Apes Ch.6 Flashcards
Eutrophic lake
Lake with a large or excessive supply of plant nutrients, mostly nitrates and phosphates. Compare mesotrophic lake, oligotrophic lake.
Coastal zone
Warm, nutrient-rich, shallow part of the ocean that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the edge of a shelflike extension of continental land masses known as the continental shelf. Compare open sea.
Benthos
Bottom-dwelling organisms. Compare decomposer, nekton, plankton.
Euphotic zone
Upper layer of a body of water through which sunlight can penetrate and support photosynthesis.
Nekton
Strongly swimming organisms found in aquatic systems. Compare benthos, plankton.
Oligotrophic lake
Lake with a low supply of plant nutrients. Compare eutrophic lake, mesotrophic lake.
Phytoplankton
Small, drifting plants, mostly algae and bacteria, found in aquatic ecosystems. Compare plankton, zooplankton.
Estuary
Partially enclosed coastal area at the mouth of a river where its fresh water, carrying fertile silt and runoff from the land, mixes with salty seawater.
Abyssal zone
Dark lower zone: very cold, little dissolved oxygen, and survives off nutrients on ocean floor.
Littoral zone
Shallow sunlit water near the shore. Ends where roots stop. High diversity
Limnetic zone
Open, sunlit surface layer away from shore that goes as far as sunlight penetrates. Photosynthetic body of lake.
Pro fundal zone
Deep open water, too dark for photosynthesis, with low oxygen levels and fish adapted to this as well as colder water
Benthic zone
Bottom of the lake inhabited by organisms that tolerate cool temperatures and low O2 levels
Bathyal zone
Dimly lit middle zone that does not contain photosynthesizing producers because of a lack of sunlight
