Aquatic Ecosystem Flashcards
Abiotic Factors
Salinity
Hardness
Temperature
Availability of Sunlight
Dissolved Oxygen
pH
Nutrients
Turbidity
It is the amount of dissolved salt in the water
Salinity
Salinity is formed by the ______ of ____
Weathering of rocks
Biotic Factor
Aquatic Organisms
Higher salinity water is more _____
dense
It is the amount of minerals (calcium and magnesium) in freshwater
Hardness
It measures the average kinetic energy of the water molecules
Temperature
Warmest at the _______ and near the _______
- surface
- equator
It decreases with water depth
Availability of sunlight
It is the amount of oxygen gas per mL of water
Dissolved oxygen
A measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of water
pH
pH below 7
Acids
pH
Rainwater:
5.6 due to mixing with CO2
pH
Acid rain:
<4.5 due to mixing with sulfur
- pH is exactly 7
- pure water
Neutral
pH above 7
Bases
pH
Ocean Water:
8.1 due to carbonate (CO32-) ions
- are nitrates and phosphates that runoff from land
- needed for algae growth
Nutrients
It measures water cloudiness, and also increases with soil runoff
Turbidity
Aquatic organisms
Plankton
Nekton
Benthos
Decomposers
Small, freefloating or weakly swimming
Plankton
Plankton that are plantlike
Phytoplankton
Plankton that are animal-like
Zooplankton
Large, independent swimmers
Nekton
- Bottom-dwellers
- Many do not move, or move very seldom
Benthos
Break down dead organisms and waste, cycling nutrients back into the water
Decomposers
An ecosystem that includes rivers, ponds, and lakes with low salinity
Freshwater Ecosystems
Areas naturally filled with water
Lakes and Ponds
Ponds are _______, lakes ______
- smaller
- bigger
It is nearest the shore
Littoral zone
Waters in the littoral zone
warm, shallow, and sunlit
It root at the bottom and pass through the water surface
Emergent plants
An open water area too deep for emergent plants
Limnetic zone (Photic)
Water in the Limnetic zone
- warm and sunlit
- supports phytoplankton
It is cold and aphotic
Profundal zone
- lakes that have low nutrient levels, limiting algae and phytoplankton growth
- low turbidity
Oligotrophic
- lakes that have high nutrients levels and excessive algae growth
- very high turbidity
Eutrophic
Narrow channels that carry runoff water towards rivers
Streams
Wider and carry more water
Rivers
Each section of a river has different ______ _______
abiotic properties
The headwaters or river source has:
- High dissolved oxygen (O2)
- Low nutrients (NO3, NO2, PO4)
- Cold water temperatures
- Low turbidity (oligotrophic)
- No salinity
In the transition zone, the river…
- Widens and deepens
- Becomes warmer
- Decreases dissolved oxygen
- Increases nutrient levels
Within the transition zone are _________ that regularly flood
floodplains
Floodplains
- high in soil nutrient levels
- very fertile