Marine Ecosystems
Photic Zone
Photosynthes is limited at surface of the water:depth of about 200 feet
Sunlight penetrates a short distance om surface of the water
Marine Biologists divide the ocean into different zones depending on the depth and distance from the shore: intertidal zone, coastal zone, and open ocean zone.
Aphotic Zone
below photic zone:permanently dark
Chemosynthetic autotrophs can only live there.
Estuaries
They are affected by the rise and fall of ocean tides
wetlands formed where the river meets the sea
Primary producers: plants, algae, and both photo and chemosynthetic bacteria
Detritus
tiny organic material that provide food for organisms at the base of the estuary's food web.
Salt Marshes
Contain salt tolerant grasses
they are temperate zone estuaries: found in north america, from southern maine to georgia
Mangrove Swamps
coastal wetlands
contain species of salt tolerant trees