ABOUTUS

ECONOMY

SCIENCE

POLITY

GENERALSTUDIES

HISTORY

GEOGRAPHY

ENVIRONMENT

UKPSC

Aquatic Ecosystem, Photic zone,

Aphotic zone, Eutrophication,
Wet Lands, Ramsar Convention,
Montreaux Record, Estuaries,
Mangroves, Coral Reefs, Atoll
Aquatic Zones
Aquaticsystemsarenotcalled
biomes,however,theyaredivided
intodistinctlifezoneswith
distinctplant&animallife
Majordifferencebetweenvarious
aquaticzonesisduetodifference
insalinity,levelsofdissolved
nutrients,Watertemperature&depth
ofsunlightpenetration

FreshWaterEcosystem:ClassifiedasLotic
(Movingwater)orLentic(Stagnantwater)
withsaltcontent<5ppt
MarineEcosystem:Approx71%ofearths
surfaceiscoveredwithoceanswithaverage
salinity35ppt(90%ofwhichisNaCl)

ART&CULTURE

Brackishwaterecosystem:Saltcontentb/w5
to35pptforexestuaries

Major factors affecting productivity of

Aquatic habitats

Sunlight&oxygenaremostimportantlimiting
factorsofaquaticecosystemswhereas
moisture&temperaturearethemainlimiting
factorsofterrestialecosystem

Photic zone
Thephoticzoneoreuphoticzoneis
thedepthofthewaterin
alakeoroceanthatisexposedto
sufficientsunlightfor
photosynthesistooccur.
Depthofthiszonedependson
transparencyofwater&generally
extendstill200mfromthesurface
(At200mapprox1%oflight
comparedtosurface)
Bothrespiration&photosynthesis
activitytakesplace.

Aphotic zone / Profundal zone/ Tropholytic

zone

Theaphoticzoneistheportionofa
lakeoroceanwherethereislittle
ornosunlight.Itisformally
definedasthedepthsbeyondwhich
lessthan1%ofsunlightpenetrates.
Consequently,bioluminescenceis
essentiallytheonlylightfoundin
thiszone.
Plantgrowthisrestrictedwithas
lightlevelsaretoolowfor
photosynthesis,Henceonly
respirationprocessoccurs

Lakes
Standingwateroveralargearea
(morethan10hectares)withatleast
3mofdepthwithlittleaquatic
vegetation,whichreceiveswater
fromsurfacerunoff&sometimesfrom
grounddischarge
Alongwithsurfacerunoffvarious
chemicalsubstances&minerals
mingleinitswaterleadingto
nutrientenrichmentoflakes,which

promotesgrowthofalgae,aquatic
life&variousfauna(Natural
Eutrophication)
Similarnutrientenrichmentoflakes
atanacceleratedrate,causedby
humanactivities(Dischargeof
wastewateroragriculturalrunoff)
promotesalgaebloomleadingto
depletionofaquaticlife(Cultural
Eutrophication)
Basedonlevelofsalinitylakesare
knownasFreshwater,Brackishor
Salinelakes.
Basedonnutrientcontentlakesare
classifiedasOligotrophic(Verylow
nutrients),Mesotropic(Moderate
nutrients)&Eutropic(Highnutrient
content)

Eutrophication
Enrichmentofanaquaticsystemby
additionofnutrients,primarily
causedbyleachingofphosphates&
nitratesrunoffsfromchemical
fertilizers
Nutrientenrichmentacceleratesthe
growthofalgaewhichsooncovers
almostentiresurfacelayer,known
asalgaebloom.

Algaebloomrestrictsthe
penetrationofsunlight,which
restrictsprocessofphotosynthesis
amongunderwaterplants,leadingto
depletionofoxygen>>>Deathof
aquaticorganisms
Depletionofoxygenalsooccursdue
todecompositionofdeadalgaeby
microorganismswhichrequireoxygen
fordecompositionprocess.
Newanaerobicconditionalso
promotesgrowthofbacteria
(clostridiumbotulinum)which
producestoxinsdeadlytoaquatic
organisms,birds&mammals

HarmfulAlgaebloomiscommonly
knownasRedtide,whichis
basicallyamisnomerasbloomsare
notalwaysredincolor&certainly
notassociatedwithtides,
ScientificallyreferredasHarmful
algalblooms(HABs)
Commoncauseforalgaebloomsare
nutrientenrichmentofwater(esp.
ofnitrates&phosphates)&risein
watertemperature.
SomeHABtoxinscanbecomeairborne
duringabloom&peoplecanbecome
illbyinhalingthem

Wet Lands
Areasintermediateincharacter

betweendeepwater&terrestrial
habitats,transitionalinnature&
oftenlocatedinbetweenthem
(Riparian>>relatingtoorsituated
onthebanksofariver)
Experienceperiodicflooding,often
containwaterlogged&hydricsoils
(Notenoughoxygenforplants)with
Hydrophytes&halophytesplanttypes
Wetlands(usuallylessthan3mdeep
overmostoftheirarea)arerichin
nutrients&abundantingrowthof
aquaticmacrophytes
Supporthighdensities&diversities
offauna&havehighvalueof
biodiversityconservation.

Ramsar Convention
TheRamsarConvention(formally,
theConventiononWetlandsof
InternationalImportance,especially
asWaterfowlHabitat)isan
internationaltreatyforthe
conservationandsustainable
utilizationofwetlands,recognizing
thefundamentalecologicalfunctions
ofwetlandsandtheireconomic,
cultural,scientific,and
recreationalvalue.
Itisnamedafterthecity
ofRamsarinIran,wherethe
Conventionwassignedin1971.

Montreaux Record
TheMontreuxRecordisaregisterof
wetlandsitesontheListof
WetlandsofInternationalImportance
wherechangesinecological
characterhaveoccurred,are
occurring,orarelikelytooccuras
aresultoftechnological
developments,pollutionorother
humaninterference.
TheMontreauxRecordisavoluntary
mechanismtohighlightspecific
wetlandofinternationalimportance
undertheRamsarconvention,but
whicharefacingimmediate
challenges

Estuaries
locatedwhererivermeetsseawhich
meansfreshwaterfromrivermixes
withsaltwateroftheoceansvia
tides
Estuariesarethemostproductive
waterbodiesintheworld,located
atthelowerendoftheriver&are
subjectedtotidalfluctuations
Anestuaryissemienclosedcoastal
bodyofwaterwithoneormore
riversorstreamsflowingintoit
withfreeconnectiontoopensea
Completesalinityrangefrom0to35
PPTisseenfromthehead(River
end)tothemouth(Seaend)isfound
inanestuary
Depictedasmostproductiveregions
&heavilypopulatedwithabout60%
ofworldpopulation,livingalong
estuaries&coasts.
Trappingofsuspendedmud&sand
carriedbytheriversleadsto
formationofdeltasalongside

estuaries
Referredbydifferentnamesas
lagoons,inlets,bays,harboursetc.
(Coastallakeswhichhavetheir
connectionwiththeseathrough
smallopeningsarebetterknownas
lagoonsorbackwater)

InIndia,majorestuariesoccurat
bayofBengalasmostoftherivers
inpeninsularIndiaarewesttoeast
flowing&henceontheeasterncoast
(Largerinsizethanestuariesat
westerncoast)

Mangroves
Littoralplantsfoundintropical&
subtropicalcoastlines(Acc.toFAO,
Mangrovesarethetrees&bushes
growingbelowthehighwaterlevel
ofspringtides,whichexhibits
remarkablecapacityforsaltwater
tolerence.

Basicallyevergreenlandplants
growingonshelteredshores
typicallyontidalflats,deltas,
estuaries,baysetc.whereabundant
siltisbroughtdownbyrivers
Exhibitsviviparitymodeof
reproductioni.e.seedsgerminatein
thetreesitself,beforefallingto
ground(Anadaptivemechanismto
overcomeproblemofgerminationin
salinewater)
Producespneumatophores(Blindor
arialroots)toovercomerespiration
probleminanaerobicsoilconditions
astheseaerialrootsenableplants
tobreatheairthroughwaterlogged
soil

SomeMangrovessecreteexcesssalt
throughtheirleaves(formcrystals
ofsaltonbackofleaves)&some
blockabsorptionofsaltattheir
roots
Producestilt/Proproots,which
emergedfrommaintrunkofthetree

abovegroundlevel(aerial
pitchforklikeextensionsfromthe
trunkwhichgrowdownwardsand
anchorthemselvesinthesoil
trappingsedimentwhichhelpsto
stabilizethetree,subjectedto
tidesandflooding)

Mangrovesofsundarbanarethe
largestsingleblockoftidal
holophyticmangrovesoftheworld,
famousforBengaltigers&
crocodiles

Coral Reefs
Coralreefsareunderwater
structuresmadefromcalcium
carbonatesecretedbycorals.
Coralreefsarecoloniesoftiny
livinganimals
likecalcareousalgae,gastropods,
greenalgae,sinobacteria,oyester,
molluscaetcfoundinmarinewaters.
Coralreefsareoftencalled
rainforestsoftheseaasthey
formsomeofthemostdiverse
ecosystemsonEarth.
Anindividualcoralisknownasa
polyp,averysmallandsimple
organismconsistingmostlyofa
stomachtoppedbyatentaclebearing

mouth.Thepolypsextendtheir
tentaclesatnighttostingand
ingesttinyorganismscalled
planktonandothersmallcreatures.
Thousandsofidenticalpolypslive
togetherandformacoralcolony.
Eachpolypexcretesacalcium
carbonateexoskeletonbeneathit
and,overlongperiodsoftime,the
skeletonsofmanycoralcoloniesadd
uptobuildthestructureofacoral
reef.Manyotherspeciesfish,
invertebrates,algaeand
microorganismsmaketheirhomeson
andaroundthisreef.
Reefsonlyoccurinshallowareas
thatarereachablebysunlight
becauseoftherelationshipbetween
coralandalgae.
Corallivesasymbioticlife.Inside
thesacofeachcoralpolyplivesa
onecelledalgae
calledzooxanthellae.Thealgae
givesoffoxygenandothernutrients
thatthecoralpolypneedstolive
andinreturnthepolypgivesthe
algaecarbondioxideandother
substancesthealgaeneeds.Thatis
whycoralreefsgrowsonearthe
surfaceofthewaterwhereitisthe
sunniestthealgaeneedsunshine
forphotosynthesis.
Despiteoccupyinglessthan0.1%of
theworldsoceansurface,they
provideahomefor25%ofallmarine

species
Inadditiontoprovidingcoralswith
essentialnutrients,zooxanthellae
areresponsiblefortheuniqueand
beautifulcolorsofmanystony
corals.
Sometimeswhencoralsbecome
physicallystressed,thepolyps
expeltheiralgalcellsandthe
colonytakesonastarkwhite
appearance.Thisiscommonly
describedascoralbleaching
Ifthepolypsgofortoolong
withoutzooxanthellae,coral
bleachingcanresultinthecorals
death.
Coralreefsbegintoformwhenfree
swimmingcorallarvaeattachto
submergedrocksorotherhard
surfacesalongtheedgesofislands
orcontinents.Asthecoralsgrow
andexpand,reefstakeononeof
threemajorcharacteristic
structuresfringing,barrieror
atoll.

Fringing reefs
whicharethemostcommon,projectseaward
directlyfromtheshore,formingborders
alongtheshorelineandsurroundingislands.

Barrier reefs
Growatbordershorelines,butatagreater

distance.Theyareseparatedfromtheir
adjacentlandmassbyalagoonofopen,often
deepwater.

Atoll
Ifafringingreefformsarounda
volcanicislandthatsubsides
completelybelowsealevelwhilethe
coralcontinuestogrowupward,an
atollforms.
Atollsareusuallycircularoroval,
withacentrallagoon.Partsofthe
reefplatformmayemergeasoneor
moreislands,andgapsinthereef
provideaccesstothecentrallagoon

Conditions required for coral reef

formation:

Theyarefoundincleartropical
oceanwaterusuallybetween30Nto
30Slatitudes
Thewatertemperaturemustbe

between2025C
Coralreefcanformtodepthof90
meterssinceatthisdepthalgaecan
formfoodthroughphotosynthesis.
Coralarenotfoundnearmouthof
riverwherelotsofsedimentsare
unloadedintoocean.
Coralareformedonlyinsaline
waterwithalmost27PPT

February3,2015

iasmania

Environment

3Comments

Aphoticzone,AquaticEcosystem,Atoll,Barrierreefs,
Brackishwaterecosystem,CoralReefs,Estuaries,
Eutrophication,FreshWaterEcosystem,Fringingreefs,
Mangroves,MarineEcosystem,MontreauxRecord,Photiczone,
Profundalzone,RamsarConvention,Tropholyticzone,WetLands

ForestEcosystem
andGrasslands

PlantClassification,Partsoftree,
PartsofTrunkofTree,Typesof
roots,Effectofabioticcomponentson
plants,InsectivorousPlants

3 Thoughts On Aquatic Ecosystem, Photic

Zone, Aphotic Zone, Eutrophication, Wet
Lands, Ramsar Convention, Montreaux

Record, Estuaries, Mangroves, Coral Reefs,

Atoll

Pingback:LasVegasEscorts
Pingback:hamptonbayreplacementparts
shoban says:
September23,2015at5:14pm

lightcoloursineuphoticzonesowhat
formationoforganisminthiszone
Reply

Leave A Reply
Youremailaddresswillnotbepublished.
Requiredfieldsaremarked*
Name*

Email*

Website

Comment

YoumayusetheseHTMLtagsandattributes:<a
href=""title=""><abbrtitle=""><acronym
title=""><b><blockquotecite=""><cite>
<code><deldatetime=""><em><i><qcite="">
<strike><strong>

PostComment

Iasmania2015|ThemeOptimizePoweredbyWordPress