Lecture 4: Aquatic ecosystems Flashcards
Abiotic factors that distinguish aquatic ecosystem
- Salinity
- Hardness
- Temperature
- Dissolved oxygen
- pH
- Nutrients
- Turbidity
is the amount of dissolved salt
- formed by weathering rocks
Salinity
higher salinity water is more _____
dense
The ____ saline the water is the ___ it is
-more
- denser
Hardness
measures the average kinetic energy of the water molecules
Temperature
the availability of sunlight _____ with water depth
- decreases
is the amount of oxygen gas per mL of water
dissolved oxygen
is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of water
pH
pH of rainwater
5.6 due to mixing with CO2p
pH of Acid water
<4.5 due to mixing with sulfur
pH of ocean water
8.1 due to carbonate (CO3)
are nitrates and phosphate that run off from land
nutrients
measures water cloudiness and also increase
turbidity
Biotic factors that distinguish aquatic ecosystems
- Plankton
- Nekton
- Bethos
- Decomposers
small, free floating or weakly swimming
Plankton
2 types of plankton
- Phytoplankton
- Zooplankton
plankton that are plant-like
phytoplankton
plankton that are animal-like
Zooplankton
large independent swimmers
- (eg. fishes)
Nekton
“bottom dwellers”
- may do not move or move very seldom
Benthos
break down dead organisms and waste, cycling nutrients back into the water
Decomposers
Types of Aquatic ecosystems
- Freshwater ecosystems
- Coastal ecosystems
- Ocean ecosystems
are areas NATURALLY filled with water
Lakes and Ponds
Parts of lakes and ponds
- Littoral zone
- Linnetic zone (Photic)
- Profundal Zone
nearest to the shore
- waters there are warm and shallow
Littoral zone
is an open water area too deep for emergent plants
Linnetic zone (Photic)
warm and sunlit, supports phytoplankton
Photic
is cold and aphotic
- Where bottom dwellers are
Profundal zone
low productive
- less than 1% of sunlight
aphotic
Types of lakes
a. Oligotrophic
b. Eutrophic`
Lakes that have LOW nutrients, limiting algae and phytoplankton growth
- Low turbidity
Oligoteophic
lakes that have high nutrients level, and excessive algae growth
- very high turbidity
Eutrophic
Difference of steams and rivers
- Streams are narrow channel
- Rivers are wider
Parts of rivers
- The headwaters or river source
- Transition zones
- Mouth
Has higher dissolved oxygen
- low nutrients
- cold water temperature
- low turbidity (oligotrophic)
- no salinity
The headwaters or river source
- widens and deepens
- becomes water
- decrease dissolved oxygen
- increase nutrient level
transition zones
within transition zones, are flood-plains that regularly flood
Floodplains
where the rivers enter the ocean
- low dissolved oxygen
- high nutrients
- warm water temperature
- High turbidity (eutrophic)
- moderate salinity
Mouth
are areas containing soils that are usually waterlogged (completely saturated in water)
Wetlands
Example of wetlands
- Marshes
- Swamps
- Bogs
are found in low-lying, treeless areas.
marshes
are low-lying wetlands dominated by trees
swamps
have floating mats of plant matter that living plants grow on
Bogs
Adaptations of Wetland Organisms
- Floating
- Carnivorous
- Emergent
fewer vascular tissues needed since water is abundant, making them lighter
(eg. water lily)
Floating
Capture and digest insects to increase nitrogen and phosphorus absorption
carnivorous
many empty spaces in tissues to allow oxygen to flow through the plant and into submerged roots
Emergent
(6) Coastal ecosystems / Salt water wetlands
- Tidal effects
- Coastal lagoons
- estuary
- deltas
- Salt marshes
- Mangrove forests
are saltwater wetlands areas that are continually covered and uncovered by the tides
Tidal effects
are saltwater wetlands that are seperated from the ocean by sandbanks or coral reefs
Coastal Lagoons
are partially enclosed bodies of water where river water mixes with seawater, forming brackish water
Estuary
are landforms at river mouth formed by deposited sediment
Deltas
as rivers reach the ____, their current ____
-ocean
-slows
The sedimen is ____ at the ____ ocean shore
-sediment
-shallow
are tidal flats dominated by herbs and grasses
Salt marshes
have trees with roots that can filter salts
Mangrove forests
includes
ocean ecosystems
parts of oceans
- intertidal zone
- the coastal zone
- open ocean zones
- The photic zone
- the abbysal plain
alternates from submerged during high tide to dry during low tide.
Intertidal zones
the result of the gravitational pull of the sun and moon.
Tides
the sun and moon’s gravity align, creating the greatest tidal range.
During spring tides
the sun and moon’s gravity are perpendicular, resulting in the smallest tidal range.
During Neap tides
substrate is hard and stable, erosion is slow
Rocky shores
substrate is shifting and unstable
Sandy shores
Common types of sands
- Black (Volcanic rock)
- Brown (Quartz)
- White (coral)
is a shallow sea ecosystem immedietly above continental shelf
The coastal zone
is the ecosystem built on exoskeleton
The coral reef
Coral is a _______ relationship between ____ organisms
- symbiotic relationship
- two
two organisms in symbiotic relationship in coral
- Polyps- which build the calcium carbonate exoskleton
- Algae- , which photosynthesize most of the coral’s food.
is an important sink in the carbon cycle and helps to maintain ocean pH
Calcium carbonate
- includes all areas beyond the
continental shelf. - Low nutrient availability limits plankton.
- “Marine Desert”
Open Ocean zones
includes all areas beyond the continental shelf
- low nutrient- availability limits plankton
The open ocean
contains sunlight; enough perform to perform photosynthesis
The Photic zone
Many apotic zones species are ______ can produce and emit light
bioluminescent
receives no light; and all food webs are based around scavenging and decomposition
The Abyssal Plain
which is receive by the abyssal plain
marine snow
are fissures in the abyssal plain where heated water and minerals are released
Hydrothermal vents
Organisms that can generate food from these chemicals (from hydrothermal vents) perform
chemosynthesis
