We are scientists!: February 2018

Types of Freshwater Biomes

There are three main types of freshwater biomes:

ponds and lakes
streams and rivers
wetlands

Ponds and Lakes

Ponds and lakes are often called lentic ecosystems. This means that they have still or standing waters, not moving like rivers or streams.

Lake animals

Animals include plankton, crayfish, snails, worms, frogs, turtles, insects, and fishes.

Lake plants - Plants include water lilies, duckweed, cattail, bulrush, stonewort, and bladderwort.

Streams and rivers

Rivers and streams are often called lotic ecosystems. This means that they have flowing waters, unlike the still waters of ponds and lakes. This biome can vary in size dramatically from small trickling streams to mile wide rivers that travel for thousands of miles.

Key factors influencing the ecology of streams and rivers include:

Flow - the amount of water and the strength at which it flows will impact the types of plants and animals that can live in a river.
Light - light has an impact because it provides energy to plants through photosynthesis. The amount of light due to seasons or other factors will impact the river's ecosystem. Temperature - The climate of the land the river is flowing through will have an impact on the local plant and animal life.
Chemistry - this has to do with the type of geology that the river is flowing through. It impacts what type of soil, rocks, and nutrients are in the river.

River animals

Animals that live in or around the river include insects, snails, crabs, fishes such as salmon and catfish, salamanders, snakes, crocodiles, otters, and beavers.

River plants

Plants that grow around rivers vary greatly depending on the location of the river in the world. The plants typically live along the edge of the river where the water is moving slower. Plants include tapegrass, water stargrass, willow trees, and river birch.

Wetlands Biome

The wetlands biome is a combination of land and water. It can be thought of as land that is saturated with water. The land may be mostly underwater for part of the year or just flooded at certain times.

They are often located near large bodies of water like lakes and rivers and can be found throughout the world. Wetlands can play an important role in nature. When located near rivers, wetlands can help to prevent flooding. They also help to purify and filter water.

Wetland animals

Wetlands have a huge diversity in animal life. Amphibians, birds, and reptiles all do well in the wetlands. The largest predators are alligators and crocodiles. Other animals include beavers, raccoons, and deer.

Wetland plants - Wetland plants may grow entirely underwater or float on top of the water. Other plants grow mostly out of the water, like large trees. Plants include milkweed, water lilies, duckweed, cypress trees, and mangroves.

Nelson, Ken. (2018). Science for Kids: Freshwater Biome. Ducksters. Retrieved from http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/freshwater_biome.php

QUIZ

1. The freshwater biome has a lower content of ______ than the marine biome?
a. Sulfur
b. Plants
c. Fish
d. Salt
e. Mammals

2. Which of the following is not a part of the freshwater biome?
a. Ponds
b. Lakes
c. Rivers
d. Wetlands
e. Oceans

3. What type of freshwater biome is sometimes called a lentic ecosystem?
a. Lake
b. River
c. Stream
d. Tributary
e. Brook

4. Which of the following would be considered a lotic ecosystem?
a. Lake
b. River
c. Pond
d. Pool
e. Ocean

5. Which of the following will have an impact on the ecology of streams and rivers?
a. Flow
b. Light
c. Temperature
d. Chemistry
e. All of the above

6. Which of the following will vary depending on the type of geology that a river flows through?
a. Flow
b. Light
c. Temperature
d. Chemistry
e. All of the above

7. What type of freshwater biome is a combination of land and water?
a. Ponds
b. Lakes
c. Rivers
d. Wetlands

e. Oceans

Types of Marine Biomes

Oceans - These are the five major oceans that cover the world including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.
Coral reefs - Coral reefs are small in size when compared to the oceans, but around 25% of marine species live in the coral reefs making them an important biome.
Estuaries - Estuaries are areas where rivers and streams flow into the ocean. This area where freshwater and saltwater meets, creates an ecosystem or biome all its own with interesting and diverse plant and animal life.

Animals of the Marine Biome
The marine biome has the most biodiversity of all the biomes. Many of the animals, such as fish, have gills that allow them to breathe the water. Other animals are mammals that need to come to surface to breathe, but spend much of their lives in the water. Another type of marine animal is the mollusk which has a soft body and no backbone.
Here are just a few of the animals that you will find in the marine biome: Fish - Sharks, swordfish, tuna, clown fish, grouper, stingray, flatfish, eels, rockfish, seahorse, sunfish mola, and gars. Marine mammals - Blue whales, seals, walruses, dolphins, manatees, and otters. Mollusks - Octopus, cuttlefish, clams, conch, squids, oysters, slugs, and snails.

Plants of the Marine Biome
There are thousands of species of plants that live in the ocean. They rely on photosynthesis from the sun for energy. Plants in the ocean are extremely important to all life on planet earth. Algae in the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide and provides much of the Earth's oxygen. Examples of algae include kelp and phytoplankton. Other ocean plants are seaweeds, sea grasses, and mangroves

Nelson, Ken. (2018). Science for Kids: Marine or Ocean Biome. Ducksters. Retrieved from http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/marine_biome.php

The Spanish population increased steadily during the 20th century. In 1900, there were approximately 18 billion inhabitants in Spain. Today, Spain's population is about 46 million.

Watch this presentation (from 1 to 3)

Demographics

According to the census in 2016, Spain had about 46,157,822 inhabitants. This translated to a population density of about 91.4 people per square kilometer, or 229 per square mile. The population density is lower than that of most other Western European Countries. With the exception of Madrid, the capital of Spain, the populous regions in the Kingdom of Spain are along the coastline of the country.

During the 20th century, the population of Spain doubled, although the trend was uneven due to large-scale internal migration from rural areas to urban areas with core industries in the economy. The same internal migration practice was witnessed in other Western European countries as the preference for urban cities with industries of importance to the economy grew. At least 11 of the 50 provinces in the country experienced negative population growth during this century.

A sharp drop in the birth rates was witnessed during the last quarter of the 20th century. Spain’s fertility rate of 1.49 is subsequently lower than the EU average.