Chapter 7

Question 1

coral reefs

Answer 1

Formation produced by massive clones containing billions of tiny coral animals, that secret a stony substance (calcium carbonate) around themselves for protection. When the corals die, they empty outer skeletons form layers and cause the reef to grow. They are found in the coastal zones of warm tropical and subtropical oceans.

Question 2

polyps

Answer 2

billions of tiny coral animals.

Question 3

salinity

Answer 3

the amounts of various salts such as sodium chloride (NaCI) dissolved in a given volume of water.

Question 4

phytoplankton

Answer 4

Small drifting plants, mostly algae and bacteria

Question 5

zooplankton

Answer 5

Animal plankton. Small floating herbivores that feec on plant plankton (phytoplankton)

Question 6

ultraplankton

Answer 6

Photosynthetic bacteria no more than 2 micrometers wide.

Question 7

nekton

Answer 7

Strongly swimming organisms found in aquatic systems.

Question 8

benthos

Answer 8

Bottom-dwelling organisms.

Question 9

euphotic zone

Answer 9

Upper layer of a body of water through which sunlight can penetrate and support photosynthesis.

Question 10

coastal zone

Answer 10

Warm, nutrient rich, shallow part of the ocean that extends from the high tide mark on land to the edge of a shelflike extension of continental land species to undergo various adaptations.

Question 11

continental shelf

Answer 11

the submerged part of the continents

Question 12

estuary

Answer 12

a partially enclosed area of coastal water where seawater mixes with freshwater and nutrients from rivers, streams, and runoff form land.

Question 13

coastal wetlands

Answer 13

land areas covered with water all or part of the year.

Question 14

mangrove forest

Answer 14

swamps found on the coastlines in warm tropical climates. are dominated by mangrove tress, and of about 55 species of trees and shrubs that can partly submerged in the salty environments of coastal swamps.

Question 15

intertidal zone

Answer 15

The area of shoreline between low and high tides.

Question 16

seasonal wetlands

Answer 16

usually are underwater or soggy for only a short period of time each year.

Question 17

swamps

Answer 17

dominated by trees and shrubs

Question 18

inland wetlands

Answer 18

lands covered with fresh water all or part of the time (excluding lakes, reservoirs, and streams) and located away from coastal areas.

Question 19

marshes

Answer 19

dominated bu grasses and reeds with a few trees.

Question 20

runoff

Answer 20

freshwater from precipitation and melting ice that flows onto the earth’s surface into nearby streams, lakes, wetland, and reservoirs.

Question 21

floodplain zone

Answer 21

streams join into wider and deeper rivers that meander across broad, flat valleys.

Question 22

watershed (drainage basin)

Answer 22

the land area that delivers runoff, sediment, and dissolved substances to a stream.

Question 23

olitotrophic lakes

Answer 23

a newly formed lake generally has a small supply of plant nutrients. (poorly nourished)

Question 24

eutrophic lakes

Answer 24

a lake with a large or excessive supply of nutrients (mostly nitrates and phosphates) needed by producers. (well-nourished)

Question 25

surface water

Answer 25

precipitation that does not sink into the ground or evaporate.

Question 26

limnetic zone

Answer 26

2nd lake layer, the open sunlit water surface layer away from the shore that extends to the depth penetrated by sunlight.

Question 27

profundal zone

Answer 27

3rd lake layer, open water where it is too dark for photosynthesis.

Question 28

benthic zone

Answer 28

4th lake layer, mostly decomposers and detritus feeders and fish that swim from one zone to the other inhabit it.

Question 29

freshwater life zones

Answer 29

occur where water with a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1% by volume accumulates on or flows through the surfaces of terrestrial biomes.

Question 30

lakes

Answer 30

are large natural bodies of standing fresh water formed when precipitation, runoff, or groundwater seepage fill depressions in the earth’s surface.

Question 31

littoral zone

Answer 31

The top lake layer, consists of the shallow sunlight waters near the shore to the depth at which rooted plants stop growing, and it has a high biological diversity.

Question 32

euphotic zone

Answer 32

is the lighted upper zone where floating drifting phytoplankton carry out photosynthesis.

Question 33

bathyal zone

Answer 33

is the dimly lit middle zone that does not contain photosynthesizing producers because of lack of sunlight.

Question 34

abyssal zone

Answer 34

is dark, and very cold and has little dissolved oxygen.

Question 35

barrier islands

Answer 35

low, narrow, sandy islands that form offshore from a coastline.

Question 36

open sea

Answer 36

the sharp increase in water depth at the edge of the continental shelf separates the coastal zone from the vast volume of the ocean.