Aquatic Organisms
The aquatic organisms are classified on the basis of their zone of occurrence and their ability to cross these zones. The organisms (both flora and fauna) in the aquatic ecosystem are unevenly distributed but can be classified on the basis of their life form or location into five groups. They are as follows:
NEUSTON:
- These are unattached organisms which live at the air water interface such as floating plants, etc.
- Some organisms spend most of their lives on top of the air-water interface such as water striders, while others spend most of their time just beneath the air-water interface and obtain most of their food within the water. E.g., beetles and backswimmers.
PERIPHYTON:
- These are organisms which remain attached to stems and leaves of rooted plants or substances emerging above the bottom mud such as sessile algae and their associated group of animals.
PLANKTON:
- This group includes both microscopic plants like algae (phytoplankton) and animals like crustaceans and protozoans (zooplankton) found in all aquatic ecosystems, except certain swift moving waters.
- The locomotory power of the planktons is limited so that their distribution is controlled, largely, by currents in the aquatic ecosystems.
NEKTON:
- This group contains animals which are swimmers. The nektons are relatively large and powerful as they have to overcome the water currents.
- The animal’s range in size from the swimming insects (about 2 mm long) to the largest animals, the blue whale.
BENTHOS:
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The benthic organisms are those found living in the bottom of the water mass. Practically every aquatic ecosystem contains well developed benthos.