1.3 Aquatic Biomes

Describe the global distribution and principal environmental aspects of aquatic biomes.

• Freshwater biomes include streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. These freshwater biomes are a vital resource for drinking water.
• Marine biomes include oceans, coral reefs, marshland, and estuaries. Algae in marine biomes supply a large portion of the Earth’s oxygen, and also take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• The global distribution of nonmineral marine natural resources, such as different types of fish, varies because of some combination of salinity, depth, turbidity, nutrient availability, and temperature.
• Enduring understanding ERT-1: Ecosystems are the result of biotic and abiotic interactions.