Chapter 47: The Biosphere
Section 3: Aquatic Biomes
Aquatic Biomes

________________________________

Includes freshwater, marine, and estuaries

These biomes support _______________________________ than do the
land biomes

Some of the abiotic factors that affect the kinds of organisms found in
the aquatic biomes are ______________________________, amounts of
____________________ and ____________________________ dissolved in
the water, and the availability of organic and inorganic nutrients
Freshwater Biomes

Rivers, streams, and lakes are considered the ____________________________
___________________ of the Earth

They provide much of our __________________________ and are an
important source of _______________

Tiny floating plants and animals drift and swim through the water

These organisms are eaten by fish and amphibians, which also eat the vegetation
and insects that fall into the water from overhanging trees

Contains insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals

Unfortunately, people all over the world are using rivers and lakes as
__________________________________________________________

The results of this carelessness are beginning to catch up with us
Marine Biomes

The vast habitats of the ocean, or the __________________________________,
cover most of the surface of Earth

____________________________ can only take place in the ____________
__________________________ of a marine biome

This region is called the ________________________
o May be as shallow as ___________ or as deep as ____________
o _________________________________ grow here

Oceanographers have divided marine biomes into distinct zones based on their
depth and distance from the shore

Each of these zones contains organisms that are adapted to the conditions there
Intertidal Zone

___________________________________________________________
____________________________

Must tolerate radical changes in their surroundings
o Once or twice a day they are ____________________ in ocean water
o The remainder of the time they are exposed to __________________
_______________________
o Organisms here have adapted in some way to the pounding and crashing
of ________________
o Some organisms __________________ into the sand to keep from
being washed out to sea
o Other attach themselves to ________________
Neritic Zone

Extends from the low-tide line to the edge of the open sea

______________________________________________ because this part
of the ocean is the photic zone

In shallow areas of tropical waters, meadows of turtle grass provide food for fish,
invertebrates, and turtles

Along the ocean floor, ________________________________ crawl while
_____________________________ swim above them
Open-Sea Zone

Phytoplankton are responsible for ________________ of the Earth’s
photosynthetic activity

Phytoplankton are eaten by ______________________________

Thus the chain of life in the sea begins with these tiny organisms

Swimming rapidly through the open-sea zone are fish of all shapes and sizes and
mammals such as dolphins and whales

Because nutrients are scarce in most of the open sea, the growth of
phytoplankton is ____________________________

This __________________ the number of animals that can live there

Closer to the shore, however, nutrients are more abundant, and countless fish
swim there to ________________________________

Unfortunately, these rich fishing areas are much more susceptible to
_____________________ than is the open sea
Deep-Sea Zone

Area of high pressure, cold temperature, and total darkness

This area is home to some of Earth’s ________________________________

Here, zooplankton wait for night in order to migrate to the ocean’s surface and
feed on phytoplankton

Herds of _____________________________ crawl along on the ocean floor
Estuaries

____________________________ are found at the boundary between fresh
water and salt water

Salt marshes, mangrove swamps, lagoons, and the mouths of rivers that empty
into the ocean are examples of estuaries

Estuaries support a variety of life forms

Because estuaries are usually shallow, ____________________ is able to
penetrate the water completely

__________________________ occurs at all levels, making estuaries a
suitable environment for aquatic plants

The abundance of such plants, in turn, supports many types of _____________
________________________________

In fact, many fish and invertebrates spawn, hatch, and nurse their young in
estuaries

As the young mature, they head for _______________________, then return
to the estuaries to reproduce

Several species of birds use estuaries for _____________________________
____________________________