Aquatic Ecosystems

Question 1

Salinity

Answer 1

The level of salt in water.

Question 2

Turbidity

Answer 2

cloudiness of the water (caused by erosion, algae growth, etc)

Question 3

Benthos

Answer 3

Organisms that remain at the ocean floor.

Question 4

Detritus

Answer 4

Dead matter and waste.

Question 5

Nekton

Answer 5

Larger organisms that can swim independently of ocean currents.

Question 6

Delta

Answer 6

A landmass formed by the deposition of sediment at a river’s mouth.

Question 7

Emergent vegetation

Answer 7

Plants that are rooted to the bottom of a lake or pond and emerge above the water’s surface.

Question 8

Tidal Range

Answer 8

The vertical difference between high and low tide.

Question 9

Bioluminescence

Answer 9

The ability to produce and emit light.

Question 10

abiotic condition of water near the equator

Answer 10

warm

Question 11

abiotic condition of water a few feet below the surface

Answer 11

sunlit

Question 12

abiotic condition of a river in the middle of a continent

Answer 12

fresh

Question 13

abiotic condition of a river below a waterfall

Answer 13

High O2

Question 14

abiotic condition of the middle of the ocean, far from land

Answer 14

low nutrients

Question 15

abiotic condition of an oligotrophic lake

Answer 15

low turbidity

Question 16

algae

Answer 16

phytoplankton

Question 17

blue whale

Answer 17

nekton

Question 18

sponge

Answer 18

benthos

Question 19

bacteria

Answer 19

decomposer

Question 20

radiolara, jellyfish

Answer 20

zooplankton

Question 21

source zone

Answer 21

• Water is generally cold
• rich in oxygen
• low in nutrients

Question 22

transition zone

Answer 22

Temperature increase, oxygen levels decrease, and nutrient levels rise.

Question 23

What are the three ecosystem services provided by wetlands?

Answer 23

• Increased biodiversity
• flood control
• removal of pollution/sediment from water.

Question 24

radiolara, jellyfish, krill

Answer 24

zooplankton

Question 25

Swamp

Answer 25

Supports trees.

Question 26

Bog

Answer 26

- Acidic water - floating mass of plant matter - mosses

Question 27

Estuary

Answer 27

Mixing of fresh river water and salty ocean water, making brackish water.

Question 28

Seagrass Bed

Answer 28

Covered with grass-like submerged plants.

Question 29

Mangrove swamp

Answer 29

Mangrove trees, which can tolerate salty water.

Question 30

littoral zone

Answer 30

close to the shore | shallow, abundant sunlight

Question 31

pelagic (limnetic) photic zone

Answer 31

open to light, the highest lake productivity | away from shore

Question 32

profundal zone

Answer 32

a deeper zone below the range of light penetration

Question 33

benthic zone

Answer 33

at the bottom of the lake, transition between water body and sediment

Question 34

Which zone in the pond would you expect to see the greatest amount of biodiversity?

Answer 34

limnetic

Question 35

Which zone in the pond would you expect to see a food web based around decomposition instead of photosynthesis?

Answer 35

benthic

Question 36

Abiotic factors of aquatic ecosysytems

Answer 36

Salinity- the dissolved salt in the water. Water temperature Amount of sunlight oxygen gas Nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates turbidity

Question 37

plankton

Answer 37

Free floating or weekly swimming

Question 38

decomposer

Answer 38

Breakdown dead organisms and wastes into nutrients that can be re-used.(bacteria)

Question 39

lentic

Answer 39

They contain standing water

Question 40

lotic

Answer 40

The water is constantly moving

Question 41

freshwater ecosystems

Answer 41

very low salinity

Question 42

oligotrophic

Answer 42

Lakes are very low in nutrients

Question 43

eutrophic

Answer 43

Lakes have much greater concentrations of nutrients

Question 44

Aphotic zone

Answer 44

little to no sunlight

Question 45

euphotic zone

Answer 45

Contains sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis

Question 46

What is the difference between streams and rivers?

Answer 46

Streams are narrow, whereas rivers are wide.

Question 47

Mouth/delta

Answer 47

Dissolved oxygen level: decrease Nutrient level: higher Relative temperature: warmer Salinity: brackish

Question 48

salt marsh

Answer 48

A coastal wetland regularly flooded by tides, and dominated by herbs, grasses and shrubs

Question 49

What causes water to rise and fall in the tidal zone?

Answer 49

The gravitational effects of both the moon and the sun

Question 50

What abiotic factor is primarily responsible for the formation of a rocky shore instead of a sandy shore?

Answer 50

Heavy wave activity

Question 51

Why would the open ocean be referred to as the marine desert?

Answer 51

Due to the relative lack of life found there.

Question 52

Hydrothermal vents

Answer 52

- Fissures in the ocean floor where heated water and minerals are released into the water. - Gases released by the vents are used by organisms able to conduct chemosynthesis.

Question 53

marine snow

Answer 53

Decomposers and scavengers eat the bits of matter that fall from above. Other organisms feed on the decomposers and scavengers.

Question 54

vernal pool

Answer 54

temporary pools of water that provide habitat for a variety of plants and animals Usually formed in local depressions with underlying hard pan layers Most common in the Mediterranean climate

Question 55

Water Temperature is mostly influenced by

Answer 55

sunlight

Question 56

Availability of Sunlight

Answer 56

Decreases with water depth.

Question 57

Phytoplankton

Answer 57

Plant-like and include algae.

Question 58

Zooplankton

Answer 58

Animal-like, including organisms like single-celled protozoa or jellyfish.

Question 59

What do all lakes and ponds have in common?

Answer 59

They contain standing water, some of which is too deep for emergent vegetation.

Question 60

What is the source of energy for food chains in the photic zone in the ocean?

Answer 60

sunlight

Question 61

What are the two things that lakes can be classified on?

Answer 61

Nutrient Levels | Biological Productivity

Question 62

How do rivers form?

Answer 62

Rivers form when streams combine with runoff water from the surrounding land.

Question 63

What occasionally happens in floodplains?

Answer 63

Will occasionally flood and deposit material from upstream.

Question 64

What is a freshwater wetland?

Answer 64

Have water that is regularly at or near the soil surface.

Question 65

marsh

Answer 65

Areas of low-lying wetland that do not support the growth of trees.

Question 66

dysphotic zone

Answer 66

Contains sunlight, but not enough for photosynthesis.