The Aquatic Ecosystem

by: Maria Theresa Louise Bautista

The aquatic ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and
their physical and chemical environment. It can be a freshwater ecosystem or a marine
ecosystem and they are homes to many different kinds of organisms that rely on the
water environment for survival. Fish, mammals, reptiles, insects, amphibians, plants and
other microorganisms depend in the ecosystem to live on. This fact alone is totally
intriguing.
I am in awe of how large the Marine ecosystem is. It said to be covering 71% of
the earths surface and if that isnt large, then what is? The diversity of aquatic life forms
living in the ocean is breathtaking as seen in the videos i have browsed on the internet. I
am curious with how they capture all those moments under the sea. Either way, Ive
discovered that the Marine ecosystem has an average salinity of 35 ppt of water
compared to .5 ppt that of the freshwater. Also, the former can be divided into the
following zones: oceanic, profundal, benthic, intertidal, estuaries, salt marshes, coral
reefs, and hydrothermal vents. Although, i would want to confirm this as i continue to take
the course.
Freshwater ecosystems as what was said earlier are low salinity areas with
animals and plants that could only survive in water environments with low concentrations
of salt. Contrary to that of the marine ecosystem, it only covers 0.7% of the earths
surface. There are two types of freshwater ecosystems as we have discussed in class.
First is Lentic or the slow-moving water, including pools, ponds, and lakes and second
is Lotic or the fast-moving water, like rivers and streams. The freshwater ecosystems
support the life of not only fish but also reptiles and mammals. Birds also benefit from the
freshwater ecosystem and it affects the plants surrounding the bodies of water. Its good
having this kind of information which i would have never known if i didnt take this class.
I have come to realize that these two ecosystems are important because firstly,
they serve as the natural habitat of animals where they reproduce and grow. Without this
kind of environment, they wont be able to hatch their eggs and support the life of their
offspring. It is also where they find their food and coexist with other organisms. Without
these two ecosystems, there will be an imbalance in nature. They have biodiversity
values as well as resource values and provide many services to the environment and
humankind. These can be provisional (food and water), regulatory (floods, droughts),
supporting (soil formation, nutrient cycling) and cultural (recreational, spiritual) (MEA
2005).
Based on the film i saw during class, the aquatic ecosystem made the migration of
the fishes possible. This kind of ecosystem also allowed the predator and prey
relationship to work as a system of survival. I am excited to see more of these
interactions. There is a new world in the water that i am eager to know more about.

References:
http://enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1410.html
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091010163235AAy1gtK