The Water Cycle Flashcards
What are ecosystems?
interconnected communities of living organisms within a physical environment
What is ecosystem functioning?
- the biological, chemical, physical processes that take place within the ecosystem
- rainfall shortage will alter these processes, therefore ecosystem functioning too
Why are ecosystems vulnerable to drought?
they are dependent on water supply
What is ecosystem resilience?
- the capacity of an ecosystem to recover from disturbance or withstand ongoing pressure
What is a wetland?
land area saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally
What is water like in wetlands?
static or flowing
fresh, brackish or salt
Examples of wetlands
MARSHES
SWAMPS
BOGS
FERNS
What are the three types of peatland?
bog
fern
swamp
What are the three types of non peatland?
shallow open water ponds
marshes..
What is a bog?
- peat-covered wetlands where surface water is strongly acidic and low in nutrients, due to poor drainage and the decay of plant material .
- dominated by sphagnum mosses and shrubs
- may support trees.
What is fern?
- also peat-covered wetlands like bogs, but influenced by a flow of ground-water.
- basic as opposed to acidic
- more productive than a bog
- Although dominated by sedges
- may also contain shrubs and trees.
What is a swamp?
- dominated by shrubs or trees
- can be flooded seasonally or for long periods of time
- nutrient rich and productive
- peatlands or non-peatlands
Example of a large wetland
Everglades, Florida
Example of a small wetland
Minsmere, Suffolk
What is a flood?
when the river discharge in a river channel reaches bankfall discharge and overflow’s its channel, submerging the surrounding land.
