Major Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

Major Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

Ecosystems are made up of organisms and the abiotic factors present. Major ecosystems are called biome. Biome type is based on vegetation and organisms' adaptations to the environment. There are both land biomes and aquatic biomes. A Deserts is a type of biome. A few factors of a desert biome is Sand, rocks,soil (all abiotic) and rattlesnakes, Kangaroo rats, Tarantulas, spadefoot toad, gila monsters, lean kit foxes (biotic)

A terrestrial ecosystem is Ecosystem is an ecosystem found anywhere on earth that are not covered by water. A few examples of a terrestrial biomes ecosystems that can be found in Canada are:

Mountain forest: Forest where the mature trees grow on a mountian.

Tundra: A vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen. It is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons.

Boreal Forest: A kind of forest found across Canada's north. It has coniferous trees, lichen, mosses and bushes

Grassland:land where grass or grasslike vegetation grows and is the dominant form of plant life.

Temperate deciduous forest: A temperate deciduous forest consists of trees that lose their leaves every year.

This is a map that shows where all of the Terrestrial Biomes in Canada are located.

This is a climatograph that indicates the average annual precipitation of each of the Terrestrial Biomes along with it’s affect on temperature

Mountain Forest

Tundra

Boreal Forrest

Grassland

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Distinguishing Factors of the Biomes In Canada

Mountain Forest: High peeks, and mountains. Low temperatures dependent on elevation.

Tundra: Like a cold desert. Permafrost vacant land. Short growing season causing little to no vegetation.

Boreal Forest: The largest biome in Canada. Rainfall and warm summers support the growth of trees. The soil is acidic. Conifers are the dominant trees

Grassland:Flat land. Rich, fertile soil. Warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons.

Temperate Deciduous: A forest furthest south. Longest growing season and higher temperatures.

Aquatic Ecosystem: Aquatic ecosystems are divided into two broad categories. Freshwater ecosystems have salt concentrations that are typically below 1%. Ocean, or marine, ecosystems have salt concentrations adverting 3%. While the difference in concentrations may appear small, it has a dramatic influence on chemical and physical properties of the water.

V.S

Marine ecosystems cover approximately 71% of the Earth's surface and contain approximately 97% of the planet's water. They are distinguished from freshwater ecosystems by the presence of dissolved compounds, especially salts, in the water. Approximately 85% of the dissolved materials in seawater are sodium and chlorine. Marine ecosystems can be divided into the following zones: oceanic, profundal, benthic, intertidal, and estuaries.

Freshwater ecosystems cover 0.8% of the Earth's surface and contain 0.009% of its total water. They generate nearly 3% of its net primary production. Freshwater ecosystems contain 41% of the world's known fish species.

There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems:

Lentic: slow-moving water, including pools, ponds, and lakes.

Lotic: rapidly-moving water, for example streams and rivers.

Wetlands: areas where the soil is saturated or inundated for at least part of the time.

Lake ecosystems can be divided into zones: pelagic, profundal, ittoral, and riparian. Two important subclasses of lakes are ponds, which typically are small lakes that intergrade with wetlands, and water reservoirs. Many lakes, or bays within them, gradually become enriched by nutrients and fill in with organic sediments.

The major zones in river ecosystems are determined by the velocity of the current. Faster moving turbulent water typically contains greater concentrations of dissolved oxygen, which supports greater biodiversity than the slow moving water of pools. These distinctions forms the basis for the division of rivers into upland and lowland rivers. The food base of streams within riparian forests is mostly derived from the trees, but wider streams and those that lack a canopy derive the majority of their food base from algae. Anadromous fish are also an important source of nutrients. Environmental threats to rivers include loss of water, dams, chemical pollution and introduced species.

Wetlands are dominated by vascular plants that have adapted to saturated soil. Wetlands are the most productive natural ecosystems because of the proximity of water and soil. Their closeness to lakes and rivers means that they are often developed for human settlement.

Types of Aquatic Biomes that can be found in Canada:

Major:

- Watershed

- Intertidal

Minor:

- Bog

- Marshes

- Lakes

The Intertidal Zone

The intertidal zone (also known as the foreshore and seashore and sometimes referred to as the littoral zone) is the area that is exposed to the air at low tide and underwater at high tide (for example, the area between tide marks). This area can include many different types of habitats, including steep rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, or wetlands (e.g., vast mudflats). The area can be a narrow strip, as in Pacific islands that have only a narrow tidal range, or can include many meters of shoreline where shallow beach slope interacts with high tidal excursion.

By: Kristen Gale

By: Kristen Gale

SNC1DT

Bibliography