Aquatic Biodiversity

1. Aquatic Biodiversity Chapter 8

2. Images from: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/fbeinecke/Healthy.coral.reef.No.Title.jpg http://bailiffafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/coral-reef.jpg http://www.nfwf.org/coralreef/PublishingImages/Coral_Paul_Nicklen%20cropped.jpg https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ_a1vLbwCNQqZ026XW6b8mGGLIvnnkduoah5PULsePwtyc8pQU

3. Core Case Study: Why Should We Care about Coral Reefs? • Biodiversity • Formation • Important ecological and economic services • Moderate atmospheric temperatures • Act as natural barriers protecting coasts from erosion • Provide habitats • Support fishing and tourism businesses • Provide jobs and building materials • Studied and enjoyed

4. Fig. 8-1, p. 162

5. Core Case Study: Why Should We Care about Coral Reefs? • Degradation and decline • Coastal development • Pollution • Overfishing • Warmer ocean temperatures leading to coral bleaching • Increasing ocean acidity

6. 8-1 What Is the General Nature of Aquatic Systems? • Concept 8-1A Saltwater and freshwater aquatic life zones cover almost three-fourths of the earth’s surface with oceans dominating the planet. • Concept 8-1B The key factors determining biodiversity in aquatic systems are temperature, dissolved oxygen content, availability of food and availability of light and nutrients necessary for photosynthesis.

7. Most of the Earth Is Covered with Water • Saltwater: global ocean divided into 4 areas • Atlantic • Pacific • Arctic • Indian • Freshwater Land–ocean hemisphere Ocean hemisphere

8. Most of the Earth Is Covered with Water • Aquatic life zones • Saltwater: marine • Oceans and estuaries • Coastlands and shorelines • Coral reefs • Mangrove forests • Freshwater • Lakes • Rivers and streams • Inland wetlands

9. Fig. 8-3, p. 164

10. NATURAL CAPITAL Marine Ecosystems Ecological Services Economic Services Climate moderation Food CO2 absorption Animal and pet feed Nutrient cycling Pharmaceuticals Waste treatment Harbors and transportation routes Reduced storm impact (mangroves, barrier islands, coastal wetlands) Coastal habitats for humans Recreation Habitats and nursery areas Employment Oil and natural gas Genetic resources and biodiversity Minerals Scientific information Building materials Fig. 8-4, p. 165

11. Most Aquatic Species Live in Top, Middle, or Bottom Layers of Water • Plankton • Phytoplankton • Zooplankton • Ultraplankton • Nekton • Benthos • Decomposers Images from: http://www.biologyreference.com/images/biol_03_img0346.jpg http://www.daviddarling.info/images2/nekton.jpg http://www.daviddarling.info/images/benthos.jpg

12. High tide Sun Low tide Depth in meters Open Sea Coastal Zone Sea level 0 50 Photosynthesis Euphotic Zone Estuarine Zone 100 Continental shelf 200 500 Bathyal Zone Twilight 1,000 1,500 2,000 Abyssal Zone Water temperature drops rapidly between the euphotic zone and the abyssal zone in an area called the thermocline . 3,000 Darkness 4,000 5,000 10,000 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Water temperature (°C) Fig. 8-5, p. 166

13. Most Aquatic Species Live in Top, Middle, or Bottom Layers of Water • Key factors in the distribution of organisms • Temperature • Dissolved oxygen content • Availability of food • Availability of light and nutrients needed for photosynthesis in the euphotic, or photic, zone

14. 8-2 Why Are Marine Aquatic Systems Important? • Concept 8-2 Saltwater ecosystems are irreplaceable reservoirs of biodiversity and provide major ecological and economic services.

15. Oceans Provide Important Ecological and Economic Resources • Reservoirs of diversity in three major life zones • Coastal zone • Usually high NPP • Open sea • Ocean bottom

16. Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands Are Highly Productive • Estuaries and coastal wetlands • River mouths • Inlets • Bays • Sounds • Salt marshes • Mangrove forests • Seagrass Beds • Support a variety of marine species • Stabilize shorelines • Reduce wave impact

17. Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands Are Highly Productive • Important ecological and economic services • Coastal aquatic systems maintain water quality by filtering • Toxic pollutants • Excess plant nutrients • Sediments • Absorb other pollutants • Provide food, timber, fuelwood, and habitats • Reduce storm damage and coast erosion

18. Fig. 8-7, p. 167

19. Fig. 8-8, p. 168

20. Rocky and Sandy Shores Host Different Types of Organisms • Intertidal zone • Rocky shores • Sandy shores: barrier beaches • Organism adaptations necessary to deal with daily salinity and moisture changes • Importance of sand dunes

21. Hermit crab Sea star Shore crab High tide Periwinkle Anemone Sea urchin Mussel Low tide Sculpin Barnacles Kelp Sea lettuce Monterey flatworm Rocky Shore Beach Beach flea Nudibranch Peanut worm Tiger beetle Blue crab Clam Dwarf olive High tide Sandpiper Ghost shrimp Low tide Silversides Mole shrimp Barrier Beach White sand macoma Sand dollar Moon snail Fig. 8-9, p. 169

22. Ocean Beach Primary Dune Trough Secondary Dune Back Dune Bay or Lagoon Recreation, no building Walkways, no building Limited recreation and walkways Walkways, no building Most suitable for development Recreation Bay shore Grasses or shrubs Taller shrubs Taller shrubs and trees Fig. 8-10, p. 170

23. Coral Reefs Are Amazing Centers of Biodiversity • Marine equivalent of tropical rain forests • Habitats for one-fourth of all marine species

24. Gray reef shark Sea nettle Green sea turtle Parrot fish Fairy basslet Blue tang Sergeant major Algae Brittle star Hard corals Banded coral shrimp Phytoplankton Symbiotic algae Coney Zooplankton Blackcap basslet Sponges Moray eel Bacteria Producer to primary consumer Secondary to higher-level consumer Primary to secondary consumer All consumers and producers to decomposers Fig. 8-11, p. 171

25. The Open Sea and Ocean Floor Host a Variety of Species • Vertical zones of the open sea • Euphotic zone • Bathyal zone • Abyssal zone: receives marine snow • Deposit feeders • Filter feeders • Upwellings • Primary productivity and NPP

26. 8-3 How Have Human Activities Affected Marine Ecosystems? • Concept 8-3 Human activities threaten aquatic biodiversity and disrupt ecological and economic services provided by saltwater systems.

27. Human Activities Are Disrupting and Degrading Marine Systems • Major threats to marine systems • Coastal development • Overfishing • Runoff of nonpoint source pollution • Point source pollution • Habitat destruction • Introduction of invasive species • Climate change from human activities • Pollution of coastal wetlands and estuaries

28. Case Study: The Chesapeake Bay—an Estuary in Trouble (1) • Largest estuary in the US; polluted since 1960 • Population increased • Point and nonpoint sources raised pollution • Phosphate and nitrate levels too high

29. Fig. 8-13, p. 173

30. Case Study: The Chesapeake Bay—an Estuary in Trouble (2) Overfishing 1983: Chesapeake Bay Program Update on recovery of the Bay Should we introduce an Asian oyster?

31. 8-4 Why Are Freshwater Ecosystems Important? • Concept 8-4 Freshwater ecosystems provide major ecological and economic services and are irreplaceable reservoirs of biodiversity.

32. Fig. 8-14, p. 174

33. Water Stands in Some Freshwater Systems and Flows in Others (1) • Standing (lentic) bodies of freshwater • Lakes • Ponds • Inland wetlands • Flowing (lotic) systems of freshwater • Streams • Rivers

34. Water Stands in Some Freshwater Systems and Flows in Others (2) • Formation of lakes • Four zones based on depth and distance from shore • Littoral zone • Limnetic zone • Profundal zone • Benthic zone

35. Sunlight Blue-winged teal Painted turtle Green frog Muskrat Pond snail Littoral zone Plankton Limnetic zone Diving beetle Profundal zone Northern pike Benthic zone Yellow perch Bloodworms Fig. 8-15, p. 175

36. Some Lakes Have More Nutrients Than Others • Oligotrophic lakes • Low levels of nutrients and low NPP • Eutrophic lakes • High levels of nutrients and high NPP • Mesotrophic lakes • Cultural eutrophication leads to hypereutrophic lakes

37. What are the differences you see in these two lakes? Stepped Art Fig. 8-16a, p. 175

38. Crater Lake in Oregon: Oligotrophic Fig. 8-16a, p. 175

39. A Eutrophic lake in New York State Fig. 8-16b, p. 175

40. Freshwater Streams and Rivers Carry Water from the Mountains to the Oceans • Surface water • Runoff • Watershed, drainage basin • Three aquatic life zones • Source zone • Transition zone • Floodplain zone

41. Lake Rain and snow Glacier Rapids Waterfall Tributary Flood plain Oxbow lake Salt marsh Deposited sediment Delta Ocean Source Zone Transition Zone Water Sediment Floodplain Zone Stepped Art Fig. 8-17, p. 176

42. Case Study: Dams, Deltas, Wetlands, Hurricanes, and New Orleans • Coastal deltas, mangrove forests, and coastal wetlands: natural protection against storms • Dams and levees reduce sediments in deltas: significance? • New Orleans, Louisiana, and Hurricane Katrina: August 29, 2005 • Global warming, sea rise, and New Orleans

43. Fig. 8-18, p. 177

44. Fig. 8-19, p. 178

45. Freshwater Inland Wetlands Are Vital Sponges (1) • Marshes • Swamps • Prairie potholes • Floodplains • Arctic tundra in summer

46. Freshwater Inland Wetlands Are Vital Sponges (2) • Provide free ecological and economic services • Filter and degrade toxic wastes • Reduce flooding and erosion • Help to replenish streams and recharge groundwater aquifers • Biodiversity • Food and timber • Recreation areas

47. 8-5 How Have Human Activities Affected Freshwater Ecosystems? • Concept 8-5 Human activities threaten biodiversity and disrupt ecological and economic services provided by freshwater lakes, rivers, and wetlands.

48. Human Activities Are Disrupting and Degrading Freshwater Systems • Impact of dams and canals on rivers • Impact of flood control levees and dikes along rivers • Impact of pollutants from cities and farms on rivers • Impact of drained wetlands

49. Case Study: Inland Wetland Losses in the United States • Loss of wetlands has led to • Increased flood and drought damage • Lost due to • Growing crops • Mining • Forestry • Oil and gas extraction • Building highways • Urban development