Freshwater Ecology Flashcards
Lentic System
An aquatic ecosystem that includes different forms of standing water.
Examples: Lake, pond, bog, marsh, swamp, oxbow reservior, and playa lake.
Lotic system
An aquatic system that includes different forms of running water.
Examples include rivers, streams and creeks
Lake
A large body of water where light penetration can be anywhere from several inches to many feet.
Characteristics:
- Large and deep
- Water temperature causes layering during summer months
Texas;
- Texas only has ONE natural lake Caddo Lake
- The rest of the major lakes are reservoirs
Pond
A smaller, shallower body of water where light penetrates all the way to the bottom.
Characteristics:
- Light penetrates to the bottom
- Shallower and smaller
- Tends to have uniform temperatures
Bog
Picture: Texas
A bog occurs when peat is formed in poorly drained areas. Small plants and moss characterize this habitat.
Marsh
A lentic system characterized by grasses and sedges.
Swamp
A lentic system that is characterized by trees such as cypress.
Example: Caddo Lake
Oxbow Lake
These snake-like loops are cut off from the rest of the river and forms a long, narrow, crescent or U shaped lake.
Reservoir
A man-made lake used to store water. Most lakes in Texas are reservors. A reservoir is an artifical lake formed by the construction of a dam.
Caddo Lake is Texas’s only natural lake.
Playa Lake
A desert lake that is periodically filled with water. Animals that live in the playa lake have adapted to the intermitent rain. Once the lake fills with water they must hatch, grow, mate and breed before the water evaporates.
Littoral Zone
The littoral zone is the vegetation area closest to the shore
Lemnitic Zone
The open water area of a lake or pond.
Profundal Zone
The profundal zone is the bottom area of lake. A place where light does not penetrate.
Succession
Succession is the natural aging of lakes and ponds. Overtime, sediment washes into a lake and starts to fill it up. As the lake becomes shallower, more plants grow around the edges of the lake. Given enough time the lake can fill in.
Bogs, swamps and marshes can be considered the final stages of succession(climax communities) OR it can fill up completly and bcome a meadow.
Substrate
Rocks, logs, sediment are objects that other organims can attach themselves to, or sit upon
Sediment
Sediment is classified by the size of the particles. (smallest to largest)
Examples: Silt, clay, pebbles, gravel, cobbles, bolders
Emergent Plants
Plants that are rooted witht he lower portion submerged and growing near the shore:
Example: Bulrush
Free-floating plants
These plants float on the surface of the water and have “water” roots. The roots hang in the water and are not in the sediment.
Floating Plant
Floating plants have leaves and flowers on the surface and their roots are in the sediment.
Example: Water Lily
Submerged Plants
Submerged plants are rooted plants with nearly all leaves below the surface.
Example: Coontail
What is the euphotic zone?
The upper layer of the lake where light penetrates
What is productivity?
Productivity is related to the amount of plants, animals and nutrients in the water
Limiting factor: plant nutrients (nitrgen and phosphorus in a lake are important in limiting growth of planktonic algae and other vegetation
Three major categories of lakes based on productivity:
- Oligotrophic
- Mesotrophic
- Eutrophic
What are the characteristics of an “oligotrophic” lake?
An oligotrophic lake is a body of water:
- low in mineral nutrients
- low plant and plankton populations
- little organic material in the sediments
- low chlorphyll a levels ( means low plants)
HINT: The “O” in oligotrophic reminds you this is LOW in nutrients.
What is a mesotrophic lake?
A mesotrophic lake is a body of water with MODERATE amounts of nutrients.
It is a transition stage from Oligotrophic to Eutrophic
HINT: The “M” for mesotrophic stands for MODERATE
What is a eutrophic lake?
A eutrophic lake, pond, river or stream is one that is highly productive. That means it has a lot of plants animals and nutrients.
Characteristics:
- High levels of plants
- Water color - green and turbid
- High levels of chlorphyll a
What is a thermocline?
A thermocline is an area where there is a rapid decrease in temperature- approximately on 1 degree Celcius per each meter of depth
It is found in the metalimnion area
For test purposes we will describe it as the “interface between warm and cold water”
Reminder:
- Warm water is much lighter than cold water .
- Cold water tends to sink to the bottom of the lake
- This causes layering of different water temperatures
What is hypolimnion?
Hypolimnion is the dark, cold, oxygen-poor layer of a lake or reservoir that extends from the thermocline to the bottom of the lake.
What is a fall overturn?
Fall overturn: When air temperatures start to cool in the fall, the water temperature also starts to fall. The water temperature on the surface cools to the point that it is closer to the lower lake temperatures. This means that the water is becoming more dense. Winds cause the mixing of the surface and bottom layers of the water.
Surface layers sink to the bottom and bottom layer move to the surface. As water sinks from the surface it brings oxygen to the bottom layers. As water moves from the bottom up it brings nutrients to the upper layers.
What is monomictic?
One lake overturn (mono means 1)
Texas has 1 overturn
What is dimictic?
Dimictic means 2 overturns (di - means 2)
What is a producer?
Producers make their own food. They are called plants or autotrophs.
What is a primary consumer?
A primary consumer eats plants.
What is a secondary consumer?
A secondary consumer uses other organisms.
What is a lotic system?
A lotic system is running water. It includes rivers, streams and creeks.
What is the erosional zone?
The erosional zone is found on the OUTER edge of a river. Water moves faster in the erosional zone. This is the area where sediment is eroded from the bank.
What is the depositional zone?
The depositional zone if found on the INNER banck of a river. The water moves slower here and sediment falls out of the water. This sediment is deposited on the river bed and sand bars are formed.
What is a riffle?
A riffle is a shallow portion of a river or stream extending across the stream bed. It is characterized by relatively fast moving turbulent water.
As water moves over rocks on the stream bed, it causes more water to come in contact with the atmosphere. Water in a riffle is highly oxygenated.
What is a bar?
A sand bar forms when water slows dow and drops its sediment load. This is found in the depositional zone.
What is a pool?
A pool is an area of stream or river that is relatively deep and wide with slow moving water. This calm area within a stream is characterized by fine sediment on the bottom.
One lake overturn is?
monomictic
An area of fast running water that is highly oxygenated
Riffle
A lake that is low in plants, animals and nutrients.
Eutrophic, Mesotrophic or Oligotrophic?
Oligotrophic
Two lake overturns?
Dimictic
An area of the water where light penetrates
Euphotic
Water striders or other organisms that skate across the surface of the water,
Neuston
Help: It is a nuisance on the surface
Organims that can swim against the current
Nekton
Hint: Fish
Organisms that attach themselves to a substrate
Periphyton
Help: Fights to hang on
A large body of water where light does not usually penetrate to the bottom
Lake
Running water
Lotic system
Standing water
Lentic
Shallow vegetative area of a lake where light penetrates to the bottom
Littoral Zone
Help: It has more T’s so it is closer to the trees
Open area of the lake
Lemnetic Zone
Deep, dark bottom area of the lake with low oxygen content
Profundal Zone
A small body of water where light pentrates to the bottom.
Pond
A shallow body of water characterized by trees such cypress
Swamp
A shallow area of water characterized by grasses and sedges
Marsh
A desert lake
Playa Lake
A area of soggy ground characterized by small plants such moss and sphagnum.
Bog
A crecent or U shaped lake
Oxbow
A word that describes body of water with lots of plants animals and nutrients.
Productivity
How many lake overturns does Texas lakes have?
one
Moderately productive lake, transition stage
Eutrophic, Oligotrophic and Mesotrophic
Mesotrophic
Highly productive lake, PAN, often green water
Eutrophic
Term used to describe the layering of water in a lake accourding to temperature
Stratification
Interface between warm and cold water
Thermocline
Plants, Algae and Phytoplankton
Producers/ Autotrophs
Plant Eater
Herbivore
Outer bank of a river
Erosional zone
Inner Bank of a river (sand bar formation)
Depositional zone
Desert river bed, water only during rains
Arroya
This person studies the behavior of amphibians.
Wildlife Biologist
This person studies aquatin insects.
Entomologist
The person is responsible for making sure our waste water is clean BEFORE it goes back into the environment.
Waste Water Manager
What happens if you do not have good science teachers?
YOU ARE DOOMED!
What are the 3 functions of a watershed?
Capture, storage, release
Where is 90% of our freshwater found?
Antarctica
What is nonpoint pollution/
Pollution where you can NOT determine the point of origin.
What is point pollution?
It is pollution where the point of origin can be determined.
What is an estuary?
A area where fresh and salt water mix.
What is hydrology?
The study of water.
What is the name of your watershed
Elm Fork of the Trinity River
What is your watershed address?
12030103
What is aquaculture?
Raising of aquatic animals for food
Example: catfish, shrimp, oysters
What is a herbarium?
A plant library
What term descibes gravel, silt and clay?
sediment
What instrument is used to measure turbidity
Secchi disk
What is the limiting factor for aquatic plants?
Light
The evaporation of water from plants is called?
Transpiration
A manmade lake is called a:
Reservoir
PAN stand for:
Plants, animals, and nutrients
Another name for rain is?
Precipitation
Abiotic means?
Non-living parts of an ecosystem
Example: air, water soil
Biotic means?
Living parts of an ecosystem?
Example: plants, animals and other living organims
what is a population?
A group of animals of the same species
Different groups of animals within an ecosysstem?
Community
The living and nonliving parts of a ntural system.
Ecosystem
Name two producers found in a lotic system
Algae and plants
What type of sediment would you find if a fast running stream?
Gravel or pebbles, more kenetic energy the larger the particles
What type of sediment would you find it a pool or area with slow moving water?
Silt, clay or sand
Less kenetic energy, smaller particles
Eats both plants and animals
Omnivore
Decomposer
Bacteria and fungi
Scavengers
Crayfish, vultures
How much energy is transfered from one trophic level to the next?
%10
What happens to the energy that is NOT transfered to the next level?
Waste or heat
Natural aging of a lake
Succession
Mature stage of a lake
Swamp, marsh or bog
Animal that lives in the sediment like a worm or clam
Infauna
Animal without a backbone
Invertebrate
What do we call algae floating in the water column?
Phytoplankton
What is the term used to describe the bottom?
Benthic/benthon/benthos
The area where a river or stream starts its journey to the sea
Headwater
A small stream that runs into a larger stream
Tributary
Which of the following is NOT floating plant?
Water Lily, Duckweed, Water Hyacinth, Coontail
Coontail
A 100 year flood occurs every 100 years.
True or False?
False
A 100 year flood occurs approximately every 100 years. It is a statistical evaluation of the data. You can have three 100 year floods three years in a row
What animals are most likely found in areas that are low in oxygen?
Worms, bacteria, clams
Which of the following is NOT a substrate?
Water, leaves, branches, rocks
Water
Plants that grow naturally in an area are called:
Native/indeginous
Plants that are brought in from a different area or country are called?
exotic/ invasive/ alien/nonindeginous
Place the followin examples in order from lowest density to high density.
Salt water, distilled water, freshwater
distilled water, freshwater, saltwater
What are examples of ABIOTIC FACTORS?
Rain
Sediment
Air
Water
Minerals
Gases
sunlight
What are examples of BIOTIC FACTORS?
Plants
Animals
bacteria
Oxygen is a waste product produced by?
Plants
During photosynthesis, where does C02 come from?
Animals exhale C02
As light decreases in a lake what happens to plants?
They decrease
As light increases in the littoral zone, what happens to plants?
Plants increase
What is the # 1 source of non-point pollution?
Sediment
