Aquatic Environments Flashcards
Limnology
Study of lakes
Lotic
Flowing water (low flow)
Lentic
Nonflowing water
Allocathanous
Inputs to an aquatic ecosystem from outside sources (animals from different source)
Autocathanous
Inputs to an aquatic ecosystem from within (dead plants, algae, fish eggs)
DOM
Dissolved organic matter
CPOM
Course particulate organic matter
Factors causing lake zonation
- Light
- Oxygen
- Bioactivity
- Area
- Temperature
Euphotic or Photic
Light
True light
Aphotic
Light
Less than 1% light penetration
Oxic
Oxygen
High oxygen content (wind)
Anoxic
Oxygen
Low levels of oxygen (less than 0.1% mg/l)
Autotrophic
Bioactivity
PSN (Euphotic zone)
Heterotrophic
Bioactivity
Secondary consumers
Compensation depth
Bioactivity
Area in a lake of balance between autotrophs and heterotrophs
Littoral
Area
Nearshore
Pelagic
Area
Open water
Benthic
Area
Bottom
Epilimnion
Temperature
Warmer surface water (top)
Metalimnion
Temperature
Heat transferred to lower regions of lake
Thermocline
Temperature
Region of greatest heat transfer (1 degree c/m)
Hypolimnion
Temperature
Cold with very little heat from surface (bottom)
Most dense
3.98C
Littoral Zone
Combination Zonations
Nearshore Autotrophic Macrophytes Macro invertebrates Macrovertebrates Periphyton
