depend on algae for food

Deep Ocean Zone

• Almost totally dark
• Most organisms feed on the remains of other organisms
• Some animals glow in the dark
• No plants can live here because there isn't sunlights