Week Six Flashcards
Water Life Zones
surface layer, receives sunlight
Photic
layer that permits photosynthesis via phytoplankton and plants
Euphotic
Shallow water zone
Light reaches the bottom, stimulating growth of rooted plants
Littoral
Open water too deep for rooted plants to secure to the bottom Floating plants Light penetration throughout Plankton (phyto/zoo) Fish
Limnetic
Open water, light does not penetrate
Depends on organic nutrients from limnetic zone
Profundal
Very bottom of the water column, extends from bottom of the littoral zone to profundal zone
Nutrients accumulate by gravity, anaerobic (no light)
Decomposers
Benthic
Water that doesn’t move/mix (lentic) causes barriers such as:
- Light
- Temperature
- Density
- Nutrients
- Oxygen
- Sunlight heats up surface water
- Wind keeps waters well mixed
- Temperature drops quickly below the thermocline
- Density difference of water prevents water mixing
Temperature Stratification
o Upper layer of warm water o high light and O2 o Low Co2 o Low free nutrients o Water striders, phyto/zoo plankton, algae o Area of photosynthesis
- Epilimnion Zone
o Middle layer
o medium light and O2
o temperature falls rapidly
o prevents waters from mixing
- Thermocline Zone
o Lower layer of cold water o lower light and O2 o high CO2 o high free nutrients o area of decomposition
- Hypolimnion Zone
- infertile soils with limited phosphorus and nitrogen availability
- low productivity
- clear water
- high oxygen content
Oligotrophic Lake
- abundant nutrient runoff from surrounding areas
- high productivity
- high decomposition
- murky waters due to high algae
- low oxygen content
Eutrophic
addition of nitrogen and phosphorous to water via fertilizer and sewage causing excessive plant growth (eutrophication)
Artificial Succession
