Chap 7 Vocab

Question 1

Wetland

Answer 1

They also include areas where land, known as a wetland, is periodically under water.Marine ecosystems include the diverse coastal areas of marshes, bays, and coral reefs as well as the deep, vast oceans.

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

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

Question 6

benthic zone

Answer 6

the bottom of a pond or lake, which is inhabited by decomposers, insect larvae, and clams

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

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

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 mangrove swamp is a distinct saline woodland or shrubland habitat formed by mangrove trees in brackish tidal water. They are characterized by depositional coastal environments, where fine sediments collect in areas protected from high-energy wave action

Question 11

barrier island

Answer 11

These islands help to protect the mainland and the coastal wetlands from storms and ocean waves and often provide habitat for wildlife.

Question 12

coral reef

Answer 12

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