Aquatic Ecology

Notes

Chapter Overview
Questions
What

are the basic types of

aquatic life zones and what factors
influence the kinds of life they
contain?
What are the major types of
freshwater life zones, and how do
human activities affect them?

Chapter Overview
Questions
What do we know about aquatic
biodiversity, and what is its
economic and ecological
importance?
How are human activities affecting
aquatic biodiversity?
How can we manage and sustain
the worlds marine fisheries?

Chapter Overview
Questions (contd)
How

can we protect, sustain, and

restore wetlands?
How can we protect, sustain, and
restore lakes, rivers, and
freshwater fisheries?

Chapter Overview
Questions
Why

is water so important, how much freshwater

is available to us, and how much of it are we
using?
What causes freshwater shortages, and what can
be done about this problem?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
withdrawing groundwater?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
using dams and reservoirs to supply more water?

Chapter Overview
Questions (contd)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
transferring large amounts of water from one place
to another?
Can removing salt from seawater solve our water
supply problems?
How can we waste less water?
How can we use the earths water more
sustainably?
What causes flooding, and what can we do about
it?

WATERS IMPORTANCE,
AVAILABILITY, AND RENEWAL
Water

keeps us alive, moderates

climate, sculpts the land, removes
and dilutes wastes and pollutants,
and moves continually through the
hydrologic cycle.
Only about 0.02% of the earths water
supply is available to us as liquid
freshwater.

WATERS IMPORTANCE,
AVAILABILITY, AND RENEWAL
Comparison

of
population sizes
and shares of
the worlds
freshwater
among the
continents.
Figure 14-2

WATERS IMPORTANCE,
AVAILABILITY, AND RENEWAL
Some

precipitation infiltrates the ground

and is stored in soil and rock (groundwater).
Water that does not sink into the ground or
evaporate into the air runs off (surface
runoff) into bodies of water.

The land from which the surface water drains

into a body of water is called its watershed or
drainage basin.

Unconfined Aquifer Recharge Area

Evaporation and transpiration Evaporation

Precipitation
Confined
Recharge
Area

Runoff

Flowing
artesian
well

Recharge
Unconfined
Aquifer
Infiltration Water
table

Less permeable
material such as clay

Infiltration

Stream Well
requiring a
pump
Lake

Unconfined aquifer
Confined aquifer
Confining impermea
ble rock layer
Fig. 14-3, p. 308

WATERS IMPORTANCE,
AVAILABILITY, AND RENEWAL
We

currently use more than half of the

worlds reliable runoff of surface water and
could be using 70-90% by 2025.
About 70% of the water we withdraw from
rivers, lakes, and aquifers is not returned to
these sources.
Irrigation is the biggest user of water (70%),
followed by industries (20%) and cities and
residences (10%).

Salinity
The

saltiness.

Niches

What Kinds of Organisms Live

in Aquatic Life Zones?
Aquatic

systems contain floating,

drifting, swimming, bottom-dwelling,
and decomposer organisms.

Plankton: important group of weakly

swimming, free-floating biota.

Phytoplankton (plant), Zooplankton (animal),

Ultraplankton (photosynthetic bacteria)

Necton: fish, turtles, whales.

Benthos: bottom dwellers (barnacles,
oysters).
Decomposers: breakdown organic
compounds (mostly bacteria).

Phytoplankton
Description

small drifting plants

Niche they are producers that
support most aquatic food chains
Example cyanobacteria & many
types of algae

Zooplankton
Description herbivores that feed on
phytoplankton or other zooplankton
Niche food stock for larger
consumers
Example krill; small crustaceans

Nekton
Description

larger, strongswimming consumers

Niche top consumers in the
aquatic ecosystem
Example fish, turtles, and
whales

Benthos
Description

bottom-dwelling

creatures
Niche primary consumers,
decomposers
Example barnacles, oysters,
and lobsters

Freshwater
Ecosystems

FRESHWATER LIFE ZONES

Freshwater

life
zones include:
Standing (lentic)
water such as
lakes, ponds, and
inland wetlands.
Flowing (lotic)
systems such as
streams and rivers.

Figure 6-14

Flowing Water
Ecosystems
Because of different
environmental conditions in
each zone, a river is a
system of different
ecosystems.

Natural Capital
Ecological Services of Rivers

Deliver nutrients to sea to help sustain

coastal fisheries
Deposit silt that maintains deltas
Purify water
Renew and renourish wetlands
Provide habitats for wildlife
Fig. 12-11, p. 267

Freshwater Streams and

Rivers:
From the Mountains to the
Oceans

Water

flowing from mountains to the sea

creates different aquatic conditions and
habitats.
Figure 6-17

Headwater Stream
Characteristics

narrow zone of cold, clear water

that rushes over waterfalls and
rapids. Large amounts of oxygen
are present. Fish are also present.
Ex. trout.

Downstream
Characteristics

Slower-moving

water, less
oxygen, warmer temperatures,
and lots of algae and
cyanobacteria.

Energy Source
Gravity

Standing Water
Ecosystems
Lakes, ponds, etc.

Life in Layers
Life

in most aquatic systems is found

in surface, middle, and bottom layers.
Temperature, access to sunlight for
photosynthesis, dissolved oxygen
content, nutrient availability changes
with depth.

Euphotic zone (upper layer in deep water

habitats): sunlight can penetrate.

Lakes: Water-Filled
Depressions

Lakes are large natural bodies of standing

freshwater formed from precipitation, runoff, and
groundwater seepage consisting of:
Littoral zone (near shore, shallow, with rooted
plants).
Limnetic zone (open, offshore area, sunlit).
Profundal zone (deep, open water, too dark for
photosynthesis).
Benthic zone (bottom of lake, nourished by dead
matter).

Littoral Zone
A

shallow area near the shore, to the

depth at which rooted plants stop
growing. Ex. frogs, snails, insects,
fish, cattails, and water lilies.

Limnetic Zone
Open,

sunlit water that extends

to the depth penetrated by
sunlight.

Profundal Zone
Deep,

open water where it

is too dark for
photosynthesis.

Thermal
Stratification

Lakes: Water-Filled
Depressions

Figure 6-15

Definition
The

temperature difference in
deep lakes where there are
warm summers and cold
winters.

Lakes: Water-Filled
Depressions
During

summer and winter in deep

temperate zone lakes the become
stratified into temperature layers and
will overturn.
This equalizes the temperature at all
depths.
Oxygen is brought from the surface to
the lake bottom and nutrients from the
bottom are brought to the top.

Causes
During

the summer,
lakes become stratified
into different
temperature layers that
resist mixing because
summer sunlight warms
surface waters, making
them less dense.

Thermocline
The

middle layer
that acts as a
barrier to the
transfer of
nutrients and
dissolved oxygen.

Fall Turnover
As

the temperatures begin to

drop, the surface layer becomes
more dense, and it sinks to the
bottom. This mixing brings
nutrients from the bottom up to
the surface and sends oxygen to
the bottom.

Spring Turnover
As

top water warms and ice

melts, it sinks through and
below the cooler, less dense
water, sending oxygen down
and nutrients up.

Freshwater
Wetlands

Freshwater Inland Wetlands:

Vital Sponges
Inland

wetlands
act like natural
sponges that
absorb and
store excess
water from
storms and
provide a
variety of
wildlife
Figure 6-18

Freshwater Inland Wetlands:

Vital Sponges
Filter

and degrade pollutants.

Reduce flooding and erosion by
absorbing slowly releasing overflows.
Help replenish stream flows during dry
periods.
Help recharge ground aquifers.
Provide economic resources and
recreation.

Marshes
An

area of temporarily flooded,

often silty land beside a river or
lake.

Swamps
A

lowland region permanently

covered with water.

Hardwood Bottomland
Forest
An

area down by a river or

stream where lots of hardwoods,
like oaks, grow.

Prairie Potholes
These

are depressions that hold

water out on the prairie, especially
up north in Canada. It is a very good
duck habitat.

Peat Moss Bog

A

wet area that over time fills in (the

last stage of succession is peat
moss). It can be very deep. In
Ireland, they burn this for wood.

Importance of freshwater
wetlands
They

filter & purify water.

Habitat for many animals
and plants.

Historical Aspects
Developers

and farmers want Congress

to revise the definition of wetlands.
This would make 60-75% of all
wetlands unavailable for protection.
The Audubon Society estimates that
wetlands provide water quality
protection worth $1.6 billion per year,
and they say if that wetlands are
destroyed, the U.S. would spend $7.7
billion to $31 billion per year in
additional flood-control costs.

Estuaries

Definition
A

partially enclosed area of

coastal water where sea water
mixes with freshwater.

Salt Marshes
The

ground here is saturated with water

and there is little oxygen, so decay takes
place slowly. It has a surface inlet and
outlet, and contains many invertebrates.
It is also the breeding ground for many
ocean animals. Ex. crabs and shellfish.

Mangrove Forests
These

are along warm,

tropical coasts where
there is too much silt for
coral reefs to grow. It is
dominated by salt-tolerant
trees called mangroves
(55 different species
exist). It also helps to
protect the coastline from
erosion and provides a
breeding nursery for some
2000 species of fish,
invertebrates, and plants.

Importance of Estuaries
Just

one acre of estuary provides

$75,000 worth of free waste treatment,
and has a value of about $83,000 when
recreation and fish for food are included.
Prime Kansas farmland has a top value
of $1,200 and an annual production
value of $600.

The Everglades
Southern Florida to the
Keys

Case Study:
Restoring the Florida
Everglades
The worlds largest ecological restoration project
involves trying to undo some of the damage
inflicted on the Everglades by human activities.

90% of parks wading birds have vanished.

Other vertebrate populations down 75-95%.
Large volumes of water that once flowed through the
park have been diverted for crops and cities.
Runoff has caused noxious algal blooms.

Problems
As

Miami develops, it encroaches on

everglades. Plus, it prompts people vs.
wildlife. It is freshwater and local areas
are draining it.

Restoring the
Florida
Everglades

The project
has been
attempting to
restore the
Everglades
and Florida
water supplies.
Figure 12-10

Restoration
Build

huge aqueduct, or find

other sources of fresh water an
protect it federally under
endangered species act, etc.

The Water
Resource

Importance
Leonardo

da Vinci said
that Water is the
driver of nature.
Without water, the
other nutrient cycles
would not exist in their
present forms, and
current forms of life on
earth could not exist.

Hydrogen Bonds

Attraction Between
Molecules
The

strong forces of
attraction between
molecules of water.

Heat Capacity
Water

changes temp very slowly

because it can store heat. This
protects living organisms from the
shock of abrupt temperature changes.

Heat of Vaporization
The

temperature at which
water turns to vapor.

Universal Solvent
Water

can
dissolve a wide
variety of
compounds. This
means it can
easily become
polluted by watersoluble wastes.

Expansion When Frozen

Ice

has a lower density than

liquid water. Thus, ice
floats on water.