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Ecological Systems > Test 4 > Flashcards

Test 4 Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 8 key physical and chemical properties of fresh water systems?

A
  • Density, viscosity
  • Flow, velocity and depth
  • Light
  • Temperature
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • pH
  • Nutrients
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2
Q

how does density vary?

A

Through salinity and temperature

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3
Q

Viscosity (resistance of fluid to sheer stress) – what does roughness increase with?

A

Size and velocity

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4
Q

Does Flow/discharge increase or decrease down stream?

A

Increase due to direct runoff

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5
Q

What are lotic and lentic systems?

A

Rivers – flowing systems – lotic

Lakes – standing systems – lentic

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6
Q

What is water temp dependant on?

A 
o	Origin: ground water, surface runoff, glaciers
o	Tributary inputs
o	Air temperature
o	Season
o	Time of day 
o	Water depth and discharge
o	Substrate and amount of turbulence
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7
Q

why does water have less variable temp to air

A

has a lower specific heat capacity

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8
Q

2 types of ice on rivers

A

Frazil, mobile ice at start, Anchor, connected to banks and doesn’t move

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9
Q

Name two rivers with long term trends

A

Mississippi - mean water increase from 1.6 to 2.2 degrees due to industrial influence
Trent - decline in water temp due to shut down of coal mines along river

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10
Q

Species and temperature rate effects - use examples

A

Salmon and Mayfly - Speed of mayfly development depends on time of year as temp of water

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11
Q

What happens with an increase and decrease in dissolved oxygen

A

Increase - More oxygen = more plants in river
Cold water can hold more oxygen than warm
Decrease - Respiration, overall mainly decomposers organisms like algae

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12
Q

which altitude can water hold more oxygen

A

Lower altitudes

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13
Q

What is the pH of natural rainwater, lake or river

A
  1. 64

4. 5 - much less

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14
Q

7 essential plant growth nutrients

A 
Calcium
iron
manganese
Magnesium
Potassium
Silica
Sodium
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15
Q

What is nitrogen for streams and rivers

A

In flux with the atmosphere as well as cycling within the system

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16
Q

What globally is the limiting element + give more

A

Phosphorous

N:P >16:1 P is limiting

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17
Q

Pollution affects with N and P

A

Pollution just N not significant effect but with P can result in detrimental rapid plant growth

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18
Q

What is allochthonous carbon

A

Organic carbon originating outside stream - e.g. leaves and twigs

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19
Q

What is autochthonous carbon

A

Organic carbon originating from the stream e.g. diatoms growing on surface stones

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20
Q

What’s the difference between hemimetabolies and metamorphosis

A

hemimetabolies = Eggs -> insect nymph -> adult
Complete metamorphosis = Eggs -> insect larvae -> pupae -> adult
meta - very obvs differences

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21
Q

Name the 5 feeding groups

A

Shredders - utilize CPOM create FPOM
Collectors - gathers - collect organic matter from bed Collectors - filterers - filter FPOM from water column
Scrapers - scrape attached algae from stones
Predators - eat the other invertebrates

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22
Q

Give the 4 main stages of leaves that fall into rivers

A
  1. Leaching - 15-25% in first 24 hours
  2. conditioning - colonisation by fungi then bacteria 7% loss in ~30 days
  3. invertebrate shredding - 20% breakdown
  4. physical abrasion
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23
Q

what is RCC

A

River Continuum Concept

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24
Q

RCC - Headwaters - stream <6m width

A
  • Dominated by shredders
  • P/R < 1
  • Few scrappers due to low light
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25
RCC - Middle - Stream 6 - 75m width
- Scrappers large component as more light penetration - collectors also dominant shredders low number due to little leaf retention - P/R > 1
26
RCC - Large - widths 75-700m
- Dominated by collectors, gathering and filtering organic - Scrappers not represented due to depth limiting productivity - No shredders - P/R < 1
27
RCC criticisms
Developed for pristine systems - interrupted by lots of different things e. g. dams, urban areas ...
28
What is DIC
Dissolved inorganic carbon | e.g. CO2
29
What is DOC
Dissolved Organic Carbon | e.g. organic material that can pass through filter
30
PIC/POC
Particulate (In) Organic Carbon | - similar to DOC but cant pass through filter
31
What nutrients are limiting in spiralling
C, P, N as undergo extensive utilization as pass downstream
32
How far does inorganic and organic material travel
``` 90% = inorganic 10% = time spent for organic ```
33
What are the components of a nutrient cycle
Spiral length - uptake length + turnover length | Uptake length - average distance travelled
34
Factors influencing nutrient uptake
1. Biochemical (biota doing uptake) | 2. Geomorphic (physical properties of channel)
35
why does biological uptake rates vary as a function of nutrient concentrations
saturation occurs at high concentrations
36
What does geomorphic retention of nutrirents depends on
1. hydrology 2. size of particle 3. heterogeneity of stream bed 4. LWD - also depends on tightness of spirals and efficiently of stream
37
What happens when high demand for nutrient spiralling
lengths of spiral increase with discharge
38
What are the Lake types
- Tectonic - Volcanic crater - Meteorite crater - Thermokarst - Landslide - Glacial - Oxbow - Manmade
39
What is retention time
Volume / mean rate of inflow OR mean rate of outflow + plus evaporation rate
40
Tectonic lakes
includes some of the largest lakes VERY VERY deep - Lake Baikal Siberia - oldest lake in the world and is 636km deep
41
Glacial Lakes
Formed last ice age Corries often smaller scale
42
Man-made
Hydropower - river water widely fluctuating Water supply / flood storage - water stored during winter for summer supply
43
Why is depth so important in lakes
As influenced by light penetration and temperature regime
44
Why is autochthonous production important
macrophytes and benthic algae in the margins | phytoplankton in open water
45
What are the three layers that result from seasonal Summer warming
Epilimnion - upper, warmer, surface layer Hypolimnion - Deeper, cooler, lower layer Thermocline - distinct separation
46
when does the nutrient cycling occur
Spring and autumn when similar temp all down lake depth
47
Epilimnion - why well oxygenated
Wave action to mix | photosynthesis by phytoplankton
48
Hypolimnion - oxygen depleted
separated from air low light penetration bacterial respiration
49
Define - holomictic - Monomictic - Warm Monomictic - Dimictic lakes - Meromictic
``` H - mix completely all year M - mix once per year WM - stratify in summer, mixed in winter DM - stratify in both winter and summer, mixing in autumn and spring M - never mix ```
50
What are the limiting factors
Nutrients - N and P | Light - transparency determines depth of light penetration
51
How does energy flow through lakes
Green algae -> herbivore -> carnivore 1 -> carnivore 2 as deeper you go
52
2 types of sampling in lakes
van dorn - collecting samples | Secchi disc for transparency
53
what are oligotrophic lakes
- Nutrient-poor - Low productivity - High transparency in the epilimnion - High dissolved oxygen in the hypolimnion
54
Mesotrophic lakes
Middle of other two tropic lakes
55
Eutrophic lakes
- Nutrient-rich - High productivity - Low transparency in the epilimnion - Low dissolved oxygen in the hypolimnion
56
Name producers, consumers, predators, high predators
Pro - Phytoplankton Con - graving invertebrates Pred - invertebrates and fish HP - fish, birds and mammals
57
Name 7 adaptations
``` breathing tubes long legs plastron haemoglobin - type pigment gills buoyancy being extremely hyaline (transparent) ```
58
Seasonal patterns of phytoplankton
winter - lake is well mixed but plankton abundance low, limited by light and temp spring - plankton increase and use nutrients Autumn - first storms = mixing plankton exploit new nutrients
59
what is the littoral and profundal zone
L - lake bed where plants can grow | P - lake bed where there is no plant growth
60
what is productivity related to
light
61
what is limited by O2
benthic communities
62
Where is the most diversity found
the top of the lake - however not complete top as too much disturbance

Ecological Systems (5 decks)

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