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Ecology > Chapter 3: The Aquatic Environment > Flashcards

Chapter 3: The Aquatic Environment Flashcards

1
Q

Water covers about __% of the planet’s surface.

A

75%

L> making it the dominant environment

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2
Q

The aquatic environment is a major/minor component of all living organisms.

A
  • major
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3
Q

Water has unique?

A
  • physical and chemical characteristics
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4
Q

Water follows a cycle from ?

A
  • precipitation(clouds send water back down) to interception(water from precipitation hits plants etc), infiltration(water is absorbed by the soil and it meet s up with ground water which leads it back to a body of water to go through the cycle again) or surface flow and evaporation (from bodies of water, soil and plants back up to clouds)
  • *industrial use also gives a form of precipitation?
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5
Q

What is the major driving force of the water cycle?

A

solar energy

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6
Q

Infiltration?

A
  • water that infiltrates the land fills pore spaces in soil until soil becomes saturated
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7
Q

Groundwater?

A
  • some water from infiltration seeds down to an impervious layer of clay or rock to collect as groundwater and may not see sunlight for many years…feeds it back to another body of water eventually.
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8
Q

Water returns to the atmosphere how?

A
  • evaporation
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9
Q

Transpiration?

A
  • the process through which water that plants accumulate from the soil is lost through their leaves
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10
Q

Evapotranspiration?

A
  • total amount of water evaporated from the ground and the vegetation
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11
Q

About __% of water molecules in rainfall return to the atmosphere in a ?

A
  • 60%

- day or two

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12
Q

Once 60% of water molecules in rainfall return to the atmosphere in a day or two….they spend an average of how many days in the sky before falling as rain again?

A

9 days

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13
Q

In contrast to rainfall water on land how long is rainfall on an ocean retained before it evaporates?

A
  • 3000 years(residence time)
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14
Q

Because of the difference in residence time, amount of water in atmosphere versus ocean does/doesn’t tell you the importance of each reservoir?

A

doesn’t

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15
Q

Water is very different from most liquids. How so?

A
  • can’t use its properties to make predictions about other liquids.
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16
Q

If water behaved like compounds most chemically similar to it, water would boil at ?? and be gas at ??

A
  • 135F

- room temp

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17
Q

Why is water so odd?

A
  • polarity and hydrogen bonding
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18
Q

What are the six properties of water?

A
  1. high specific heat
  2. density-temperature relationship
  3. cohesion
  4. surface tension
  5. viscosity
  6. buoyancy
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19
Q

Properties of Water:

1. High specific heat. Explain.

A
  • can store a lot of heat with little increase in temperature, reduces drastic temperature changes in aquatic environments
    AKA it takes large amount of energy to convert water into another form like ice or gas..
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20
Q

Properties of Water:

2. Density-temperature relationship. Explain.

A
  • most liquids become denser as they cool. Water is densest at 4C. As a result, ice floats
  • *As water is cooled down, however, the molecules have less energy and hydrogen bonding takes over. The molecules form a ordered crystal through hydrogen bonding that spaces the molecules farther apart than when they were in a liquid. This makes ice less dense than water allowing it to float.
  • after 4C it drops in density and becomes lighter again
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21
Q

Properties of Water:

3. Cohesion ?

A
  • water molecules tend to stick firmly to one another due to hydrogen bonding resulting in properties 4, 5 and 6
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22
Q

Properties of Water:

4. Surface tension?

A
  • water molecules are less attracted to air than to water molecules. Surface tension allows the furnace of the water to support small objects and insects
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23
Q

Properties of Water:

5. Viscosity?

A
  • force necessary to separate molecules of a liquid. Provides frictional resistance to objects moving through water, 100x>than air, due tog rester density of water.
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24
Q

Properties of Water:

6. Buoyancy?

A
  • greater density of water does provide a benefit : buoyancy. Aquatic organisms need less structural support BUT also results in greater change in pressure with water depth than experienced with elevation in air.
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25
Q

What wavelengths are visible and useful for photosynthesis ?

L> PAR??

A
  • wavelengths between 400 and 700nm in visible light for solar radiation….. referred to as the photosynthetically active radiation or (PAR)
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26
Q

Light is modified by the?How?

A

earths atmosphere

L> certain wavelengths are absorbed or scattered on the way down by the ozone layer, clouds and dust

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27
Q

Light that enters the water’s surface is reduced with?

A

depth
L> suspended particles absorb or scatter light: turbidity, suspended solids and density of phytoplankton can later light in aquatic systems

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28
Q

Water itself absorbs ?

A

light..particularly visible red light and infrared radiation

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29
Q

Order from least to most for the depth different types of light penetrate water.

A
  • red
  • orange
  • yellow
  • green
  • purple
  • blue
30
Q

Often water temp changes as ?

A
  • depth increases due to decrease in solar radiation aka it gets colder
31
Q

Thermocline?

A
  • region of most rapid temperature decline

- depth of thermocline depends on temperature of surface water and input of solar radiation

32
Q

Density of fresh water increases as it is cooled until 4C. In a lake or pond the Thermocline is the transition zone between?

A
  • Epilimnion (layer of warmer less dense water –>closer to surface) and the hypolimnion (cold-high density water )
33
Q

Layers of water in order from surface down?

A
  • epilimnion (warm, low density…surface waters)
  • thermocline
  • hypolimnion (cold, high density..deep waters)
34
Q

In the fall, air temperatures and light do what?

A
  • decrease and the surface layer cools and increases in density
35
Q

In the fall, air temperatures and light decrease and the surface layer cools and increases in density.
L>What is Fall Turnover?

A

-a small influx of energy, wind, can cause the water to mix vertically (top to bottom)

36
Q

What is Spring turnover?

A
  • mixing phenomenon occuring in the spring as surface water warms to 4C and has comparable density to the water below
37
Q
  • Fall and spring turnover are important for?
A

nutrient dynamics

38
Q

Talk about a body of water in terms of seasonal changes.

A
  1. Fall… air temp cools…surface water cools, displaces less dense water (water column unstable)
  2. Winter: storms drive surface water deeper… (Isopycnal
  3. Soring: air temp warms…surface water warms …thermocline in the middle…..colder, denser water near bottom….water column stabilizes
    - Summer : warm surface water, thermocline, colder denser water…water column stable
39
Q

Temperatures in the ocean vary/do not vary considerably?

A
  • they do vary considerably depending on location (latitude) and depth.
40
Q

Most of the seasonal fluctuation in temperature of the water occurs only in what portion of the water?

A
  • shallow water (no difference in deep >500-1000m) and usually in more temperate latitudes
41
Q

Density of sweater is to only affected by temperature but also?

A
  • salinity, reducing temperature and adding salt both increase density
42
Q

Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid. True or false?

A

TRUE

43
Q

Water can ____ and ____ molecules of nutrients and waste products.

A
  • dissolve and transport
44
Q

Due to hydrogen bonding water molecules attract what molecules?

A

molecules carrying a charge

45
Q

Due to hydrogen bonding water molecules attract molecules carrying a charge such as?

A
  • IONS
    L> compounds that consist of electrically charged atoms, e.g. Na+ and Cl- ions in salt dissolve in water because of attraction between these ions and water molecules.
46
Q

Water that condenses to form clouds is almost?

A

pure

47
Q

Water that condenses to form clouds is almost pure.

L> Once it falls to the surface as precipitation, it?

A

acquires substances e.g. from soil

48
Q

Which have a higher concentration of solutes - oceans or freshwater?

A

Oceans

49
Q

Sea salt composition?

A

86% sodium chloride, plus sulfur, magnesium, potassium and calcium

50
Q

PSU?

A
  • practical salinity units (PSU)

ex: g of chlorine per kg water (open ocean approx 35PSU)

51
Q

Gases are exchanged between the surface of the ___ and the ___ by diffusion.

A

water

-atmosphere

52
Q

Diffusion??

A
  • net passive movement of particles from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration
53
Q

Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse from?

A

the atmosphere into surface waters where they are at lower concentrations

54
Q

Even at saturation levels, oxygen supply in aquatic environments is low/high?

A
  • low

- max 1% in freshwater at 0C … can limit respiration and metabolic activity

55
Q

Can oxygen become stratified?

A

YEP

  • in summer, in ponds and lakes …stratified like temperature
  • in summer, in lakes and ponds stratified like temp
56
Q

In ocean, oxygen minimum zone between ___–___m.

A

500-1000 m year round

57
Q

Carbon dioxide is abundant in ?

A

fresh and saltwater

58
Q

CO2 reacts with water to produce?

A
  • carbonic acid…which dissociates into a hydrogen and a bicarbonate ion. Resulting in free hydrogen ions in solution
59
Q

Acidity:

- Carbon dioxide-carbonic acid bicarbonate

A

system tends to stay in equilibrium (shifts from one direction to the other ) and as buffer to keep pH of water within a narrow range.

60
Q

How is pH measured?

A

the measure of the amount of hydrogen ions in solution

61
Q

Ocean water is alkaline due to?

A
  • base
  • sodium potassium
  • calcium ions
62
Q

Freshwater varies greatly in?

A

acidity

63
Q

Most organisms in freshwater cannot survive and reproduce at

A

<4.5pH

64
Q

Low pH is particularly difficult due to ?

A
  • metal toxicity

- aluminium becomes soluble at low pH and is highly toxic to many organsims

65
Q

Water movement:

Character of a stream changes with current?

A

velocity

66
Q

Water movement:

Relationship between __ and __?

A
  • energy level

- sediment size

67
Q

Water movement:

- wind generates _?

A
  • waves on large lakes and the ocean.

ocean and lakes

68
Q

Water movement:
- Wind energy can cause near shore water to move away from the land, be replaced by deeper, cooler, nutrient rich water aka?

A
  • upwelling
69
Q

The ___ and ___ are major forces in tides

A
  • sun
  • moon
  • *the moon’s gravity and earth.moon orbital motions produce tidal high water bulges and a belt of low water encircling the earth
  • rotation of the earth carries each point through the low water belt and the two tidal bulges each day.
70
Q

Spring vs neap tide?

A
  • Spring tide = when gravitational pull of moon plus sun…making tidal bulges around the earth make it look like an egg. (occurs at new moon ( moon is above the earth with the sun behind it )and full moon( moon is below the earth and the sun is on the opposite side) )
    -neap tide: occurs when the gravitational pull of the sun and the gravitational pull of the moon are acting perpendicular of one another on the earth
    ie: O (sun)
    ^
    o(moon) <—–0(earth)
    ** this happens twice a month…at first quarter (moon is on the left) moon and third quarter (moon is on the right) moon
71
Q

Estuaires??

A
  • where fresh water mixes with saltwater
  • tend to be very productive but harsh environment (changes in temp and salinity daily/ seasonally)
  • low diversity here because of harsh conditions
  • generally high salinity at the shower line and lowest at the river mouth

Ecology (24 decks)

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