Chapter 7 Vocabulary Flashcards
Coral Reefs
Formation produced by massive colonies containing billions of polyps
Polyps
Tiny animals that slowly build reefs by secreting a protective crust of limestone around their soft bodies
Salinity
the amount of various salts dissolved in a given volume of water
Phytoplankton
Small, drifting plants, mostly algae and bacteria, found in aquatic ecosystems
Ultraplankton
Photosynthetic bacteria no more than 2 micrometers wide
Nekton
Strongly swimming organisms found in aquatic systems
Benthos
Bottom-dwelling organisms
Euphotic Zone
Upper layer of a body of water through which sunlight can penetrate and support photosynthesis
Coastal Zone
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 masses known as the continental shelf
Continental Shelf
submerged part of the continents
Estuary
a partially enclosed area of coastal water where seawater mixes with freshwater and nutrients from rivers, streams, and runoff from land
Coastal Wetlands
Land areas covered with water all or part of the year
Mangrove Forest
forest with trees that can grow in salt water
Intertidal Zone
Area of shoreline between low and high tides
Barrier Islands
low, narrow, sandy islands that form offshore from a coastline
Open Sea
The part of the ocean that is beyond the continental shelf
Bathyal Zone
dimly lit middle zone that does not contain photosynthesizing producers because of a lack of sunlight
Abyssal Zone
Lowest zone, dark and very cold that has little dissolved oxygen
Freshwater Life Zones
Aquatic systems where water with a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1% by volume accumulates on or flows through the surface of terrestrial biomes. Ex.) lakes, ponds, streams, rivers
Lakes
Large natural body of standing freshwater formed when water from precipitation, land runoff, or groundwater flow fills a depression in the earth created by glaciation, earth movement, volcanic activity, or a giant meteorite
Littoral Zone
Top layer
Shallow sunlight waters near the shore to the depth at which rooted plants stop growing. High biological diversity and has adequate nutrients from bottom sediments
Limnetic Zone
The open, sunlit water surface layer away from the shore that extends to the depth penetrated by sunlight
Profundal Zone
The deep, ocean water where it is too dark for photosynthesis. Low oxygen levels
Benthic Zone
Bottom of the lake
Mostly decomposers and detritus feeders and fish that swim from one zone to the other inhabit it.
Olitotrophic Lakes
Lake with a low supply of plant nutrients
Eutrophic Lakes
Lake with a large or excessive supply of plant nutrients, mostly nitrates and phosphates.
Surface Water
Precipitation that does not infiltrate the ground or return to the atmosphere by evaporation or transpiration
Runoff
Freshwater from precipitation that and melting ice that flows on the earth’s surface into nearby water.
Watershed (drainage basin)
Land area that delivers water, sediment, and dissolved substances via small streams to a major stream (river)
Floodplain Zone
In this zone, Streams join into wider and deeper rivers that meander across broad, flat valleys. Water has high temperatures and less dissolved oxygen
Inland Wetlands
lands covered with freshwater all or part of the time (not lakes, reservoirs, and streams) and located away from coastal areas
Marshes
Dominated by grasses and reeds with a few trees
Swamps
Dominated by trees and shrubs
Seasonal Wetlands
land that is underwater or soggy only for a short period of time each year.
Are coral reefs plants or animals?
animals
What can live inside these reefs?
plants
What are the two kinds of reefs?
Hard and soft corals
What do hard corals do?
Build reefs
What are coral reefs made of what does this object look like?
They are made of tiny polyps
They look like upside-down jellyfish
What are Hard corals made of and what do polyps do?
Polyps build hard limestone cups around their bases
The cups cement together to make a coral colony
Reefs are made of hundreds of hard coral colonies next to and on top of each other
What is a Polyp?
What do tentacles release when something brushes by them?
Tentacles release stinging cells when something brushes by them
Polyps make their own limestone cup to hide in during the day
At night, polyps come out to catch plankton floating by
Where do zooxanthellae live?
What are they and what are their jobs?
Inside polyps
They are algae
Give coral their color
What process does algae use to make food?
Photosynthesis
What is symbiosis?
When two organisms are living together and help each other
What do zooxanthella do for polyps?
make oxygen, remove their waste, and make food for them by photosynthesis
What do coral polyps do for zooxanthella?
protect them, release CO2, and provide them with necessary nutrients from its waste
Are coral stable animals or do little things affect them? Provide reason.
little things affect them
Without proper light and temperature, they will die. It only tames 1-2 degrees in some cases and global warming effects coral.
