1.3 - Aquatic Biomes

Question 1

What is salinity?

Answer 1

Salinity refers to how much salt there is in a body of water.

Question 2

How does temperature affect dissolved oxygen in water?

Answer 2

The warmer water is, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold.

Question 3

What role does flow play in water oxygen levels?

Answer 3

Flow determines how much oxygen can dissolve in water.

Question 4

How does depth influence aquatic plants?

Answer 4

Depth influences how much sunlight can penetrate and reach plants.

Question 5

What are the characteristics of rivers?

Answer 5

Rivers have high oxygen flow and carry nutrient-rich sediments.

Question 6

What type of water do lakes contain?

Answer 6

Lakes contain fresh water.

Question 7

What is the littoral zone in lakes?

Answer 7

The littoral zone is shallow water with emergent plants.

Question 8

What is the limnetic zone in lakes?

Answer 8

The limnetic zone is where light can reach phytoplankton only.

Question 9

What is the profundal zone in lakes?

Answer 9

The profundal zone is too deep for sunlight, meaning no photosynthesis occurs.

Question 10

What is the benthic zone in lakes?

Answer 10

The benthic zone is the murky bottom where bugs live and is nutrient-rich.

Question 11

What defines wetlands?

Answer 11

Wetlands are areas with soil submerged or saturated in water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough for emergent plants.

Question 12

What are the benefits of wetlands?

Answer 12

Wetlands store excess water during storms, recharge groundwater, filter pollutants, and contain lots of organic matter.

Question 13

What type of tree is commonly found in swamps?

Answer 13

Cypress trees are commonly found in swamps.

Question 14

What plants are typically found in marshes?

Answer 14

Marshes typically contain reeds and cattails.

Question 15

What is a bog?

Answer 15

A bog is characterized by spruce and sphagnum moss.

Question 16

What are estuaries?

Answer 16

Estuaries are areas where rivers empty into the ocean, mixing fresh and saltwater, and are highly productive.

Question 17

What is a salt marsh?

Answer 17

Salt marshes are estuaries along coasts in temperate climates and serve as breeding grounds for many fish.

Question 18

What are mangrove swamps?

Answer 18

Mangrove swamps are estuaries along the coast of tropical climates, where mangrove trees stabilize the shoreline and provide habitat.

Question 19

What is a coral reef?

Answer 19

Coral reefs are found in warm shallow water beyond the shoreline and are the most diverse marine biome on Earth.

Question 20

What is the intertidal zone?

Answer 20

The intertidal zone is a narrow band of coastline between high and low tide.

Question 21

What does desiccation refer to?

Answer 21

Desiccation refers to the drying out of organisms.

Question 22

What is the open ocean characterized by?

Answer 22

The open ocean is a low productivity area where only algae and phytoplankton can survive.

Question 23

What is the photic zone in the ocean?

Answer 23

The photic zone is where sunlight can reach in the ocean.

Question 24

What is the aphotic zone (abyssal) in the ocean?

Answer 24

The aphotic zone is the area too deep for sunlight in the ocean.