Abstract
An aquatic ecosystem is a water-based environment. Aquatic ecosystems
include the marine ecosystem and freshwater ecosystems. Two-thirds of the total
surface area of the planet is covered by marine water. These ecosystems can be
classified into two main categories; i) water/pelagic environment (including; neritic and
oceanic zones) and; ii) bottom/benthic environment (including; supra-littoral,
intertidal/littoral, and sublittoral zones). Biotic and abiotic factors mean all the living
and non-living components of any ecosystem. Biotic factors also include the
interactions between organisms and the way they live with or rely on each other.
Abiotic factors include all the non-living components, which the living inhabitants rely
on to live, grow and thrive. Factors affecting aquatic biomes greatly differ from one
water body to the other as the water itself has different properties. Abiotic factors that
influence aquatic biomes include light availability, depth, stratification, temperature,
currents, and tides.