Lecture 5: Aquatic Flashcards
Which of the following is most likely to be true?
A. Water near the mouth of a river is always oligotrophic.
B. Water near the mouth of a river is always eutrophic.
C. Algal blooms are more common near the mouth of rivers.
D. Both A & C
E. BothB & C
A. Water near the mouth of a river is always oligotrophic.
B. Water near the mouth of a river is always eutrophic.
C. Algal blooms are more common near the mouth of rivers.
D. Both A & C
E. BothB & C
_____ of Earth’s surface is water.
70%
What are the studies of freshwater and marine habitats called?
- Freshwater: limnology
- Marine: oceanography
Lentic refers to _____.
Lotic refers to _____.
- Lentric= lakes/ponds (still water)
- Lotic = rivers (running water)
Define neuston.
Surface layer film of microbes that forms under still conditions
What are the three nutrient classifications in freshwater habitats?
oligotrophic (low nutrient load) –> mesotrophic –> eutrophic (high nutrient load)
Define biochemical oxygen demand.
The amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria and other microorganisms while they decompose organic matter under aerobic conditions at a specified temperature
What does lacustrine mean?
Associated with lakes
Why are allocthanous terrestrial animals common in riverine environements?
- Runoff
- Dissolved organic matter (DOM)
Describe the upper, middle, and lower portions of a river.
- Upper
- Fast flow, rocky bottom
- Oxygenated, cold water
- Shaded in forest (low 1º production) - Middle
- Warmer, slower water (higher 1º production) - Lower (estuary)
- Slow flow –> silt/mud deposition
- Influence of salt water
- High 1º production
Stratification of freshwater systems is driven mainly by:
A. Rainfall events
B. Decreasing temperature in the late fall and winter
C. Increasing temperature in the late spring and summer
D. Both A & C
E. All of the above
A. Rainfall events
B. Decreasing temperature in the late fall and winter
C. Increasing temperature in the late spring and summer
D. Both A & C
E. All of the above
What are estuaries?
Intersection between riverine and marine habitats
- Strong salinity gradient
- Highly variable
Why are estuaries highly variable (i.e. what influences them)?
- Marine influence from tides
- Riverine influence from storm run-off
Describe the different pelagic environments.
- Open ocean: very low nutrients
- Near shore: higher nutrients (from terrestrial and depth)
- Surface (epipelagic): high light, warm temps
- Deep (bathypelagic, hadal): cold and dark
What is marine snow?
Continuous shower of organic detritus greater than 0.5 mm in size