Ch. 7 Key Terms

Question 1

wetland

Answer 1

land consisting of marshes or swamps; saturated land.

Question 2

plankton

Answer 2

the small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh water, consisting chiefly of diatoms, protozoans, small crustaceans, and the eggs and larval stages of larger animals.

Question 3

nekton

Answer 3

aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents.

Question 4

benthos

Answer 4

the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water.

Question 5

littoral zone

Answer 5

The littoral zone is the area of the lake that is less than 15 feet deep and where sunlight can reach the bottom.

Question 6

benthic zone

Answer 6

The benthic zone is the lowest ecological zone in a water body, and usually involves the sediments at the seafloor.

Question 7

eutrophication

Answer 7

excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.

Question 8

estuary

Answer 8

the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.

Question 9

salt marsh

Answer 9

an area of coastal grassland that is regularly flooded by seawater.

Question 10

mangrove swamp

Answer 10

a tree or shrub that grows in chiefly tropical coastal swamps that are flooded at high tide.

Question 11

barrier island

Answer 11

Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast.

Question 12

coral reef

Answer 12

a ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral.