Ch.7 environmental science

Question 1

wetland

Answer 1

an area of land that is periodically underwater or whose soil contains a great idea of moisture.

Question 2

plankton

Answer 2

aquatic organisms that float near the surface of the water.

Question 3

nekton

Answer 3

aquatic organisms that are free-swimming.

Question 4

benthos

Answer 4

aquatic organisms that dwell at the bottom of the water.

Question 5

littoral

Answer 5

the nutrient-rich zone near the shore, aquatic life is diverse and abundant.

Question 6

benthic zone

Answer 6

bottom of a lake inhabited by decomposers, insect large and small

Question 7

eutrophication

Answer 7

increase in the number of nutrients in an aquatic ecosystem.

Question 8

estuary

Answer 8

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

Question 9

salt marshes

Answer 9

An important type of wetland full of river deposits that support low-lying plants such as salt-tolerant grasses

Question 10

mangrove swamps

Answer 10

a tree or shrub that grows in chiefly tropical coastal swamps that are flooded at high tide. Mangroves typically have numerous tangled roots above ground and form dense thickets.

Question 11

barrier island

Answer 11

A long narrow sandy island (wider than a reef) running parallel to the sandy shore.

Question 12

coral reefs

Answer 12

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