Ch. 7 Key Terms

Question 1

Wetland

Answer 1

Land thats underwater

Question 2

Plankton

Answer 2

organisms that cannot swim against currents, so they are drifters

Question 3

Nekton

Answer 3

free-swimming organisms, such as fish and whales

Question 4

Benthos

Answer 4

bottom-dwellers, such as mussels, worms, and barnacles

Question 5

littoral zone

Answer 5

A rich zone with lots of aquatic life and species

Question 6

benthic zone

Answer 6

the bottom of a pond or lake, which is inhabited by decomposers, insect larvae, and clams

Question 7

eutrophication

Answer 7

an increase in the amount of nutrients

Question 8

estuary

Answer 8

an area in which fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from the ocean

Question 9

salt marsh

Answer 9

In estuaries, where rivers deposit their load of mineral-rich mud

Question 10

mangrove swamp

Answer 10

found in tropical and subtropical zones. Mangrove swamps help to protect the coastline from erosion and reduce the damage from storms

Question 11

barrier island

Answer 11

run parallel to sandy shores. These islands help to protect the mainland and the coastal wetlands from storms and ocean waves and often provide habitat for wildlife

Question 12

coral reef

Answer 12

limestone ridges built by tiny coral animals called coral polyps and the algae that live inside them