In ecological and geographical parlance, Biomes mean climatically and habitually contiguous regions on Earth where symbiotic relationship is observed amongst the various organisms including plants and animals. The Aquatic Biomes is not an inherently singular biome but includes all the water bodies on the planet. Since 75% of the planet consists of water, the Aquatic Biomes collectively constitute the largest of all biomes in the world. It includes two major ecological habitats in the form of Marine Biomes and Freshwater Biomes. Aquatic Biomes hold the importance of being home to the largest numbers of living organisms on the planet. This was also the first ecosystem where life came into existence in the pre-historic times.

There are facts about all sorts of Aquatic Biomes that are still lesser known to the common people. In the interest of developing a sustainable ecology, it is imperative to make people more aware of the aquatic habitats. With this objective in mind, some of the facts are presented here:

• Marine ecosystems consist of approximately 71% of the surface of the planet and also hold 97% of the water of all the Aquatic Biomes.

• Of all the natural material resources generated from the Earth, the Marine Biomes contribute 32%. This includes living organisms as well as minerals and other resources.

• Marine ecosystems can be divided into 3 distinct zones based on the depth of water. These are: Oceanic, Benthic and Intertidal zones.

• The freshwater ecosystem accounts for 3% of the net primary production from the planet. It also is home to 41% of all the known species of fishes on Earth.

• The Freshwater Biomes consist of 0.80% of the surface of the Earth and 0.009% of the water on the planet.

• Fresh water ecosystems can be classified into three distinct forms of Biomes. These are: Lentic, Lotic and Wetland Biomes. Lentic ecosystems include slow-moving water-bodies like lakes, ponds and pools while lotic ecosystems include faster moving bodies of water like streams and rivers.

• The lake ecosystem is a complex one with different zones based on the depth of water as well as the organisms that thrive in these ecosystems. These zones include Littoral Zone, Photic Zone and Aphotic Zone. These three zones indicate the depth of the water from the shore of the lake to deeper habitats in this exact order.

• The estuarine ecosystem is a unique aquatic biome as it is formed in the confluence of a river and sea. Macroflora such as mangrove trees, sea weeds and marsh grasses are found here along with microflora such as algae.

• The biggest source of commercial food obtained from a natural and wild environment are the fish that are gathered from the Marine Biomes.

• The Aquatic Ecosystems are very important to the ecology of this planet. Not only do they provide us with vast number of material and other resources, they also have important environmental functions like recycling of nutrients and attenuating floods.

These are only some of the lesser known facts about the Aquatic Biomes. It is important to make the common people more acquainted with these more facts so that it is beneficial for the ecology of this planet. Only our awareness can make a difference in this regard.