Ch.7 Key terms

Question 1

Wetland

Answer 1

A distinct ecosystem that is flooded by water, either permanently or seasonally, where oxygen-free processes prevail.

Question 2

Plankton

Answer 2

The diverse collection of organisms found in water that are unable to propel themselves against a current.

Question 3

Nekton

Answer 3

The actively swimming aquatic organisms in a body of water.

Question 4

Benthos

Answer 4

The community of organisms that live on, in, or near the seabed, river, lake, or stream bottom, also known as the benthic zone

Question 5

Littoral Zone

Answer 5

Part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore.

Question 6

Benthic Zone

Answer 6

The ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers.

Question 7

Eutrophication

Answer 7

Is when a body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients which induce excessive growth of algae.

Question 8

Estuary

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Salt marsh

Answer 9

is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides.

Question 10

Mangrove Swamp

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

They are the 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

Is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals.