Aquatic Ecosystem

Prepared
By
Jhansirani.R AP/ECE
CEAN'S
RESH WATER
Aquatic ecosystem
Aquatic ecosystem deaIs with water bodies
and the biotic communities present in them
They are of major 2 types
reshwater
Lentic (standing water)
Lotic (running water)
Marine water
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Pond Ecosystem
Pond ecosystem
t is a small fresh water aquatic ecosystem where
water is stagnant
Ponds is seasonal in nature
t receives enough water during rainy season
ponds are shallow (hardly 12-15 feet) water bodies
in which sunlight can reach to its bottom
This permits the growth of the plants that grow
there.
Lotus, water lilies, duckweed, starwort and
pondweeds are commonly found here
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Pond ecosystem
They play important role in villages
They contain several types of Algae, aquatic
plants, insects, fishes, & birds
Ponds are exposed to anthropogenic (human-
generated) pressures
They are used for washing cloths, bathing,
swimming, cattle bathing, and drinking, hence
get polluted.
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
uck weed
pond weed
starwort
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Lake Ecosystem
Lake ecosystem
Lakes are usually big freshwater bodies with
standing water
They have a shallow water zone called IittoraI
zone
Open water zone where effective penetration of
solar light takes place called Iimnetic zone
Deep bottom area where light penetration is
negligible, known as profundaI zone
aI Iake in Srinagar (J&K),
Naini lake in Nainital (uttarakhand)
Loktak lake in Manipur are some of the famous
lakes of our country. jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Organisms in lakes
The lakes have several types of organisms
PIanktons: That float on the surface of waters
E.g. phytoplankton's like algae & Zooplanktons
like Rotifers.
Nektons: That swim e.g. fish
Neustons: That rest or swim on the surface
Benthos: That are attached to the bottom
sediments e.g. snails
Periphytons: That are attached or clinging to
other plants or any other surface e.g.
crustaceans
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Stratification
Stratification: The lakes show stratification or
zonation based on temperature difference
During summer, the top waters become warmer
than the bottom waters
Only the warm top water circulates without mixing
with the cold layer thus forming a distinct zonation
EpiIimnion: Warm, lighter, circulating surface
layer
HypoIimnion: Cold, viscous, non-circulating
bottom layer
ThermocIine: Lies in between the 2 layers, the
region of sharp drop in temperature.
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Types of lakes
Iigotrophic Iakes: Which have low nutrient
concentrations
Eutrophic Iakes: Which are over nourished by
nutrients like nitrogen, & phosphorus, usually as a
result of agricultural run-off or municipal sewage
discharge. They are covered with algal blooms
e.g. aI Iake
ystrophic Iakes: They have low pH, high humic
acid content and brown waters e.g. bog Iakes
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Types of lakes
Endemic Iakes: They are very ancient, deep and
have endemic fauna which are restricted only to
that lake
e.g. The Iake BaikaI in Russia, the deepest lake,
which is now suffering a threat due to industrial
pollution.
esert saIt Iakes: That occur in arid regions and
have developed high salt concentrations as a result
of high evaporation
e.g. Great salt lake, Utah;
Smbhar lake in Rajasthan
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Types of lakes
'oIcanic Iakes: That receive water from magma
after volcanic eruption. They have highly restricted
biota.
e.g. Tazawa lake, Japan
Crater lake, Oregon
Yellowstone lake, Wyoming
Meromictic Iakes: That are rich in salts and are
permanently stratified e.g. Iake Nevada
ArtificiaI Iakes or impoundments: That are
created due to construction of dams
e.g. Govindsagar Iake at Bhakra-nangaI.
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Crater Iake('oIcanic), regon
eIIow stone Iake (voIcanic), Wyoming
Streams
Streams
These are freshwater aquatic ecosystem where
water current is a major controlling factor
Oxygen and nutrient in the water is more uniform
Land water exchange is more extensive
Stream organisms have to face more extremes of
temperature and action of currents as compared
to pond or lake organism
But they do not have to face oxygen deficiency
under natural conditions.
This is because the streams are shallow, have a
large surface exposed to air and constant motion
which churns the water and provides abundant
oxygen
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Streams
Their dissolved oxygen level is higher than that
of ponds even though the green plants are
much less in number
Stream animals usually have a narrow range of
tolerance to oxygen
That's why they are very susceptible to any
organic pollution which depletes dissolved
oxygen in the water
Thus streams are the worst victims of industrial
development.
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
River Ecosystem
River ecosystem
Rivers are large streams that flow downward from
mountain highlands and flowing through the plains
fall into the sea.
The mountain highIand part has cold, clear
waters rushing down as water falls with large
amounts of dissolved oxygen
The plants are attached to rocks (periphytons) and
fishes are cold-water, high oxygen requiring fish
like trouts
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n the second phase on the gentle slopes, the
waters are warmer and support a luxuriant growth
of plants and less oxygen requiring fishes
n the third phase, the river waters are very rich in
biotic diversity
Moving down the hills, rivers shape the land
They bring with them lots of slit rich in nutrients
which is deposited in the plains and in the delta
before reaching the ocean.
Examples
Nile, Egypt
Yamuna , ndia
Mississippi-Missouri, USA
Ocean ecosystem
These are gigantic reservoirs of water covering more
than 70% of our earth surface
ts important for survival of about 2,50,000 marine
species
Serves as food for humans and other organisms
Gives huge variety of sea products and drugs
They also provide iron, phosphorus, magnesium, oil,
natural gas, sand and gravel
They are major skins of carbon dioxide and play
important role in Biogeochemical cycles and
hydrological cycle.
Thus regulating the earth's climate
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The ocean water column can be separated into 2
distinct zones: the surface zone and the deep zone
1. Surface zone
extends down to about 100- 300 meters
well mixed
known as the "mixed layer
includes the photic zone
2. eep zone
the rest of the water column
dark and cold with much less productivity
includes the aphotic zone
> the pycnocline forms a physical barrier between the surface and
deep zones
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Ocean ecosystem
Oceans have 2 major life zones:
CoastaI zone: it has relatively warm, nutrient rich
shallow water.
Due to high nutrients and ample sunlight this is the
zone of high primary productivity
pen sea: it is the deeper part of ocean, away
from the continental shelf (the submerged part of
the continent).
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Ocean ecosystem
This is vertically divided into 3 regions
Euphotic zone: Which receives abundant light
and shows high photosynthetic activity.
BathyaI zone: t receives dim light and is usually
geologically active
AbyssaI zone: t is the dark zone, 2000 to 5000
meters deep.
They have no primary source of energy i.e. solar
energy
t is the worlds largest ecological unit but it is an
incomplete ecosystem.
jhansirani. R AP/ECE
Aphotic zone
Euphotic zone
Seomounf sessiIe founo is dominofed by suspension feeders
Suspension feedinq inverfebrofes - sponqes, bryozoons, coroIs
odd sfrucfuroI compIexify ond offer o qreof voriefy of
microhobifof for o diversify of species
Estuary
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Estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal area at
the mouth of a river where fresh water and salty
seawater meet.
These are the transition zones which are strongly
affected by tidal action
Constant mixing of water stirs up the slit which
makes the nutrients available for the primary
producers
There are wide variations in the stream flow and
tidal currents at any given location diurnally,
monthly and seasonally
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Thus organisms present in estuaries show a wide
range of tolerance to temperature and salinity.
Such organisms are known as eurythermal and
euryhaline
Coastal bays, tidal marshes are examples of
estuaries.
Estuaries have rich biodiversity and many of the
species are endemic
Many migratory species of fishes like eels and
salmons spends half of the life in fresh water and
half in salty water
For them estuaries are ideal place for resting
during migration, and also get abundant food.
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CoastaI Bay
TidaI Marsh
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saImons
EeI
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Estuary
Estuaries are highly productive ecosystem
River flow & tidal action provide energy
subsidies for estuary thereby enhancing its
productivity
They are of much use to human beings
due to their high food potential
Thus estuaries should be managed and
protected from pollution.
jhansirani. R AP/ECE