Aquatic Biomes

 Aquatic Biomes

    We all have seen different types of bodies of water. Rather it be lakes, oceans, or rivers. Many people, like myself, take vacations to the beach to be able to swim in the ocean, or go to the lake to go tubing. But what makes each of these bodies of water and others so different? I mean to many people it is just a body of water, but you will find out that there is so much more to these biomes than you think.





Oceans

    First, I will talk about Oceans. Most people have been to the ocean and love it. One of the most popular places to go on vacation is to go to the beach. Everyone loves to go swimming in the ocean or to lay by the water and relax. There are cruise ships that go in the middle of the ocean and that will stay for a whole week, and this is another "vacation" for us. Many times when we talk about the ocean this is what we think of, just some vacation spot. But what really makes the ocean the ocean? Well let's find out! First, the ocean is huge. So huge that it covers 70% of the Earth's surface. (Krebs 2008)There are five ocean biomes in the world. The Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. These also can branch off into seas. The ocean is full of salt. It is estimated that for every gallon in the ocean there is one cup of salt. That is a whole lot of salt in the ocean if you ask me. While the ocean is very fun it can also be very dark. The ocean is very deep. The deepest part of the ocean is called the Mariana Trench. It is 32,000 feet deep. That is taller than the tallest building in the world! Thinking about how deep that is and wondering what might be down there that we have not discovered yet can really get you thinking. I know it does for me.


Protect the oceans - Greenpeace

    Lakes are another water biome that you probably know of. When people think of the lake they think of taking their boat out on the water, and then their family tubing as they drive their boat around the lake. A lot of families do this on Labor Day or the 4th of July. But what really makes up these lakes? Lakes are natural bodies of standing water. These are bodies of water that are relatively isolated. The bigger ones are called lakes, these are the ones you probably know of. And then the smaller ones are called ponds. Unlike oceans, lakes only hold less than 1 percent of the water we have on Earth. (Woodward 1997) Most of the world's freshwater actually does reside in lakes. Most of the freshwater remains on the top, Great Lakes contain 20% of all of the freshwater on the surface. There are two different types of lakes that can influence the plants and animals that live there as well. There is the oligotrophic lake which is cold and deeper so there are less plants and a small amount of nutrients in these. Then there are the Eutrophic lakes which are shallower and warmer so there are more plants and life that you will find in these lakes.


Rivers and streams

    Lastly, I will talk about rivers and streams. When you think of these you probably think of going camping by the river, and then fishing in the river. Or maybe tubing on a float down the river. This is another body of water that many people enjoy being in. But what classifies a river is they are flowing bodies of water that drain the landscape, and they are also important agents in erosion. Depending on where you are in the river the water may be different. In some places in a river the water is very still and then in other places you will see the water is moving at a faster pace, and the current may be so strong you can barely stand in place. These are the three dimension you will see in a river. The pools, rivers, and runs. Everywhere in a river is going to be different, and it is constantly changing. The water sometimes will be shallower than other times. Or the water will be moving quicker than other times. That is what makes it a river.

Transitional environments

    With these different biomes that I explained, many of them are connected. Or they can even turn into a different biome. Estuaries is where rivers are connecting the sea. All rivers are connecting to some sort of ocean or sea. And then there are also things like freshwater wetlands. This is where flooding can occur in rivers, and this creates a new channel for them to create a wetland. So, we went from a river to a wetland biome. 

Conclusion

    So, hopefully next time you go swimming in the ocean or the lake you will really take a look around and notice some of the things we talked about! Many people don't think about the differences in these, and don't realize that while they may seem similar, they are very different. Are these biomes what you thought they were?
    



Bibliography:

Charles J. Krebs (2008)  The Ecological World View http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/

Susan L. Woodward (1997) Biomes of the world

https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=113

Abiotic factors in Aquatic Biomes. 3.3:Aquatic Biomes. LibreTextsBiology

https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=113

  


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