Marine Environments Flashcards
Marine Environments
Intertidal zone Estuaries Salt marshes Open ocean Deep-sea Coral reefs Seagrass beds Mangroves
Intertidal zone
Very diverse, one of the most diverse environments
Hazards to the intertidal zone
Pollution, human impacts, sea level constantly changing due to tides
Types of estuaries
Drowned river mouth
Fjords
Bar-built
Tectonic
Drowned river mouth
Exactly what it sounds like. A river that is now covered by the sea level
Fjords
Deep and narrow created by glaciers
Bar-built
Formed by the accumulation of sediments deposited from land
Tectonic
Caused by the shifting of tectonic plates
Slat marshes
Temperate latitudes, gently sloping shores, very productive ecosystem
Open ocean
Average salinity 35 ppt., covers around 70% of the planet, distribution os organisms based on temp, light, and primary productivity
Deep-sea
Earths most uniform community, no light, very little change in water temp, low metabolic rates
Hydrothermal vents
bacteria oxidize H2S into SO42- using electrons from H2S to reduce CO2 forming carbohydrates. this is called Chemosynthesis
Biome
A geographic region that contains communities composed of organisms with similar adaptations
Mangroves
Line about 75% of all tropical coasts, Intertidal zones, one of the only terrestrial plant able to survive in marine environments
Mangrove Salinity adaptation
Mangroves have cells in their leaves that allow them to excrete salt back into the environment. They are also able to use individual leaves as trash cans moving all waste to that level until it dies
Mangrove reproduction
They reproduce by dropping their seeds into the water to be carried by the current until they can settle in a clam area and develop
Mangrove adaptation to unstable sediment
Mangroves are able to live in sediment with very low nutrients as well as very low stability. their roots allow the trees to keep the sediment from being taken by the waves
Seagrass beds
form large dense meadows, highly diverse ecosystems, these grasses are found mostly in the tropics however some van live in colder waters
Coral reef builders
Decomposed shells, algae, and bryozoans
Importance of coral reefs
Provide food for over 1 billion people, extremely high biodiversity and productivity, coastal protection from storms
Factors influencing coral reef distribution
Light intensity Salinity Sedimentation Emersion Temperature
Types of coral reefs
Fringing reefs:
Submerges edges of islands or coasts, main coral growth is a short distance from land
Barrier reef:
Fringing reef attached to a sinking island, separated from the land by a large distance
Atoll:
Island fully submerged leaving behind a halo of coral, no growth in the middle
Patch reefs:
Isolated reefs in a lagoon system often within a fringing reef or barrier reef system, often called coral bommies
Habitat connectivity
The three coastal environments (coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves) are all highly connected. They are known as the mangrove-seagrass-reef continuum. reefs protect the grass and mangroves from larger weaves while the grass and trees protect the reef from sediment from the land. There is also a large migration of fishes between the three environments during their lifespans.
Threats to coral reefs
Pollution Distructive fishing Coral minning Tourism Invasive species Overfishing
