Los Tres Ecosistemas
Matt Bartsch and Erick Gonzalez
Freshwater Ecosystem
Freshwater ecosystems can be classified as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, springs, and wetlands. Habitats can be classified by different factors, including temperature, light penetration, and vegetation. Limnology, a study of freshwater ecosystems, covers the biological, physical, chemical, and geological attributes of all inland waters.
The Water Lily
This plant grows in shallow lakes and slow moving rivers. The leaves float on the surface because of air bubbles in them. The roots anchor them to the mud or sand below.
Irises
These plants dig their roots into the sides of lakes.
Cattails
These plants also dig their roots into the sides of lakes, but need shallow or slow moving water.
Tamarack
The tamarack has thin bark and is therefore highly susceptible to fire damage, except perhaps in older, upland stands.It is a small to medium-size arboreal coniferous and deciduous tree reaching 10–20 meters (33–66 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 60 centimeters (24 in) diameter.
Algae
Algae are a very large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length.
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are microscopic organisms that live suspended in the water environment, moving via convection or wind-induced currents. Plankton live for only a short period of time; when they die they fall into the deep-water and provide food for larger animals.
Catfish
Catfish can be found all over the world, except for the waters of Antarctica. They are found mostly in shallow waters of the Americas.
Leech
The majority of leeches live in freshwater. They live by sucking the blood of other creatures. In years past, doctors would use them to remove blood from patients.
Crayfish
Most crayfish live in freshwater enviornments. They eat both plants and animals, and are most active at night, making them nocturnal.
Shrimp
Shrimp live on the very bottom of freshwater bodies of water. There are known to be over 2,000 species of shrimp worldwide.
Common Snapping Turtle
Usually found in ponds, streams, and canals in eastern North America. Most have a life span of 30-40 years.
Salmon
Salmon are anadromus, meaning that they are born and raised in freshwater, migrate to the ocean, then return to freshwater to reproduce.
Brackish Water Ecosystem
The salinity of brackish water is anywhere between .05% and 3%. A brackish water ecosystem occurs when a freshwater ecosystem meets a sea, and the two bodies of water are mixed together. The Baltic Sea is the largest body of brackish water in the world. It was once flooded by the North Sea, giving it too much fresh water to be salt water, but just enough to be a brackish body of water.
Bacopa Caroliniana
The bacopa caroliniana is commonly found in marshy areas across the United States and the Koreas. Can grow anywhere from 50-100 cm.
Java Moss
Java moss, native to Southeast Asia, can be found in many aquariums. Due to it's clingy nature, java moss can be used as a moss wall.
Nymphaea Lotus
The nymphaea lotus, more often known as the tiger lotus, grows in various locations across East Africa and Southeast Asia. The flower can grow up to 45 cm in height.
Cryptocoryne
Also known as the water trumpet, the cryptocoryne is distrubuted across tropical regions of Asia and New Guinea.
Hornwort
The name hornwork refers to the plant's hornlike structure. they can grow all over the world, in any climate.
Anubias
The anubias is a genus of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants found mostly in central and western Africa.
Black Molly
The black molly can be found in many brackish swamps, or other brackish bodies of water. They only spend a portion of their life in brackish waters, while spending the rest of it in freshwater.
Flagfish
The flagfish, native to Florida, earned it's name due to the male resembles the American flag, with a large black/blue dot and alternating red and black/blue stripes on it's body.
Four-Eyed Fish
The four-eyed fish originate from southern lowlands in Mexico to Honduras and northern South America. The spend most of their time on the surface of the water, looking for terrestrial insects to eat.
Archerfish
Archerfish are known for their habit of preying on land based insects or other small animals by shooting them down with water droplets from their specialized mouths. They can be found from India to the Philippines, Australia, and Polynesia.
Pufferfish
Pufferfish are generally believed to be the second most poisonous vertebrate in the world. Considered a delicacy in Japan, Korea, and China when prepared to eat.
Guppy
One of the most popular aquarium fish in the world, the guppy is native to many places, including Brazil, Barbados, Jamaica, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Netherlands.
Saltwater Ecosystem
According to the E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) saltwater ecosystems make up more than 70% of all aquatic ecosystems on the planet. All the oceans in the world are made up of saltwater, and the majority of seas are as well. The salinity of seawater is usually around 3.5%, with the exception of the Dead Sea, which is about 33.7% salinity.
Kelp
Kelp grows in underwater "forests" in shallow oceans. It has been known to grow up to half a meter a day, and grow up to 30-80 meters high (100-260 feet).
Seagrass
The seagrass got it's name because it grows in meadow like areas. Seagrass is food to many sea creatures, including green turtles, sea urchins, manatees, and crabs.
Halimeda
Halimeda forms along the Great Barrier Reef in nutrient rich water to help it flourish.
Turtle Grass
Turtle grass is an underwater plant that grows only in saltwater. It can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Bermuda.
Chaetomorpha
Chaetomorpha is most commonly found in saltwater aquariums. It's purpose is to remove nutrients from water for fish to feed on off it's leaves.
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton inhabit almost all of the upper sunlit layer of the ocean. They account for half of all photosynthesis on Earth. Most are too small to be seen with the naked eye, but when in large numbers, they create a green discoloration of the water due to the presence of chlorophyll.
Swordfish
The swordfish is found widely in the tropical areas of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They commonly reach 9.8 feet in length. The largest swordfish was recorded to be 14.9 feet long, and weighed 1,400 pounds.
Great White Shark
The great white is known mainly for it's size. The largest individuals have been known to be 20 feet in length, and over 5,000 pounds. Ther shark reaches maturity at around age 15, and has been known to have a life span of over 30 years.
Platipus
The platipus is the only known mammal to lay eggs rather than giving birth. It is one of the few venemous mammals, the male platipus having a spur on its hind foot that delivers a venom causing sever pain to humans.
Clownfish
Clownfish are native to the warmer waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. They feed on both plants and smaller animals, and are never found in the Atlantic.
Blue Whale
The blue whale is the largest animal known to existance. As a mammal, the whale cannot breathe underwater, so it must come up for air.
Squid
Squids have two long tentacles, and eight arms to go with them. They've been known to be very powerful swimmers, and can even "fly" for short distances out of the water.