Aquatic Biology ZO 4206

• Aquatic Biology is course ZO 4206.
• The course in taught by Prof. Wesam Salama, Professor of Invertebrates in the Zoology Department.

Course Objectives:

• Students will be introduced to the biology of aquatic life in marine, freshwater, and brackish-water habitats.
• The course will introduce the several aquatic biomes unique to Egyptian waters, which are ecologically and economically important.
• Egypt exhibits a variety of aquatic ecosystems, including marine areas like the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
• Egypt exhibits a variety of aquatic ecosystems, including freshwater areas such as the River Nile, lakes, and ponds.
• Egypt exhibits a variety of aquatic ecosystems, including brackish-water areas where the River Nile meets the Mediterranean Sea.
• Students will understand how freshwater ecosystems function, including physical, chemical, and biological components of lentic and lotic systems.
• The course provides experience for students seeking careers in aquatic, environmental, and ecological fields.

Course Content:

• Definition of aquatic biology.
• Important scientific terms in aquatic biology.
• Salinity meaning and types.
• Ecosystems and trophic levels
• Food chains and food webs.
• Ecological pyramids of energy.
• Carbon-oxygen and nitrogen cycles.

Freshwater Biology:

• It is the scientific study of freshwater ecosystems.
• It is a branch of Limnology.
• Seeks to understand the relationships between living organisms in freshwater and their physical and chemical environment.

Limnology:

• This is the study of freshwater ecosystems, also called freshwater science.
• Study includes biological, chemical, physical, geological, and other attributes of inland waters.
• Study includes all inland waters, both running and standing, fresh and salty, natural or man-made.
• Key focus is the study of lakes, ponds, rivers, springs, streams, and wetlands.

Hydrobiology:

• Hydrobiology is a branch of biology.
• Hydrobiology consists of both Limnology and Oceanography (brackish and marine)

Classification of Aquatic Environments:

• Classification is based on salinity or chlorinity, equivalent to the salt content in the water.
• Salinity is calculated as: Salinity = 0.03 + 1.805 × Chlorinity.
• Oligohaline: water contains very low salinity, usually less than 1% (0.5 and 1 ppt). E.g., Freshwater
• Mesohaline: water with salinity between 3 and 10% ppt (Brackish water) or 30-34% (Sea water).
• Metahaline: water contains very high salinity, usually above 36-40% (Brine water).

Biomes:

• A biome is a large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife.
• Major types of biomes include: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra.

Aquatic Biomes:

• Aquatic biomes include both freshwater and marine biomes.
• Freshwater biomes are bodies of water surrounded by land.
• Freshwater biomes have a salinity less than 1% (0.5-1ppt), for example lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and wetlands.
• Marine biomes cover close to 75% of Earth's surface, for example oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries.

Ecosystems:

• Ecosystems include more than a community of living (biotic) organisms interacting with their environment (abiotic).
• The biotic and abiotic depend on factors such as rocks, water, air, and temperature.

Components of an Ecosystem:

• Divided into Abiotic components (non-living factors) and Biotic components (living forms).

Abiotic Components:

• These consist of nonorganic aspects of the environment.
• Abiotic components determine what life forms can thrive.
• Examples include: light, temperature, wind, average humidity, topography, and natural disturbances.
• Temperature varies by latitude: locations near the equator are warmer than locations near the poles or temperate zones.
• Humidity influences the amount of water and moisture in the air and soil, which affect rainfall
• Topography is the layout of the land, for example in terms of elevation.

Biotic Components:

• Consists of the life forms that inhabit the ecosystem.
• Aid in the transfer and cycle of energy.
• Grouped in terms of how they obtain energy.
• Producers, such as plants, produce their own energy without consuming other life forms.
• Plants use photosynthesis via sunlight to gain energy.
• Consumers exist on the next level of the food chain.
• Consumer types include: herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.
• Herbivores feed on plants.
• Carnivores eat other carnivores or herbivores.
• Omnivores digest both plant and animal tissue.

Terms:

• Abiotic Factors: Physical, or nonliving factors that shape an ecosystem.
• Abiotic Factors examples include: rocks, climate, pressure, soils, precipitation, sunlight, winds and humidity.
• Abiotic factors have a direct influence on living things.
• Biotic Factors: Living factors such as plants, animals, fungi, protists and bacteria.
• Biotic factors depend on abiotic factors to survive.

Freshwater Ecosystems:

• There are three basic types: lentic, lotic, and wetlands.
• Lentic: Standing or slow moving water, including pools, ponds, and lakes.
• Lotic: Faster moving water, for example streams and rivers.
• Wetlands: Areas where the soil is saturated or wetted for at least part of the time.