Name _________________________________________________ Period ______ Date _________________
Chapter 7.2 Marine Aquatic Ecosystems CHART - Use the classroom or online chart to fill in the empty spaces. PAGE 1 OF 2
MARINE AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
Ecosystem
Freshwater (F)
or
Saltwater (S)
F and S mixed
Characteristics
Plants and Some of
Their Adaptations
Absorbs excess rain
which protects against
flooding; filters out
pollutants and
sediments; provides
shelter for small
animals; very
productive ecosystem
with a large diversity
of plants and animals
Marsh grasses,
plankton, sea rush,
saltwort
COASTAL WETLAND:
Salt Marsh
S
Acts as nurseries for
many species of
clams, crabs, and
fishes; absorbs
pollutants; protects
inland areas
COASTAL WETLAND:
Mangrove
Swamp
S
COASTAL WETLAND:
Rocky and Sandy
Shores
S
COASTAL WETLAND:
Estuary
Animals and
Some of Their
Adaptations
Crabs, migrating
shorebirds like
sandpipers,
egrets, plovers,
fish, dolphins,
manatees,
otters, oysters,
barnacles,
clams, fish
Threats
Cord grass, salt hay,
reeds
Birds such as
terns,
cormorants,
osprey; fish,
insects,
crustaceans,
shellfish, marsh
rabbits,
raccoons
Severed connections to oceans or seas by
human development; Pollution from
residential and commercial dumping
Help protect the
coastline from
erosion; reduces
coastline damage
from storms
Black, red, and
white mangrove
trees, sea oats
Herons,
manatees, sea
turtles, alligator,
crocodiles,
snails, barnacles
Clear-cutting trees to build residential and
commercial sites; overharvesting; river
changes due to building of dams and
irrigation for agriculture; overfishing;
destruction of coral reefs which protect
mangrove swamps from strong currents and
waves
Rocky Shores have
more plant and animal
species;
Sandy shores have
abundant life in
shallow water and
beach
Rocky shore:
seaweeds, lichens
Sandy shore: algae
Zooplankton,
fish, rays,
sandsharks,
mullet, gulls,
sandpipers,
terns, turtles
Pollution, bait harvesting, traffic and
development harm sandy beaches. Pollution
includes oil slicks, chemical effluent, sewage
and litter (from ships at sea, rivers and beach
users). Most large burrowing sand animals, e.g.
mole crabs, mussels and ghost crabs are used
as food or bait. Vehicles on beaches kill beach
creatures, compact the sand, destroy burrows
and, at high tide, drivers trying to avoid the
incoming tide damage the dunes. Popular
bathing beaches may be so disturbed that no
sign of animal or plant life remains.
6 out of 10 of the largest urban areas in the
world were built on estuaries: Tokyo, New
York, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro,
& Bombay; used as solid waste landfills;
dumps for sewage from residential areas;
used by factories to dump industrial waste;
agricultural runoff; agricultural runoff
Name _________________________________________________ Period ______ Date _________________
Chapter 7.2 Marine Aquatic Ecosystems CHART - Use the classroom or online chart to fill in the empty spaces. PAGE 2 OF 2
MARINE AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
Ecosystem
Coral Reefs
Freshwater
(F) or
Saltwater (S)
S
Characteristics
Plants and Some of
Their Adaptations
Animals and Some of Their
Adaptations
Threats
Warm, clear, shallow
ocean habitats limestone
Mangroves and sea
grasses or angiosperms
which grow near coral
reefs and provide food
for the diverse
population that lives in
the coral reef and
protection from larger
predators
Sponges, nudibranchs, fish (like
Blacktip Reef Sharks, groupers,
clown fish, eels, parrotfish,
snapper, and scorpion fish),
jellyfish, anemones, sea stars;
crustaceans (like crabs, shrimp,
and lobsters), turtles, sea
snakes, snails; mollusks (like
octopuses, nautilus, and clams).
Birds also feast on coral reef
animals.
Fragile ecosystems
that are sensitive to
temperature change,
muddy waters,
pollution; coral
bleaching is when
corals turn white
causing most of the
animals to leave or
die; global warming,
oil spills, and
polluting runoff from
human activities
ridges built by tiny coral
animals called coral polyps
and the algae that live in
them; coral polyps secrete
limestone or calcium
carbonate which slowly
accumulates over time and
form coral reefs;
thousands of species of
plants and animals live in
the cracks; most diverse
ecosystem on Earth
Oceans
S
Shallow oceans provide
rich nutrients for ocean
organisms; ocean surfaces
are home for many
organisms such as
plankton which is the
primary producer in the
ocean; deep ocean waters
have no light so most
organisms that live down
there depend on food that
drifts down
Types of Corals: There are two
types of coral, hard coral and
soft coral. Hard corals (like brain
coral and elkhorn coral) have
hard, limestone skeletons which
form the basis of coral reefs.
Soft corals (like sea fingers and
sea whips) do not build reefs.
Shallow oceans:
Seaweed, algae,
anemone; ocean
surface: plankton; deep
ocean waters: none
The ocean supports a host of
animals in and around its shores.
This includes fish, shrimps, lobsters,
crabs, barnacles, jelly fish, corals,
sea anemones, octopus, squids,
cuttle fish, nautilus, clams, oysters,
scallops, mussels, snails, slugs,
sponges, star fish, sea urchins, sea
cucumbers, eels, puffers, blow fish,
porcupine fish, seahorses, pipe fish,
sea dragons, sea turtles, sharks,
rays, dolphins, whales, manatees,
dugongs, penguins, puffins, walrus,
seals, sea lions, and sea otters.
Pollution from
human activities on
land include runoff
from fertilized fields,
waste from cities
and industries,
fertilizers, sewage
runoff, overfishing,
accidental trapping
of mammals that
breathe air caught in
fishing nets, and
global warming