Oxygen Flashcards
what are the different forms of oxygen
gaseous (O2), ozone O3, inorganic oxygen and organic oxygen
what are some oxygen reservoirs
rocks, atmoshpere and water
what are factors that effect oxygens dissolvability in water
As temperature increases,
oxygen solubility in water decreases
* As salinity increases
solubility decreases
* As atmospheric pressure
increases solubility increases
(more DO available at lower
altitudes
Importance of dissolved oxygen in cellular respiration
fish eggs are
non-mobile and require
sufficient DO to be around
them. Many fish species
construct redds (a fish nest)
or perform parental care to
ensure eggs have optimal
levels
Distribution of DO
in running water
Oxygen content is approximately, or
somewhat above, saturation
* Because of solubility relationship
with temperature, DO declines in
the summer
Drivers of DO
Increased leaf litter leads to increased dissolved organic
matter which reduces oxygen content
-Precipitation events that load water with organic sewage can increase microbial mediated consumption of oxygen
-Groundwater inputs are low in oxygen (if not anoxic) so
systems with lots of GW may have areas of low oxygen
-Photosynthetic activities of algae and macrophytes can
increase oxygen on a diurnal basis
Oxygen Supersaturation can
be caused by
Photosynthetic aquatic organisms
* Slow equilibrium with atmosphere following change in pressure
* Turbulent water and high hydrostatic pressure (normally a problem
around hydropower generating stations or waterfalls)
is diffusing gas into water a quick process?
No, water circulation can speed up the process though
Oligotrophic lakes
In Oligotrophic lakes oxygen increases to 100% as depth increases. low production so not much demand for oxygen
What can low dissolved oxygen cause
abrupt change can cause massive die offs. ice cover on lakes can cause winter kill The large piscivorous fish die first. Growth of animals may be stunted at suboptimal levels of DO
Adaptations to Low DO
To extract enough oxygen out of water aquatic animals have developed gills. They use energy to pump water over the large surface area of their gills.
Oxygen exchange is aided by a circulatory system – a fluid-filled system of tubes – in both plants and animals.
facultative anaerobe
one who can use
oxygen, but is capable of carrying out respiration under anaerobic
conditions when needed.
obligate anaerobe
can only live in
environments that lack oxygen. Oxygen would kill them
