1. JOEMAR J. CABRADILLA
Instructor I
Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College

2. We live on the water planet, with precious
film of water, most of it saltwater covering about
71% of the Earth’s surface. Thus, a more accurate
name for Earth would be
The aquatic equivalents of biomes are called
aquatic life zones. The major types of organisms
found in aquatic environments are determined by
the water’s salinity- the amounts of various salts
such as NaCl dissolved in a given volume of water.

3. Climate moderation
CO2 absorption
Nutrient cycling
Waste treatment
and dilution
Reduced storm
impact (mangrove,
barrier islands,
coastal wetlands)
Habitats and
nursery areas for
marine and
terrestrial species
Genetic resources
and biodiversity
Scientific
information
Food
Animal and pet
feed (fish meal)
Pharmaceuticals
Harbors and
transportation
routes
Coastal habitats
for humans
Recreation
Employment
Offshore oil and
natural gas
Minerals
Building materials
Ecological
Services
Economic
Services
Marine Ecosystems
Natural Capital
The world’s ocean occupy
most of the Earth’s surface and provide
many important ecological and
economic services.
As land dwellers, we have a
distorted and limited view of the blue
aquatic wilderness that covers most of
the Earth’s surface. We know more
about the surface of the moon than
about the oceans.
Which two ecological services
and which two economic services do
you think are the most important?
Why?

4. 1. Coastal ecosystems – includes:
estuaries, salt marshes, mangrove
swamps, rocky and sandy shores
2. Coral reefs
3. Oceans

5. An area in which fresh water from a river mixes with salt
water from the ocean; a transition area from the land to
the ocean.
Other names: bay, sound, lagoon, harbor, bayou
The Ocean
Area where
fresh and salt
water mix
River bringing
freshwater to
the sea

6. Water is brackish: a mixture of
freshwater and saltwater
There is a gradient (gradual
change) in the salinity
near the input from the river: 0-5 ppt
in the middle of the estuary: 5-25ppt
at the ocean: >25 ppt
(ppt = parts per thousand, a unit for
salinity)

7. Natural Capital
Tensaw River
Mobile River
Mobile Bay
Dauphin Island
Gulf of Mexico
What is the
approximate
salinity in ppt
for these
locations?

8. Very nutrient rich ecosystems leads
to high productivity and high
biodiversity
Fast-moving rivers and waves carry
nutrient-rich particles
Sediment settles out in the estuary
when the water slows down
It accumulates on the bottom
(benthic zone)
Great place for plants to grow!

9. 1. habitat
2. nursery
3. fisheries
4. recreation

10. 5. Water
purification
6. Flood control
(from
upstream)
7. Buffer land
from
hurricanes,
absorb storm
surge
Loss of coastal wetlands in
Louisiana made Hurricane
Katrina’s effect worse than
it would have been

11. Plants must be adapted to salty habitat
Cord grass
Eel grass
glasswort – a succulent

12. Huge variety of animals
Horse shoe crab Mosquito oyster lobster
bass egret Manatee Tern

13. Marshes are located in a low area that is subject
to regular, but gentle tides which commonly
dominated by grasses.
(Remember, marshes do not have trees or shrubs

14. Coastal wetlands located in
tropical and subtropical zones;
characterized by salt-tolerant
trees and shrubs, such as
mangrove trees

15. These are plants of
different species (e.g Red
Mangrove) with tangled roots
that reach above the water line,
which form an important
habitat for many aquatic
animals.
Each Mangrove species has its own
environmental niche defined by its
tolerance range for two abiotic factors:
a. Soil salinity
b. Soil oxygen levels

16. Red Mangroves have special roots growing from
the tree trunks that hold the plants up off the
ground. This allows (prop roots) oxygen to enter
the plant through the above ground roots and then
move into the below ground roots.
Black Mangroves, in contrast, send out horizontal
roots in the soil close to the surface and then grow
vertical hollow roots up out of the ground to
provide oxygen for the plant.
White Mangrove, with no specialized root system are the most
successful of the mangrove species in more oxygenated, fresher
water conditions.

17. Also called rocky intertidal zone – there are
many places to live in this type of habitat, which
means high biodiversity
Organisms must be adapted to wave action,
changing tide levels

18. At low tides, there are often tide pools left behind
where you can see starfish, anemones, crabs,
octopus

19. Monterey flatworm
Sea lettuce
Kelp
Barnacles
Mussel
Hermit Crab
Shore CrabSea Star
Anemone
Skulpin
Sea Urchin
Nudibranch
Periwinkle
Low Tide zone
High Tide zone

20. There are a large number of factors that favour the
survival of life on rocky shores. Temperate coastal waters are
mixed by waves and convection, maintaining adequate
availability of nutrients. Also, the sea brings plankton and
broken organic matter in with each tide. The high
availability of light (due to low depths) and nutrient levels
means that primary productivity of seaweeds and algae can
be very high. Human actions can also benefit rocky shores
due to nutrient runoff.

21. There are also a number of challenges to marine
organisms associated with the rocky shore ecosystem.
Generally, the distribution of benthic species is limited by
salinity, wave exposure, temperature, desiccation and general
stress. The constant threat of desiccation during exposure
at low tide can result in dehydration. Hence, many species
have developed adaptations to prevent this drying out, such as
the production of mucous layers and shells. Many species use
shells and holdfasts to provide stability against strong wave
actions. There are also a variety of other challenges such as
temperature fluctuations due to tidal flow (resulting in
exposure), changes in salinity and various ranges of
illumination. Other threats include predation from birds and
other marine organisms, as well as the effects of pollution.

22. Not as much biodiversity as rocky shores – Why?
1. not much habitat diversity
2. sand dries out at low tide
Some small things can live in the sand, food for shorebirds

23. Barrier Islands, a coastal landform and a type of dune
system, are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that are
parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains,
consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a
dozen.

24. Silverside
Blue Crab
White Sand Macoma
Sand Dollar
Moon Snail
Sand piper
Mole Shrimp
Ghost Shrimp
Tiger Beetle
Beach Flee
Peanut Worm
Dwarf Olive
Clam
Hide Tide Zone
Low Tide Zone

25. Ocean Beach
Intensive recreation,
no building
Primary Dune
No direct
passage
or building
Trough
Limited
recreation
and walkways
Secondary Dune
No direct
passage
or building
Back Dune
Most suitable
for development
Bay or
Lagoon
Intensive
recreation
Grasses or shrubs Taller shrubs Taller shrubs and trees
Primary and Secondary dunes on gently sloping barrier beaches helps
protect land from erosion by the sea. Ideally, construction is allowed only behind the
second strip of dunes, and walkways to the ocean beach are built so as not to
damage the dunes. This help preserve barrier beaches, and protect building from
damage by wind, high tides, beach erosion and flooding from storm surges.
Rising sea levels from global warming may put barrier islands under water
for the coming century.

26. Notice the beach erosion. Barrier islands are
constantly changing.

27. Coral reefs form in clear, warm coastal waters of the
tropics and subtropics . These stunningly beautiful natural
wonders are among the world’s oldest , most diverse, and
most productive ecosystems. In terms of biodiversity, they are
the marine equivalents of tropical rain forest.
Require two things: warm temperatures and sunlight
Found between 30°N and 30°S of the equator

28. Corals are animals that belong to the phylum
Cnidaria, the stinging-celled animals such as jellyfish and
hydra.
Coral polyps resemble small sea anemones with
tentacles that can sting and paralyze prey

29. Coral polyps slowly build
reefs by secreting a protective
crust of limestone (CaCO3)
around their soft bodies. When
the polyps die , their empty
crust remain behind as a
platform for more reef growth.
The resulting elaborate
network of crevices, ledges and
holes serves as CaCO3
condominiums for a variety of
marine animals.
Polyps in limestone skeleton
Elkhorn Coral

30. Zooxanthellae
Corals live in a symbiotic
relationship with algae called
zooxanthellae; the algae are
photosynthetic and give the
coral food and oxygen; the
algae get carbon dioxide and
nutrients from the nitrogenous
wastes of the coral

31. Although coral reefs only occupy
about 0.1% of the world’s ocean area,
they provide numerous ecological
and economic services:
1. They help moderate the Earth’s
temperature by removing carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere.
2. 2. Act as natural barriers that help protect
15% of the world’s coastline.
3. They provide habitat for as many as 1
million species
4. Molecules derived have been used to
develop antibiotics and drugs for certain
cancers and HIV.

32. Coral reefs are vulnerable to damage
because they grow slowly and
disrupted easily.
1. Coral bleaching – when temperatures go
above normal, the zooxanthellae (algae) in
the coral can be rejected, the coral turns a
whitish color and dies .Temperature should
only range to 18-30 degrees Celsius.
2. Water Acidity – increasing levels of Carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere and ocean
which makes polyps harder to create
CaCO3

33. 3. Dynamite Fishing
4. Moro Ami
5. Land Development/ Reclamation Activities
6. Loss of Mangrove Forest
7. Fish and Coral Trade
8. Exposure to UV radiation due to Ozone
Depletion.
9. Deep Sea Bottom Trawling

34. Before trawling
After trawlingDeep sea bottom trawling poses the
greatest threat to the coral habitats
It does not just take away targeted
fish species
There is a considerable amount of by
catch and corals are a major part of it

35. In 2005, 240 experts from 96 countries
estimated that 1/5 of the world’s coral reefs are
so damaged that they are unlikely to recover.
They also projected that by 2050, half of the
remaining coral reefs are likely be lost due to
climate change, habitat loss, pollution and
overfishing. Only about 300 of the world’s
6000 coral reefs are protected (at least on
paper) as reserves or parks.
From the book of G. Tyler Miller and
Scott Spoolman

36. Defining characteristics:
light and depth of water
Varying surface of ocean
floor: continental shelf,
slope, trenches (deepest is
Mariana Trench at about
35,000 feet below sea
level), plains, geologic
features (hydrothermal
vents, volcanoes, fault
lines that produce
earthquakes and
tsunamis)

37. Characteristics: dark, cold,
high pressure
How can anything live
there?
What is the base of the food
chain?
Two ways:
1. marine snow –
organic particles that settle
down from above
2. hydrothermal
vents - cracks in the earth
that allow hot gases to
escape, certain bacteria can
make food in these
conditions (chemosynthesis)

38. PhotosynthesisTwilightDarkness
Euphotic Zone
Bathyal Zone
Abyssal Zone
Depth in
meters
200
2,000
10,000
Open Sea
Sea level
Coastal Zone
Continental
shelf
Euphotic zone – full sunlight, phytoplankton
(the producers), zooplankton, nekton
Bathyal zone – the twilight zone
Abyssal zone – cold, dark, pressure high,
specialized “weird” organisms live here
Benthic zone – all along the ocean bottom,
benthos are organisms that live on the
bottom of the ocean, filter feeders,
scavengers, decomposers

39. American Geological Institute. Environmental Science, Philippine ed. Cengage
Learning Asia Pte Ltd. Philippine Branch. 2014
G. Tyler Miller and Scott Spoolman. Introduction to Environmental Science.
Philippine ed. Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd. Brookes Cole. 2009
Deauna, Melecio C. Et.al.Environmental Science for Philippines Schools.
PhilippinesPhoenix Publishing House Inc., 1996
Mosteiro, Arnaldo P. Environmental Science: Text-Workbook, 1st ed. Educational
Publishing House.Ermita, Manila. 2012.
Odum, Eugene P. Fundamentals of Ecology. London W.B. Sauders
Company.1971
www.google.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.youtube.com

40. Instructor I
Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College