Aquatic Biomes Flashcards
what is included in freshwater biomes?
streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes
why are freshwater biomes vital resources?
they provide drinking water
what is included in marine biomes?
coral reefs, oceans, marshland, and estuaries
why are marine biomes important?
algae in marine biomes supply a large portion of the earth’s oxygen and take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
why does the global distribution of nonmineral marine natural resources vary?
some combination of salinity, depth, turbidity, nutrient availability, and temperature
what varies among marine biomes?
the global distribution of nonmineral marine natural resources such as different types of fish
what are the characteristics of aquatic biomes?
salinity, flow, depth, and temperature
what is salinity?
how much salt there is in a body of water
what does salinity determine in aquatic biomes?
which species can survive and the usability for drinking (fresh water vs estuary vs ocean)
what does depth influence in aquatic biomes?
how much sunlight can penetrate and reach plants below the surface for photosynthesis
what does flow determine in aquatic biomes?
which plants and organisms can survive and how much oxygen can dissolve into the water
what does temperature determine in aquatic biomes?
how many organisms can survive
warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen so it can support fewer aquatic organisms
why do rivers have high oxygen?
their flow mixes water and air
rivers have high levels of:
oxygen
what makes deltas and flood plains fertile soil?
rivers have high flow which carries nutrient rich sediments
what are lakes? why are they significant?
lakes are standing bodies of freshwater and a key drinking water source
what is the littoral zone of a body of water?
shallow water with emergent plants (taller than surroundings, grow out of water ex. reeds)
what is the limnetic zone of a body of water?
where light can reach, photosynthesis occurs
no rooted plants, only phytoplankton
what is the profundal zone of a body of water?
too deep for sunlight, so no photosynthesis
what is the benthic zone of a body of water?
murky bottom where inverts (aka invertebrates) like bugs live, nutrient-rich sediments
what is a wetland?
an area with soil submerged/saturated in water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough for emergent plants
what is an emergent plant?
a plant taller than its surroundings, in water it grows out of the water such as reeds or cattails
what is unique about plants in the wetlands? what are some examples?
they have to be adapted to living with roots submerged in standing water such as cattails, lily pads, and reeds
what are the benefits of wetlands?
- they store excess water during storms which lessens floods
- they recharge groundwater by absorbing rainfall into soil
- the roots of wetland plants filter pollutants from water draining through
- has a high level of plant growth due to lots of water and nutrients (dead organic matter) in sediments
- stabilize shoreline which prevents erosion and damage from rising sea levels
- aesthetically pleasing which leads to money being spent on tourism
what is groundwater?
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth’s surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations.
how much of the earth’s readily available freshwater is groundwater?
About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater.
what is an aquifer?
A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water.
what are the different types of freshwater wetlands?
swamps, marshes, and bogs
what plant life characterizes swamps?
they feature cypress trees, a type of coniferous tree adapted to living in submerged soils
what plant life characterizes marshes?
they have reeds and cattails which are adapted to survive with their roots totally submerged in water
what characterizes bogs?
bogs have extremely acidic soil and they feature trees like spruces and a species of moss called the sphagnum moss, both plants are adapted to very acidic soils
what are estuaries?
areas where rivers empty into the ocean
what kind of water do estuaries have? this forces species like _________ to _________
a mix of fresh and salt water
mangrove trees, adapt to this mix of water
estuaries have high:
why?
they have high productivity (aka high plant growth) due to nutrients in sediments deposited in estuaries by rivers
what are salt marshes?
a type of estuary along the coast in temperate climates
salt marshes serve what role for which organisms?
salt marshes are the breeding grounds for many fish and shellfish (they swim into the marsh to lay their eggs then swim back into the ocean where they live the rest of their lives)
what are mangrove swamps?
a type of estuary along the coast of tropical climates
what plant life characterizes mangrove swamps? what do they provide to the ecosystem?
mangrove trees that have long, stilt roots that stabilize the shoreline and provide habitat for many species of fish and shellfish
what is a coral reef? what makes it unique as a biome?
warm shallow waters beyond the shoreline
it is the most diverse biome on earth
what symbiotic relationship do coral reefs display?
there is a mutualistic relationship between coral (animals) and algae (plants) in coral reefs
what is the mutualistic relationship between algae and coral?
- coral take carbon dioxide out of the ocean to create calcium carbonate exoskeletons (the reef) and also provide carbon dioxide to the algae
- algae live in the reef and provide sugar (energy) to the coral through photosynthesis
- this means both species rely on each other because coral couldn’t survive without energy from algae and algae need the home of the reef and carbon dioxide from the coral
what is an intertidal zone?
a narrow band of coastline between high and low tide
what makes the organisms in intertidal zones unique? what are some examples? what adaptations do they need?
they must be adapted to survive crashing waves and direct sunlight/heat during low tide such as barnacles, sea stars, and crabs that can attach to rocks and they need a shell or tough outer skin to prevent desiccation during low tides
what is desiccation?
the drying out of a living organism
what is an example of an intertidal organism that illustrates how different organisms are adapted to live in different zones?
spiral wrack is a type of seaweed that curls up and secretes mucus to retain water during low tide
the open ocean has a low level of:
why?
the open ocean has low productivity per unit of area because only algae and phytoplankton can survive in most of the ocean (too deep for most plants)
what is the photic zone?
the area where sunlight can reach and thus where photosynthesis is possible
even though the open ocean has low productivity, what is significant about the biome?
it is so large that the algae and phytoplankton in the ocean produce a lot of earth’s oxygen and absorb a lot of atmospheric carbon dioxide (carbon sink)
what is the aphotic zone?
the area too deep for sunlight, it’s also known as the abyssal zone
what adaptation do many organisms have in the aphotic/abyssal zone?
many organisms are bioluminescent which provides them with a source of light so they can navigate such a dark ecosystem
they also are adapted to the high pressure of all the overhead water
what conditions do intertidal organisms need to be adapted to?
they must be adapted to survive crashing waves and direct sunlight/heat during low tide
what are some examples of intertidal organisms?
barnacles, sea stars, and crabs
what are the adaptations of intertidal organisms that allow them to survive well in their environment?
they often attach to rocks and have a shell or tough outer skin to prevent desiccation during low tides
