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32 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Factors that classify Aquatic Ecosystems |
Salinity, Depth, Flowing or Standing Water |
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Salinity |
measure of the amount of salts dissolved in water, ppt (parts per thousand) |
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ppts of types of water |
Salt 30-50, Ocean 35, Fresh has less than or equal to 0.5, brackish 0.5-30 |
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Effects of Salinity on Organism survival |
Organisms maintain careful water and salt balance with surroundings |
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High Salinity |
Areas of high concentration |
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Low Salinity |
Low concentrated areas |
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Photic Zone |
Uppermost layer of an aquatic ecosystem, where there is enough sunlight for photosyntheis |
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Aphiotic Zone |
layer below the photic zone that has no sunlight |
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Benthic Zone |
very bottom of a body water |
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Ponds and lakes |
Bodies of open standing water that collect depressions on Earth's surface |
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Littoral Zone |
Shallow near-shore portion of the photic zone |
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Limnetic Zone |
farther zone from the shore without rooted plants |
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Wetlands |
Areas of land that are flooded with water at least part of the year |
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Importance of Wetlands |
Help prevent flooding by absorbing excess water, recharge aquifers, filter pollutants and sediment, provide habitats with fish |
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Freshwater Marshes |
shallow-water wetlands typified by tall, grasslike plants |
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Swamp |
Wetlands that consist of shallow water rich in vegetation, typified by woody shrubs and trees |
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Bogs |
Wetlands characterized by low nutrients, acidic water, and thick, floating mats of vegetation |
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Fens |
wetlands connected to a source of groundwater |
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Tributary |
Smaller river flowing into a larger one |
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Watershed |
Area of land drained by a river and all of its tributaries |
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Flood plain |
Areas that are the nearest to a river's course that are flooded periodically |
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Estuaries |
bodies of water, partly enclosed by land, that occur where fresh water from land drainage meets the ocean or inland sea |
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Salt Marshes |
Grassy ecosystems that are regularly flooded by bordering bodies of water |
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Mangrove Forests |
Forests that grow along gently sloping sandy and silty coasts; consist of specialized trees and shrubs with roots that curve upward |
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Importance of Estuaries |
Help prevent soil erosion and flooding, act as a protective barrier between sea and land |
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Three Zones of the Ocean |
Intertidal, Neritic, and open |
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Ocean Structure |
Water density increases as salinity rises and temperatures fall; Heavier (colder and saltier) water sinks and Lighter (Warmer and less salty) water remains closer to the surface |
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Upselling |
Vertical Flow of cold, nutrient-rich water toward the surface |
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Intertidal Ecosystems |
Spread between the uppermost reach of the high tide and the lowest limit of the low tide |
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Kelp Forest |
Forest that supply shelter and food for invertabrates and fish |
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Coral Reef |
Mass of calcium carbonate composed of the skeletons of marine organisms called coral |
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Open-Ocean Ecosystems |
Ecosystems that have most of Earth's ocean water |
