Aquatic Biomes

AQUATIC BIOMES

Aquatic biome is a group of living organisms that live and interact with one another and its aquatic environment for nutrients and shelter. Like terrestrial biomes, aquatic biomes are influenced by a series of abiotic factors.It is broadly classified as fresh water biomes and marine biomes.

A. Fresh water Biomes:

It comprises lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, wetlands etc. It is influenced by various abiotic components such as the volume of water, water flow, composition of oxygen, temperature, etc. Humans rely on freshwater biomes for drinking water, crop irrigation, sanitation and industry. Water lily, lotus, duck weeds etc. are the common plants found here. Trout, salmon, turtles, crocodiles etc. are the animals found here.

B. Marine Biomes:

They are the largest aquatic biomes on earth. They are continuous bodies of salt water and provide a wide range of habitats for marine plants and animals. Coral reefs are a second kind of marine biomes within the ocean. Estuaries, coastal areas where salt water and fresh water mix, form a third unique marine biome. As water provides maximum mobility to marine organisms, nutrients are circulated more quickly and efficiently here than the terrestrial biomes. Apart from animals, plants such as kelp, algae, phytoplankton etc. also grow in water. Aquatic biomes are not only important for plants and animals, but also for humans. 

Humans use aquatic biomes for water, food and leisure activities. Some of the threats and issues to aquatic biomes are overfishing, pollution and rise in sea level.