Ch.7 Key Terms Flashcards
wetland
land consisting of marshes or swamps; saturated land.
plankton
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.
nekton
aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents.
benthos
the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water.
littoral zone
The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments, the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged.
benthic zone
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.
eutrophication
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.
estuary
the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.
salt marsh
known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, 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.
mangrove swamp
a distinct saline woodland or shrubland habitat formed by mangrove trees in brackish tidal water.
barrier island
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.
coral reef
an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate.
