How Many Types of Aquatic Ecosystems are There

Introduction

Oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, estuaries, and wetlands all have aquatic ecosystems. Fish, plants, and microorganisms are just a few examples of the living things found in these aquatic ecosystems that are dependent on water to survive. The majority of the biosphere is made up of two aquatic ecosystems, which include both freshwater and marine ecosystems. Both internal (autochthonous) and external (allochthonous) sources of organic matter are possible in these systems.

These ecosystems are extremely delicate and are easily harmed by pollution. Within an ecosystem, the watershed is shared by all living things. A watershed is a piece of land that water flows over to get to a larger body of water, like a lake or pond. All humans are surrounded by a watershed, or drainage basin. A farm with a pond or the Mississippi River drainage basin are examples of two very different sizes of watersheds.

Aquatic Ecosystem

A community of organisms that coexist and communicate within a specific environment is known as an ecosystem. All of the plants and animals in an aquatic ecosystem reside in, on, or near the water, which serves as the ecosystem's environment. The particular environment and type of water, such as a freshwater lake or saltwater marsh, determine what animals and plants are found there. An aquatic ecosystem is one that is produced by the area surrounding a body of water, as opposed to terrestrial ecosystems, which are found on land. Aquatic ecosystems are made up of groups of organisms that are dependent on both their environment and one another. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are freshwater ecosystems and marine ecosystems.

Aquatic ecosystems are of two types-

• Freshwater ecosystem - Lakes, ponds, rivers.

• Marine water ecosystem - Ocean, salt lakes.

1.Freshwater Ecosystem

Also referred to as freshwater inland ecosystems. Nearly 0.8 percent of the earth is only covered by them. Wetlands, swamps, bogs, rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and temporary pools are all examples of freshwater. Freshwater ecosystems contain 41% of the world's known fish species.

Temperature, light penetration, nutrients, and vegetation are just a few of the variables that can be used to categorise freshwater habitats.

There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems:

1. Lentic (slow moving water) freshwater ecosystem

They encompass all habitats with standing water. The Lentic Ecosystem is primarily represented by lakes and ponds. Lentic typically describes water that is still or stationary. For both rooted and floating-leaved plants, as well as algae, crabs, shrimp, amphibians like frogs and salamanders, and reptiles like alligators and other water snakes, these ecosystems are home.

2. Lotic (faster moving water) freshwater ecosystem

The biotic (living) interactions among plants, animals, and microorganisms, as well as the abiotic (nonliving) physical and chemical interactions of its numerous parts, are all part of the river ecosystem, which is a flowing body of water that drains the landscape. River ecosystems are a part of larger watershed networks, or catchments, where smaller headwater streams eventually flow into medium-sized streams, which eventually flow into larger river networks. The gradient of the river bed or the current's speed determines the major zones in river ecosystems. When compared to slow-moving pool water, turbulent water moves faster and typically has higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen, which supports more biodiversity. These distinctions serve as the foundation for categorising rivers into lowland and upland rivers.

3. Wetlands

Wetlands have a wide variety of plants and animals because they are marshy areas that occasionally have water covering them. Among the plant species that can be found in wetlands are swamps, marshes, bogs, black spruce, and water lilies. The characteristic aquatic plant vegetation, adapted to the distinct anoxic hydric soils, is the main characteristic that distinguishes wetlands from terrestrial landforms or water bodies. Wetlands are among the ecosystems with the greatest biological diversity because they are home to so many different kinds of plants and animals. Numerous areas of the world have developed methods for evaluating wetland functions, wetland ecological health, and overall wetland condition. These techniques have helped preserve wetlands in part by increasing public awareness of the uses some wetlands serve.

2. Marine Ecosystem

The majority of the earth's surface is covered by the marine ecosystem. Oceans, seas, the intertidal zone, reefs, the ocean floor, estuaries, hydrothermal vents, and rock pools make up the two thirds of the earth that is covered in water. Every living thing is different and endemic to its environment. This is because they have habitat-specific adaptations.

90% of the habitable space on Earth and more than 97% of the water supply are found in marine waters, which cover more than 70% of the planet's surface. The average salinity of seawater is 35 parts per thousand of water. Different marine ecosystems have varying levels of salinity. Depending on the depth of the water and the characteristics of the shoreline, marine ecosystems can be divided into many zones. Whales, sharks, and tuna are among the creatures that live in the oceanic zone, which is a large, open area of the ocean. Many invertebrates live on substrates in the benthic zone, which is below the water. The space between high and low tides is referred to as the intertidal zone. Mudflats, seagrass meadows, mangroves, rocky intertidal systems, salt marshes, coral reefs, and lagoons are some examples of other near-shore (neritic) zones. Hydrothermal vents, where chemosynthetic sulphur bacteria serve as the foundation of the food chain, may appear in the deep ocean.

There are several segments of the marine ecosystem:

1. Oceanic Ecosystem

Keystone organisms like the golden seaweed Sargassum, which makes up the Sargasso Sea, as well as floating barnacles, marine snails, nudibranchs, and cnidarians are examples of neuston organisms, which are those that live freely at the ocean's surface. Numerous economically and ecologically significant fish species depend on neuston for their existence. The distribution of species at the ocean's surface is not uniform; it contains unique neustonic communities and ecoregions that can only be found at certain latitudes and in particular ocean basins. However, pollution and climate change also directly affect the surface. Ocean surface life is a bridge between worlds. Numerous terrestrial and marine species rely on the surface ecosystem and the organisms found there, whether they are found in shallow waters, the deep sea, the open ocean, rivers, or lakes.

2. Marine Coastal Ecosystem

Open land-water systems that are joined together make up coastal ecosystems. The coastal ecosystems differ in their organisation and variety. Aquatic plant and algae species can be found in great abundance at the base of the coastal ecosystem. Most of the varied fauna includes crabs, fish, insects, lobsters, snails, shrimp, and other creatures. These provide a variety of ecosystem services to people, both directly and indirectly, such as carbon storage, nutrient and element cycling, the provision of nurseries and fishing grounds for commercial fisheries, the prevention of coastal erosion, the control of extreme events, the provision of recreational services, and the promotion of tourism.

Conclusion

Aquatic ecosystems are primarily divided into two types, which are further divided into five subtypes.

1. Freshwater Ecosystem

• Lentic

• Lotic

• Wetland

2. Marine water Ecosystem

• Oceanic ecosystem

• Coastal ecosystem