“…Studies suggest that naturally occurring microorganisms in fresh and saltwater play diverse roles in ecosystems and are essential to Earth’s biogeochemical cycles . Depending on the aquatic environment, microorganisms in lentic systems can thrive in the littoral zone, a region of a liquid body near the shoreline, well-lighted, shallow, and warmer than other regions of the water; limnetic zone, further away from the shore, colder and having sunlight only in the upper 100 feet or so; benthic zone, at depths without any oxygen and sunlight; subterranean systems, with varied salt concentrations and pH levels (acidophiles and alkaliphiles); salty water bodies, with higher salt concentration, (halophiles), higher pH, and lower nutrients; and hydrothermal vents and within biofilms, a grouping of cells surrounded by a polymer matrix providing a protective barrier to the external environment. The activity in these ecosystems may also vary seasonally, and by monitoring them continuously over a long time, a detailed account of the nutrient and gas cycling can be established .…”