Ch. 7 Key Terms

Question 1

Wetland

Answer 1

areas where land is periodically under water

Question 2

Plankton

Answer 2

are organisms that cannot swim against currents, so they are drifters

Question 3

Nekton

Answer 3

are free-swimming organisms, such as fish and whales.

Question 4

Benthos

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Littoral Zone

Answer 5

near the shore, aquatic life is diverse and abundant.

Question 6

Benthic Zone

Answer 6

Eventually, dead and decaying organisms reach the benthic zone, the bottom of a pond or lake, which is inhabited by decomposers, insect larvae, and clams.

Question 7

Eutrophication

Answer 7

is an increase in the amount of nutrients.

Question 8

Estuary

Answer 8

is 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

Dense growths of mangrove trees in swampy areas called mangrove swamps are found in tropical and subtropical zones.

Question 11

Barrier Island

Answer 11

often run parallel to sandy shores

Question 12

Coral Reef

Answer 12

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