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Ecology and Ecosystems > 1-6: The Hydrosphere, Water > Flashcards

1-6: The Hydrosphere, Water Flashcards

1
Q

Definition of ecology

A

The scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms.

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2
Q

Definition of the environment

A

Biotic and abiotic factors outside the organisms

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3
Q

Definition of abundance

A

The population size

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4
Q

Definition of distribution

A

Where organisms are found

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5
Q

What is population ecology?

A

Study of trends and fluctuations in the number of individuals of a particular species at a particular time and place.
Looks at birth and death rates, predators and prey

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6
Q

What is ecosystem ecology?

A

Entire lakes, forests, wetlands, etc

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7
Q

What are observations?

A

Changes in abundance or system functioning over time or space, often using comparisons

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8
Q

Methods of approach

A

Observations
Experiments
Mathematical models

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9
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

A biological community of interacting organisms and their non-living environments

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10
Q

What is central to biomes?

A

The soil ecosystem

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11
Q

How much of the earth’s surface is made up of water?

A

70%

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12
Q

The 3 process that keep water moving in the water cycle

A

Evaporation: water is heated by the sun
Condensation: vapour forms clouds
Precipitation: water falls as rain, hail, snow, sleet

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13
Q

How much of the earth’s water is freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams?

A

0.25%

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14
Q

Why is freshwater important to the biosphere?

A

Moves water in and out of ecosystems

Transports natural substances, eg. nutrients

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15
Q

Why is freshwater important to humans?

A

Transport
Irrigation
Disposal of waste

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16
Q

What is plankton?

A

Floating microorganisms
Movement depends on currents
Found in freshwater and marine

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17
Q

What is nekton?

A

Swimming microorganisms
Navigate at will
Swim faster than current

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18
Q

What is neuston?

A

Microorganisms resting or swimming at the surface

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19
Q

What is an epipelic biofilm?

A

A film on the surface made of algae, fungi and bacteria

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20
Q

What does epibenthos mean?

A

Attached to or clinging to plants

eg. crabs, snails

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21
Q

What does benthos mean?

A

Attached/living in or on bottom sediments

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22
Q

What communities do you find in lakes and ponds?

A

Plankton

Nekton

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23
Q

What communities do you find in flood plains?

A

Plankton

Nekton

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24
Q

What communities do you find in permanent wetlands?

A

Benthos

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25
Q

What communities do you find in mudflats?

A

Epipelic biofilms

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26
Q

What freshwater invertebrates do you find in rivers and streams?

A 
Flatworms
Molluscs
Segmented worms
Crustacea
Insects- mayflies, stoneflies, etc
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27
Q

What do worms indicate?

A

Poor water quality, as they are found in low O2

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28
Q

What do mayflies indicate?

A

Good water quality, as they are found in high O2

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29
Q

Zooplankton features

A

From 0.3-3.2mm
Feed on phytoplankton
Eg. copepods, rotifers, crustaceans

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30
Q

Phytoplankton features

A

The abundance dictates the colour of the water

Very green = bloom

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31
Q

Shredder examples

A

Caddis flies
Isopods
Crayfish

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32
Q

Grazer examples

A

Mayflies

Gastropods

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33
Q

Collectors in the water column examples

A

Diptera

Trichoptera

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34
Q

Collectors in the sediment examples

A

Worms
Diptera
Bivalves

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35
Q

Predator examples

A

Leeches
Stoneflies
Dragonflies/damselflies
Beetles

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36
Q

Properties of lakes and ponds

A

Stratification

Wind-induced turbulence

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37
Q

Properties of floodplain wetlands

A

Periodic desiccation

Competition between algae and macrophysics

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38
Q

Properties of permanent wetlands

A

Periodic flooding

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39
Q

Properties of estuary mudflats

A

Desiccation
Exposure to salt water
Competition at mud surface

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40
Q

Properties of estuary outflow

A

Mixing with salt water
Turbidity
Grazing in the water column

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41
Q

How does river classification work?

A

The larger number, the further down the river the part is
Eg. 4th order rivers are much bigger and towards the end than 1st order, which are by the source
River flow is unidirectional

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42
Q

What is a riffle?

A

Fast flowing river over rocks, shallow

Home to organisms with adaptations to anchor to rocks, logs and other debris

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43
Q

What is a pool?

A

Slow flowing river over sediment, deep
Often hold fish eg. trout
Study in Santa Barbara: 31 found in pools, only 18 in rapids

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44
Q

What is a run?

A

Like a riffle, but with smooth surface for light to penetrate
Deeper than riffles
Trout use them for feeding as don’t need much energy to fight currents

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45
Q

What is thermal stratification?

A

When there is a change of temperature at different depths of a lake
There is also oxygen depletion due to reduced re-aeration from the atmosphere

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46
Q

When can stratification occur?

A

Not in rivers- too fast flowing and shallow

Can occur in slow, deep-flowing rivers

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47
Q

What are the river classifications based on nutrient richness?

A

Oligotrophic
Mesotrophic
Eutrophic
Hypereutrophic

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48
Q

What does oligotrophic mean?

A

Low N and P
Low biomass
Typically deep

49
Q

What does mesotrophic mean?

A

Moderate amount of nutrients

50
Q

What does eutrophic mean?

A

High N and P
High biomass
Typically shallow

51
Q

Properties of water

A

Wide temperature range- liquid form for most of the year
Wide density range- limits the rate of sedimentation
High absolute viscosity- limits the mixing of water, sedimentation of biota, and flow in lotic systems
High surface tension- allows attachment of invertebrates to the surface eg. pond skaters

52
Q

What is an environmental gradient?

A

A gradual change in abiotic factors through space and time
Eg. altitude, temperature, depth, soil humidity
Species abundance usually changes along environmental gradients

53
Q

What is an ecotone?

A

A transitional area of vegetation between two plant communities
It has some characteristics of each bordering community

54
Q

Features of a high-gradient stream

A 
Steep sloped
Narrow V-shaped valleys
'Young streams'
Rapid water flow
Can erode
55
Q

Features of a low gradient-river

A

Sluggish moving waters
Carry small amounts of very fine sediment
Wider, less rugged valleys
River can meander

56
Q

Biological role of Carbon

A

Photosynthesis

pH

57
Q

Biological role of Oxygen

A

Aerobic respiration

Oxidation reactions

58
Q

Biological role of Nitrogen

A

Amino acids/proteins
Ammonia and nitrate
Limiting

59
Q

Biological role of Phosphorus

A

Nucleotides (DNA, RNA, ATP)
Polyphosphates
Limiting

60
Q

Biological role of Silicon

A

Cell wall of diatoms and other algae

Limiting

61
Q

Where is most nitrogen?

A

Fixed in the soil

62
Q

What fixes nitrogen in water?

A

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)

Occurs in heterocysts

63
Q

Where is inorganic nitrogen gained from in lakes?

A

Groundwater and surface run-off

Largely NO3- and NH4+

64
Q

What is NH4+ influenced by

A

pH

65
Q

What is the main source of phosphorous (P) to plants

A

Phosphate (PO4)

66
Q

What is P availability increased by

A

Low dissolved oxygen

Low pH

67
Q

Features of a deep (over 5m) lake

A

Have a photic zone- a part of the water column receiving sunlight
Distinction between shoreline (littoral) and central zone
In photic zone, get macrophytes and algal mats
In aphotic zone, get mainly bacteria

68
Q

What is the littoral zone?

A

Where land meets water

Enough light for plants to grow

69
Q

What is the pelagic zone?

A

Open water

Too deep for rooted plants to grow

70
Q

What is the benthic zone?

A

Bottom of the lake
Animals live here
Thick mud at bottom

71
Q

Profundal/abyssal zone

A

Deepest part of the open water

Only in lakes over 200m deep

72
Q

Shallow (under 6m) lake features

A

Photic zone is the whole of the water column
Too shallow for stratification
Benthic community as light can penetrate

73
Q

Erosional rivers/streams features

A

Photic zone is throughout water column

There is more allochthonous material than autochthonous

74
Q

What does allochthonous mean?

A

Imported material, eg. leaves

75
Q

What does autochthonous mean?

A

Produced within system, eg. phytoplankton

76
Q

Depositional rivers/streams features

A

Photic zone is throughout water column
More autochthonous input than allochthonous
Low flow, fine sediment
Anoxic conditions

77
Q

What are lakes influenced by?

A

Structure (morphology) and hydrology (flow in/out of the lake)
Interactions with surrounding environment
Climate

78
Q

Structure of lake basin is important for…

A

Water flow
Nutrient accumulation
Light penetration
Mixing of the water column

79
Q

What is holomictic mixing?

A

Mixes from top to bottom

80
Q

What is meromictic mixing?

A

Does not completely mix

Typically very deep lakes

81
Q

What is monomictic mixing?

A

Does not freeze

One long mixing period throughout winter

82
Q

What is dimictic mixing?

A

Mixes once in autumn, once in spring

Covered in ice in winter

83
Q

What is polymictic mixing?

A

Mixes frequently throughout the year

Usually shallow lakes

84
Q

What is amictic mixing?

A

No mixing

Covered in ice all year round

85
Q

Winter stratification of Rostherne Mere

A

No surface warming
Wind-induced mixing
No stratification

86
Q

Summer stratification of Rostherne Mere

A

Surface warming
Less wind-induced mixing
Stratification

87
Q

Winter phytoplankton primary production (PP) in Rostherne Mere

A

Low PP due to low light and temperature

88
Q

Spring PP in RM

A

Increased PP

89
Q

Winter nutrients in RM

A

High N and P due to a low PP

90
Q

Spring nutrients in RM

A

Decrease, due to an increased PP

91
Q

Diatom features

A

Unicellular/colonial
Adapted to low light and low temperature
Require silicon

92
Q

Green algae features

A

Unicellular/colonial

Require high nutrients and stratified water

93
Q

Dinoflagellate features

A

Unicellular

Adapted to high temperatures and low nutrients

94
Q

Cyanobacteria features

A

Blue-green algae
Usually colonial
Adapted to high temperatures, low light and low nutrients
Resistant to grazing- only eaten by rotifers and protozoa

95
Q

Cyanobacteria pigment

A

Chlorophyll-a

96
Q

What is Anabaena?

A

A cyanobacteria
Three specialised cells:
1. Vegetative cells: have gas vesicles which provide buoyancy and allow light absorption
2. Spore-resisting stages and can adapt in harsh conditions
3. Heterocysts capable of nitrogen fixations

97
Q

Zooplankton bloom

A

Peak in spring

Clear water phase when phytoplankton have all been eaten

98
Q

Name for flowing water

A

Lotic

99
Q

Name for standing water

A

Lentic

100
Q

Lotic water features

A

Shallower than most lakes
Fast, unidirectional flow
Less likely to have stratification
Not influenced by phytoplankton/zooplankton

101
Q

What happens at the erosional zone?

A

Water velocity is high

Net re-suspension

102
Q

What happens at the depositional zone?

A

Water velocity is low

Net deposition

103
Q

Impact of high water flow on benthic microorganisms

A

Organisms are dispersed
Nutrients are dispersed
Create microenvironments

104
Q

What animals do you find with a small particle size?

A

Deposit feeders

Eg. midge larvae

105
Q

What animals do you find with a large particle size?

A

Predatory species and grazers

Eg. stoneflies, mayflies

106
Q

What animals do you find in detritus?

A

Lots of collectors

107
Q

What is the drainage basement/watershed?

A

The total area drained by tributaries that feeds a main channel

108
Q

What is a river system?

A

A network of streams that drains an area of land

Main river + tributaries

109
Q

What are tributaries?

A

Smaller streams/rivers that flow into larger ones

110
Q

3 types of biota found in lotic systems

A

Phytoplankton
Periphyton
Macrophytes

111
Q

Where is phytoplankton found?

A

Slow flowing rivers

High temperatures, high light intensity

112
Q

What is periphyton?

A

Lives on substrate or larger plants

Unicellular and filamentous algae

113
Q

What are macrophytes?

A

Large plants
Floating-leaved: eg. Duckweed
Free-floating: not rooted to substrate, eg. Water fern
Submerged: eg. Water crowfoot

114
Q

Fish adaptations to running water

A

Streamlining- both ends are narrow
Flattened ventral surfaces
Live around large stones and boulders
Refuge in overhanging trees and macrophytes
Different dissolved oxygen (DO) requirements

115
Q

Major invertebrate taxa in running waters

A 
Leeches
Worms
Snails
Bivalves
Water louse
Water shrimp
Midges
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Beetles
116
Q

What breaks down large allochthonous particles?

A

Shredders

117
Q

What do the filterers and collectors eat?

A

Fine organic particulate material (FPOM)

118
Q

Adaptations to running water

A 
Differing O2 LC50s (lethal conc of O2 required to kill 50% of the population)
Flattened body
Hooks on limbs/other parts of body
Streamlining
Orientate themselves to flow

Ecology and Ecosystems (4 decks)

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