Lesson 3Lesson 3

What are water What are water ecosystems?ecosystems?

rivers•some flow fast- some flow

slow•river plants & animals can not

live in ocean- too salty•river animals incl.- otters,

ducks, crayfish

river otter

wetlands•partly covered by water or flooded

at least part of each year•plants, animals & microorganisms

act as filters- clean water•wetlands animals incl.- alligators,

deer, fish

estuary• Places where rivers flow oceans

• Salty (not as salty as ocean)

types of wetlands

Everglades swampssalt

marshes

many trees & bushes

grassy wetlands@ edges

of estuaries

salt marsh

swamp

coral reefscoral reefs

warm, shallow waterswarm, shallow waters

many kinds of plants & many kinds of plants & animalsanimals

grow well in water w/o much grow well in water w/o much nutrients or oxygennutrients or oxygen

deep sea

organisms adapted to cold, darkness & very high water pressure

no plants b/c no sun

angler fish

Create a Creature You are an animal that lives 600 m below the

surface of the ocean.

The temperature of the water at this depth is 6 degrees Celsius, just six degrees above the freezing point of water!

The pressure on you is tremendous, so you must remain small and compact. You are in constant darkness.

Scary, the deep sea creature