APES DiscoveryEducation.com
Aquatic Biomes
1. What are the three abiotic factors used to categorize aquatic biomes?
2. Two broad categories of aquatic biomes
Freshwater biomes
Marine biomes
3. Why is temperature an important abiotic factor affecting living things in lakes and ponds?
4. How does the aphotic zone differ from the photic zone?
5. Why are we only able to find rooted plants in the littoral zone? (you may need to look this one up)
6. The abiotic and biotic features of a river or stream vary along the length of the river or stream.
Source Zone
Transition (Transfer) Zone
Floodplain (Depositional) Zone
The first picture of a river is the Chattahoochee River at the source zone in the mountains of N. GA. The
second picture of the Chattahoochee River is near Roswell, GA (the transition zone). The last picture of
the Chattahoochee is the floodplain zone and the river changed names when it crossed the GeorgiaFlorida state line (now the Apalachicola River).
7. Wetlands DO NOT need to be wet all year. However, if you were to dig into what you think is a dry
wetland, you will most likely hit water within 6-12 inches. All wetlands share the same three
characteristics. Describe each.
Hydrology
Hydrophytic vegetation
Hydric soils
8. What is an intertidal zone?
9. What causes tides? What is the difference between a spring tide and a neap tide?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u64ppKBY3cM
10. Describe the different adaptations of the marine organisms living in a rocky shore intertidal zone.
11. Differentiate between the pelagic zone, the benthic zone, and the abyssal zone.
Pelagic Zone
Benthic Zone
Abyssal Zone
12. What is an estuary? Why does the salinity change daily in an estuary?
13. Describe the different ways marine organisms have adapted to survive living in an estuary.
Organism
Adaptation
Halophytes
Mollusca phylum
14. What is the coral skeleton made of?
15. What are zooxanthellae and what is their relationship with coral polyps?
16. What is coral bleaching and what are some of the causes of coral bleaching?
17. Why is the absorption of excess carbon dioxide into the ocean bad for coral reefs?
18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO_Zc5XH6e0
Explain the difference between hard coral and soft coral.
19. Why is a coral reef called a living reef?
20. Checking for understanding: Explain why you think salinity, depth, and water flow are the only
characteristics used to categorize aquatic biomes.
Let’s learn about mangroves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwaOVCHPyOc
21. Where do mangrove forests grow?
22. Why are mangrove forests important?
23. How do mangroves get rid of the salt taken up by their roots?
24. Why do mangrove roots extend up into the air?
25. What is special about the seeds of the mangrove tree?
26. What is the by-product of decomposition of mangrove leaves and debris in the soil beneath the
mangrove forest?