Aquatic ecosystem

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/aquatic-ecosystem

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary classification basis?Salinity, differentiating between Marine (high salt) and Freshwater (low salt) ecosystems
2. How are aquatic ecosystems divided?They are mainly split into marine and freshwater types, based on how salty the water is. Marine water is very salty, while freshwater has less salt.
3. What are the different kinds of freshwater ecosystems?Freshwater is grouped into lentic, like lakes and ponds, where the water stays still, and lotic, like rivers and streams, where the water flows in one direction. Wetlands are special places where water covers the ground most of the time.

Abiotic Factors: The non-living components of an ecosystem, such as water, temperature, and sunlight.
Trophic Levels: The position an organism occupies in a food chain, indicating its source of energy.
Eutrophication: Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, causing algal blooms and oxygen depletion.