Origin and Distributions of Aquatic Biomes and Communities with emphasis on Oregon Unless otherwise stated all photographs Copyright © Lorraine L. Stratton

1. Ecology II
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2. Term Definition
Limiting
factors
A condition limiting the growth, abundance, or
distribution of an organism or population in an ecosystem.
Pelagic Greek for open sea, surface of the sea almost to the bottom.
Littoral Part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore.
Neritic
The relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off
of the continental shelf, approximately 200m in depth
generally corresponding to the continental shelf.
Abyssal
Portion of the ocean t 2,000 m (6,600 feet) to 6,000 m
(20,000 feet) stays in total darkness.
Benthic
The ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water
such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface
and some sub-surface layers.
Sessile
An organism anchored to a substrate, thus cannot move
about freely.
Motile An organism which is free swimming.
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3. Term Definition
Euphotic
zone
”Sunlight," zone — 0 to 200 m deep. “Photic” means
particle of light, “eu” means pleasant, well, good — good
light.
Dysphotic
zone
“Twilight” zone — 200 to 1,00 m deep, light looks like
twilight. “Photic” means particle of light, “dys” means
difficult — difficult light.
Aphotic
zone
“Midnight,” zone — below 1,000 meters, total darkness.
Photic means particle of light, “a” means away — away
from light or darkness.
Atmospher
es
A unit of pressure based on the average atmospheric
pressure at sea level. The weight of air experts pressure on
your body — about 14.7 psi (pounds per a square inch).
Estuary Where ocean’s salt water & river’s fresh water intermingle (mix).
Adapted Adjusted to conditions
3

4. The limiting factors in water biomes are:
• Amount of salt (salinity)
• Amount of dissolved (available to use)
oxygen
• Sunlight

5. •Saltwater
1. Ocean (marine)
2. Seashores (intertidal areas)
3. Estuaries
•Freshwater
1. Rivers and Streams
2. Lakes and Ponds

6. About 95 percent of Earth’s water has a high
concentration of salt called high salinity.

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9. 1. Temperature range is avg. 4°C, with range of -2°C to
28°C in most cases
2. Location (s): world-wide
3. Light penetration is between 200m (656 ft)—1,000m
(3,280 ft), but rarely any significant light beyond
200m
4. Average depth is 3,720 m (12,200 ft).
• Deepest point: 11,033 m (36,198 ft) in the Mariana
Trench in the western Pacific. That’s 6.8 miles.
5. Life features:
A.can move freely: motile
B. attached to or crawl on floor: sessile
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• Ocean’s floor is not flat
• Has mountains, hills, valleys and gorges similar to land
masses.
• Terms are different: volcanic island arcs, abyss, guyot,
mid-ocean ridges, continental slope, trenches.

11. We now
know life
fills every
part of an
ocean.
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Two kinds of zones
• Distance from
land
1. Pelagic
• Nertic
2. Oceanic
3. Benthic
(bottom)
• Depth & light
1. Euphotic
2. Disphotic
3. Aphotic

13. a) Littoral zone includes: intertidal zone
b) Neritic zone includes: first 200 meters
(656 feet) of ocean water
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14. 1. Where land and sea meet
2. Covered with water at high tide
3. Exposed to air at low tide
4. Can be
A. Rocky
B. Sandy
C. Mudflats
5. Two high/low tides a day
6. Tide change every 6 hours and 12.5 minutes
7. Organisms must withstand force of waves
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http://www.whsrn.org/site-profile/columbia-river-estuary

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• Splash zone
• High tide
zone
• Mid-tide
zone
• Low tide
zone
High Tide
Mid-Tide
Low Tide

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• Seaweeds
• Black
chiton
• Goose neck
barnacles
• Acorn
barnacles
• Limpets
Seaweeds
Black chiton
Goose neck barnacles
Limpets
Acorn barnacles
Seaweeds
• During low tidepools capture and hold seawater.

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25. a) Abyssal is the deepest part of the ocean, depths of
2,000 to 4,000 meters (6,560 to 19,680 feet)
b) Stays in perpetual darkness
c) High pressure: 200 atmospheres (200x normal)
d)Mariana Trench is deeper than Mt. Everest is tall! It
is about 10,000 meters (6.8 miles) deep.
e) Special adaptations include:
i. fish are small,
ii. soft bodies and small bones
iii.tend to have big mouths, long teeth, and
stretchable stomachs
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The ocean is divided up into three
vertical light zones.
1. Top layer: euphotic zone — area where
light can penetrate.
2. Middle layer: disphotic zone where it is
too deep for lots of light to reach.
3. Bottom layer: aphotic zone, or deep sea
— very cold, completely dark, low
nutritional content.
• Largest (80 percent) habitat on earth —
aphotic zone

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Phytoplankton,
zooplankton
Bacteria
(Chemosynthesis)
Seaweed Algae
Sharks, rays, skates Shrimp, crabs, lobsters
Whales, dolphins, seals Mussels, clams, oysters,
chitons, octopi,
Sunfish, tuna, rock fish,
swordfish, angel fish
Anemones, jellyfish, coral,
sea squirts,
Producers
Consumers

28. 1. New communities found in ocean's abyssal zone
(3,000 m) in 1977.
2. Living around deep ocean or hydrothermal vents
A. Use chemicals from vents instead of sunlight for
energy source
B. This process of converting energy is called
Chemosynthesis.
C. This area high in economic value because of high
mineral content.
D. Temperatures range: freezing to 400 °C
3. Deep, cold water coral “forests”
A. Found at depths of 60-3,050 meters
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29. • Bill Nye Science Guy 100 Greatest Discoveries: Deep Ocean
Vents —5:30 min.
• Marum: Hydrothermal vents in the deep sea — 7:25 min.
• Smithsonian Hydrothermal Vent Organisms
• David Attenborough on Hydrothermal Vents — 2 min.
• Deep Water Coral — 2 min.
• Atlantic Oceans’ 'Coral Forests' NOAA sub — 7:15 min.
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30. • Most productive on earth, creating more organic
matter each year than the same sized forest or
grassland.
• Nutrient levels are higher than both salt and
freshwater.
• Many types of habitats surround or are a part of
estuaries.
• They act as nursery for many marine organisms.
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Tillamook
Bay Overview
5 min.

32. 3:30 min. 32

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Three percent of Earth’s water is fresh found in glaciers
and ice, below the ground, or in rivers and lakes.

35. • The faster a stream
flows the greater
the amount of
dissolved oxygen
in it.
• Faster water moves
over rocks
“catching” air
• Faster water flows
= more oxygen

36. http://www.manitoupontoonboats.com/blog/salmon-resources/
Fishes living in streams are adapted to fast
moving water.

37. • Water moves
slower in a river
and debris settles on
the bottom.
• So rivers tend to
have more nutrients
and less dissolved
oxygen.
• Nutrients go up and
O2 goes down
Columbia River West of The Dalles
2,000 km (1,243 miles) long.

38. Salmon River East of Sandy, OR @ Wildwood Park

39. • Small, shallow
bodies of water
• Sunlight penetrates
all the way to the
bottom
• Most completely
filled with plant
material
• Very high amount
of nutrients
Pond in basalt crater
@ Diamond Craters, in SE Oregon

40. Pond along
Hwy 224
@ Caver, Oregon

41. • Larger and deeper
than ponds
• Plant growth is
limited to the
shoreline
• Sunlight does not
penetrate to the
bottom = no plants
after a certain
depth.
Crescent Lake, Central Oregon Cascades

42. Crescent Lake, Central Oregon Cascades

43. • Plankton are
microscopic
drifting organisms
in aquatic
environments,
including marine
& fresh water.
• They need sunlight
to survive.

44. • Phytoplankton are
important producers
in water biomes.
• They are
microscopic plants
forming the base of
aquatic food webs.

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• Zooplankton are small
protists or metazoans
(e.g. crustaceans and
other animals) that feed
on the phytoplankton.
• Larval stages of larger
animals, such as fish,
crustaceans, and annelids
(worms) are included
here.
• Zooplankton are in turn
consumed by small
fishes.

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