An estuary mouth and coastal waters, part of an aquatic ecosystem.

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem located in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems.^[1] Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ... A body of water is any significant natural pool of water such as an ocean, a lake, or a river, covering the Earth or another planet. ... A biocoenosis (alternatively, biocoenose or biocenose), termed by Karl Möbius in 1877, describes all the interacting organisms living together in a specific habitat (or biotope). ... It has been suggested that Biota (taxonomy) be merged into this article or section. ... Marine ecosystems are part of the earths aquatic ecosystem. ... Freshwater angelfish Freshwater biology is a field of biology that studies the life and ecosystems of freshwater habitats. ...

Types of aquatic ecosystems

Aquatic ecosystems can be divided into two general types: marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems.

Neritic (the relatively shallow part of the ocean that lies over the continental shelf); profundal (bottom or deep water); benthic (bottom substrates); intertidal (the area between high and low tides); estuaries.  Sediment  Rock  Mantle  The global continental shelf, highlighted in cyan The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) and gulfs. ... The profundal zone is a deep zone of a body of water, such as an ocean or a lake, located below the range of effective light penetration. ... In marine geology and biology, benthos are the organisms and habitats of the sea floor; in freshwater biology they are the organisms and habitats of the bottoms of lakes, rivers, and creeks. ... A rock, seen at low tide, exhibiting typical intertidal zonation. ... Rio de la Plata estuary Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Estuaries An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. ...

Marine ecosystems

A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem.

Marine ecosystems cover approximately 71% of the Earth's surface and contain approximately 97% of the planet's water. They generate 32% of the world's net primary production.^[1] They are distinguished from freshwater ecosystems by the presence of dissolved compounds, especially salts, in the water. Approximately 85% of the dissolved materials in seawater are sodium and chlorine. Seawater has an average salinity of 35 parts per thousand (ppt) of water. Actual salinity varies among different marine ecosystems.^[2] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3000x2001, 4710 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3000x2001, 4710 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef. ... Map of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands that stretches 2,400 km in a northwesterly direction from the southern tip of the Island of Hawai‘i. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it easier to understand, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A chemical compound is a chemical substance of two or more different chemically bonded chemical elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. ... For other uses, see Salt (disambiguation). ... Annual mean sea surface salinity for the World Ocean. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sodium, Na, 11 Chemical series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1, 3, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 22. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chlorine, Cl, 17 Chemical series halogens Group, Period, Block 17, 3, p Appearance yellowish green Standard atomic weight 35. ... In chemistry, concentration is the measure of how much of a given substance there is mixed with another substance. ...

Marine ecosystems can be divided into the following zones: oceanicsh|salt marshes; coral reefs; and hydrothermal vents (where chemosynthetic sulphur bacteria form the food base).^[1] Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef. ... A hydrothermal vent A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planets surface from which geothermally heated water issues. ... Chemosynthesis is the biological conversion of 1-carbon molecules (usually carbon dioxide or methane) and nutrients into organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic molecules (e. ... For the chemical element see: sulfur. ... Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ...

Classes of organisms found in marine ecosystems include brown algae, dinoflagellates, corals, cephalopods, echinoderms, and sharks. Fish caught in marine ecosystems are the biggest source of commercial foods obtained from wild populations.^[1] A class is the rank in the scientific classification of organisms in biology below Phylum and above Order. ... The Heterokontophyta (Phaeophyta or brown algae, singular: brown alga) is a large group of mostly marine multicellular algae, including many seaweeds of colder Northern Hemisphere waters. ... Classes Dinophyceae Noctiluciphyceae Syndiniophyceae The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. ... Extant Subclasses and Orders Alcyonaria    Alcyonacea    Helioporacea Zoantharia    Antipatharia    Corallimorpharia    Scleractinia    Zoanthidea [1][2]  See Anthozoa for details For other uses, see Coral (disambiguation). ... Orders Subclass Nautiloidea †Plectronocerida †Ellesmerocerida †Actinocerida †Pseudorthocerida †Endocerida †Tarphycerida †Oncocerida †Discosorida Nautilida †Orthocerida †Ascocerida †Bactritida Subclass †Ammonoidea †Goniatitida †Ceratitida †Ammonitida Subclass Coleoidea †Belemnoidea †Aulacocerida †Belemnitida †Hematitida †Phragmoteuthida Neocoleoidea (most living cephalopods) ?†Boletzkyida Sepiida Sepiolida Spirulida Teuthida Octopoda Vampyromorphida The cephalopods (Greek plural (kephalópoda); head-foot) are the mollusk class... Classes Subphylum Homalozoa Gill & Caster, 1960 Class Homostelea Class Homoiostelea Class Stylophora Gill & Caster, 1960 Class Ctenocystoidea Robison & Sprinkle, 1969 Subphylum Crinozoa Class Eocrinoidea Jaekel, 1899 Class Paracrinoidea Regnéll, 1945 Class Cystoidea von Buch, 1846 Class Blastoidea Class Crinoidea Subphylum Asterozoa Class Ophiuroidea Class Asteroidea Subphylum Echinozoa Helicoplacoidea †  ?Arkarua... Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes Symmoriida(extinct) Sharks (superorder Selachimorpha) are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton[1] and a streamlined body. ...

Environmental problems concerning marine ecosystems include unsustainable exploitation of marine resources (for example overfishing of certain species), water pollution, and building on coastal areas.^[1] × The Traffic Light colour convention, showing the concept of Harvest Control Rule (HCR), specifying when a rebuilding plan is mandatory in terms of precautionary and limit reference points for spawning biomass and fishing mortality rate. ... Raw sewage and industrial waste flows into the U.S. from Mexico as the New River passes from Mexicali, Baja California to Calexico, California Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities. ...

Freshwater ecosystems

Freshwater ecosystems cover 0.8% of the Earth's surface and contain 0.009% of its total water. They generate nearly 3% of its net primary production. Freshwater ecosystems contain 41% of the world's known fish species. There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems:

• Lentic: slow-moving water, including pools, ponds, and lakes.
• Lotic: rapidly-moving water, for example streams and rivers.
• Wetlands: areas where the soil is saturated or inundated for at least part of the time.^[3]

Lake ecosystems can be divided into zones: pelagic (open offshore waters); profundal; littoral (nearshore shallow waters); and riparian (the area of land bordering a body of water). Two important subclasses of lakes are ponds, which typically are small lakes that intergrade with wetlands, and water reservoirs. Many lakes, or bays within them, gradually become enriched by nutrients and fill in with organic sediments, a process called eutrophication. Eutrophication is accelerated by human activity within the water catchment area of the lake.^[1] Fig. ... This brook is an example of a lotic system. ... This is a scale diagram of the layers of the pelagic zone. ... A well preserved Riparian strip on a tributary to Lake Erie. ... ... Eutrophication refers to an increase in the primary productivity of any ecosystem. ... For the term related to television programmes, see watershed (television). ...

The major zones in river ecosystems are determined by the river bed's gradient or by the velocity of the current. Faster moving turbulent water typically contains greater concentrations of dissolved oxygen, which supports greater biodiversity than the slow moving water of pools. These distinctions forms the basis for the division of rivers into upland and lowland rivers. The food base of streams within riparian forests is mostly derived from the trees, but wider streams and those that lack a canopy derive the majority of their food base from algae. Anadromous fish are also an important source of nutrients. Environmental threats to rivers include loss of water, dams, chemical pollution and introduced species.^[1] Cascadilla Creek, near Ithaca, New York in the United States, an example of an upland river habitat. ... The canopy is the habitat found at the uppermost level of a forest, especially rainforest. ... Many types of fish undertake migrations on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annual, and with distances ranging from a few meters to thousands of kilometers. ...

Wetlands are dominated by vascular plants that have adapted to saturated soil. Wetlands are the most productive natural ecosystems because of the proximity of water and soil. Due to their productivity, wetlands are often converted into dry land with dikes and drains and used for agricultural purposes. Their closeness to lakes and rivers means that they are often developed for human settlement.^[1] Divisions Non-seed-bearing plants Equisetophyta Lycopodiophyta Psilotophyta Pteridophyta Superdivision Spermatophyta Pinophyta Cycadophyta Ginkgophyta Gnetophyta Magnoliophyta The vascular plants are plants in the Kingdom Plantae (also called Viridiplantae) that have specialized tissues for conducting water. ... Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area. ...

Pond Ecosystems

This is a specific type of freshwater ecosystem that is largely based on the autotroph algae which provide the base trophic level for all life in the area. The largest predator in a pond ecosystem will normally be a fish and in-between range smaller insects and microorganisms. It may have a scale of organisms from small bacteria to big creatures like water snakes, beetles, water bugs, and turtles. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ...

Functions of aquatic ecosystems

Aquatic ecosystems perform many important environmental functions. For example, they recycle nutrients, purify water, attenuate floods, recharge ground water and provide habitats for wildlife Aquatic ecosystems are also used for human recreation, and are very important to the tourism industry, especially in coastal regions. The health of an aquatic ecosystem is degraded when the ecosystem's ability to absorb a stress has been exceeded. A stress on an aquatic ecosystem can be a result of physical, chemical of biological alterations of the environment. Physical alterations include changes in water temperature, water flow and light availability. Chemical alterations include changes in the loading rates of biostimulatory nutrients, oxygen consuming materials, and toxins. Biological alterations include the introduction of exotic species. Human populations can impose excessive stresses on aquatic ecosystems. In ecology, a biogeochemical cycle is a circuit where a nutrient moves back and forth between both biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems. ... Tourists on Oahu, Hawaii Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes or the provision of services to support this leisure travel. ...

Abiotic characteristics of aquatic ecosystems

An ecosystem is composed of biotic communities and abiotic environmental factors, which form a self-regulating and self-sustaining unit. Abiotic environmental factors of aquatic ecosystems include temperature, salinity, and flow.^[4]

The amount of dissolved oxygen in a water body is frequently the key substance in determining the extent and kinds of organic life in the water body. Fish need dissolved oxygen to survive. Conversely, oxygen is fatal to many kinds of anaerobic bacteria.^[5] Anaerobic respiration refers to the oxidation of molecules in the absence of oxygen to produce energy, in opposition to Aerobic respiration which does use oxygen. ...

The salinity of the water body is also a determining factor in the kinds of species found in the water body. Organisms in marine ecosystems tolerate salinity, while many freshwater organisms are intolerant of salt. Freshwater used for irrigation purposes often absorb levels of salt that are harmful to freshwater organisms.^[5] Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil. ...

Biota of aquatic ecosystems

The organisms (also called biota) found in aquatic ecosystems are either autotrophic or heterotrophic.^[5]

Autotrophic organisms

Autotrophic organisms are producers that generate organic compounds from inorganic material. Algae use solar energy to generate biomass from carbon dioxide and are the most important autotrophic organisms in aquatic environments.^[5] Chemosynthetic bacteria are found in benthic marine ecosystems. These organisms are able to feed on hydrogen sulphide in water that comes from volcanic vents. Great concentrations of animals that feed on this bacteria are found around volcanic vents. For example, there are giant tube worms (Riftia pachyptila) 1.5m in length and clams (Calyptogena magnifica) 30cm long.^[6] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other meaning link to H2S radar. ... This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... Binomial name Riftia pachyptila M. L. Jones, 1981 Giant tube worms are marine invertebrates in the phylum Annelida (formerly grouped in phylum Pogonophora) related to tubeworms commonly found in the intertidal and pelagic zones. ...

Heterotrophic organisms

Heterotrophic organisms consume autotrophic organisms and use the organic compounds in their bodies as energy sources and as raw materials to create their own biomass.^[5] Euryhaline organisms are salt tolerant and can survive in marine ecosystems, while stenohaline or salt intolerant species can only live in freshwater environments.^[2] A heterotroph (Greek heteron = (an)other and trophe = nutrition) is an organism that requires organic substrates to get its carbon for growth and development. ... See biomass (ecology) for the use of the term in ecology, where it refers to the cumulation of living matter Switchgrass, a tough plant used in the biofuel industry in the United States Rice chaff. ... Euryhaline organisms are able to adapt to a wide range of salinities. ... Stenohaline describes an organism, ussually fish, that cannot handle a wide fluctuation in the salt content of water. ...

See also

Water Portal

• Water cycle
• Freshwater biology

Image File history File links Drinking_water. ... The movement of water around, over, and through the Earth is called the water cycle. ... Freshwater angelfish Freshwater biology is a field of biology that studies the life and ecosystems of freshwater habitats. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Alexander, David E. (1999-05-01). Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. Springer. ISBN 0-412-74050-8. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specifiedUnited States Environmental Protection Agency (2006-03-02). . Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
3. ^ Vaccari, David A. (2005-11-08). Environmental Biology for Engineers and Scientists. Wiley-Interscience. ISBN 0-471-74178-7. 
4. ^
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} Manahan, Stanley E. (2005-01-01). Environmental Chemistry. CRC. ISBN 1-56670-633-5. 
6. ^ Chapman, J.L.; Reiss, M.J. (1998-12-10). Ecology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-58802-2. 

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External links

• Aquatic Ecosystems at Environment Canada
• The Aquatic Biome
• Pond Life - Video
• Fish Aggregating Devices as Instrumented Observatories of pelagic ecosystems (FADIO) - Video Canal IRD