Difference between ecosystems
Fresh water, Brackish water, and Salt water
Fresh Water
- Generally almost devoid of salt
- less than .05% salinity
- Density of 1 g/ml
- It makes up less than 1% of the worlds water
- Animals that live here would not be able to survive in water that is salty
- Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, wetlands
Examples of organisms that live here:
Brackish Water
- Mixture of salt and freshwater
- A salinity of about .05% - .3%
- Usually happens when rivers meet the sea or lakes are fed by saltwater estuaries
- Can be dangerous to the environment because they can kill native species
- Certain lakes, estuaries, and mangroves
Organisms that live there are specially adapted to the salinity of the water:
Salt Water
- On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, or 599 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one litre by volume) of seawater has approximately 35 grams (1.2 oz) of dissolved salts.
- Salt water has an average density of 1.025 g/ml, but the density increases as you go deeper.
- Salt water is unsuitable for human consumption
- Salt water in the oceans is home to millions of species of life.
- Salt water is denser than fresh water
- Seas, and Oceans
Here are just some of the animals and plants that live there: