PPT Slide
what is an aquatic ecosystem?
an aquatic ecosystem is a hydrologic system infested with biology
note:
- lakes and streams can exist as complex systems without life
- still would be coupled to a global hydrologic cycle
- still would have distinctive thermal, chemical, optical properties
- still be characterized by a system of flows and storage across the landscape
The concept of ecosystem focuses our attention on the dynamic exchange of materials and energy between living and nonliving parts of natural systems
the aquatic ecosystem is built upon, and is more complicated than, the hydrosystem. It is the product (integration) of both physical (i.e. hydrological) and biological processes
Understanding any aquatic ecosystem requires a grasp of the fundamental characteristics of both: (a) the physical/hydrologic system that provides the framework upon which the biological parts of the ecosystem are built;
and (b) characteristic biological processes, interactions, and transformations; some of which in turn modify and shape the physical environment itself.