Chegg Guided Solutions for Inquiry into Life 13th Edition: Chapter 35.3

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  • Step 1 of 4

    A biome defines the climate and geography of a particular ecosystem. An ecosystem describes the interactions that occur between all of the living organisms and the nutrients in their environment. The biome describes the environment in which the ecosystem lives in.

  • Step 2 of 4

    There are both terrestrial and aquatic biomes. Examples of terrestrial biomes include tundra, tropical rainforest, and savanna. Examples of aquatic biomes include lakes, estuaries, and ocean.

  • Step 3 of 4

    One difference between terrestrial and aquatic biomes is the presence of oxygen. In terrestrial biomes, the oxygen concentration is consistent. In aquatic biomes, such as deep lakes, oxygen concentration depends on the depth of the water. Deeper waters have a lower oxygen concentration due to increased decomposition. This is why fall and spring overturns are important in deep lakes. During the fall and spring overturn, nutrient-rich but oxygen-poor deep water layers are mixed with the oxygen-rich, nutrient-poor upper layers.

  • Step 4 of 4

    Another difference between terrestrial and aquatic biomes is the presence of light. In aquatic biomes, light decreases as a function of depth. This places limitations on photosynthetic organisms, which require light to produce energy and organic compounds. Photosynthetic organisms, primary producers, tend to live closer to the surface of the water.

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