BIOL 1011 Lecture 3: Ecology Unit - Lecture 3
26 Sep 2018
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Document Summary
Aquatic biomes are defined/differentiated in a different way than terrestrial biomes, as the aquatic biomes, instead of being dividend based on vegetation, is divided up based on physical attributes, such as the salinity (how salty the environment is). [marine (high salinity) estuaries (med- fluctuating salinity) freshwater (no salinity)] The depth also determines whether or not there is a place for the organism to attach, as well as temperature. Benthic organisms are heavy and can stay sunk (deeper depths), whereas pelagic are organisms that have to have a way to stay afloat or swim. Aquatic biomes may stratify in the summer important for the environmental conditions that organisms are subjected to: summer (cid:862)ther(cid:373)ostratifi(cid:272)atio(cid:374)(cid:863) Thermocline = zone of rapid temperature change separates the more uniformly warm upper layer from the uniformly cold deeper waters. The bottom layer of water, however, has little oxygen (little photosynthesis happening) and lots of nutrients.
