Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Chapter 50
Chapter 50 - Aquatic Environments
65
Biology
Undergraduate 1
04/08/2013

Additional Biology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
What is ecology ?
Definition
Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment.
Term
What is a population?
Definition
A poplation is a group of individuals of the dame species that live in the same area at the same time.
Term
What are the four main levels that ecology researchers work on?
Definition
1) organisms
2) populations
3) communities
4) ecosystems
Term
What kind of adaptations do organismal ecologists study?
Definition
the morphological, physiological, and behavioural adaptations that allow individuals to live successfully in a particular area
Term
Give an example of behaviour triggering external stimuli
Definition
answers include: changes in temperature or moisture, an escape response form prey or a rival challenging for a mate
Term
What is the main focus of ecology researchers concerned with population ecology?
Definition
They focus on how the numbers of individuals in a population change over time.
Term
What is a current application of population ecology research?
Definition
mathematical models for population growth are being used to evaluate the fate of endangered species.
Term
What is a community?
Definition
a community consists of the species that interact with each other within a particular area
Term
What is the main focus of researchers who study community ecology?
Definition
Researchers who study community ecology study the nature of the interactions between species and the consequences of the interactions.
Term
What is ecosystem ecology?
Definition
It is an extension of community ecology. It focuses on all the organisms, as well as the non-living components in a particular area.
Term
What is conservation biology?
Definition
Conservation biology is the effort to study, preserve and restore threatened populations,communities and ecosystems.
Term
What are the key physical factors that shape the environment in an aquatic ecosystem?
Definition
water depth and rate of water movement
Term
In what ways do water depth and rate of water movement affect organisms living in an aquatic ecosystem?
Definition
water depth dictates how much light reaches organisms that live in a certain region.
Rate of water movement presents a physical challenge
Term
Name the 3 freshwater environments
Definition
lakes and ponds, wetlands and streams.
Term
Which type of aquatic environment may be either freshwater or marine?
Definition
estuaries
Term
What is a marine environment?
Definition
the oceans
Term
How were lakes formed in northern climates? How were lakes formed in tropical climates?
Definition
Northern: lakes are formed in depressions made by the movement of glaciers
Tropics: formed from old river channels
Term
What are the five zones the describe the structure of lakes and ponds?
Definition
1) littoral
2) limnetic
3) benthic
4) photic
5) aphotic
Term
What is a littoral zone?
Definition
A littoral zone is a zone in a pond or lake that consists of the shallow waters along the shore, where flowering plants are rooted
Term
What is a limnetic zone?
Definition
A limnetic zone is a zone in a pond or lake that is offshore but is shallow enough to support photosynthesis
Term
What is a benthic zone? (ponds/lakes)
Definition
A benthic zone is a zone in a pond or lake that makes up the substrate
Term
What is a photic zone?
Definition
regions of the littoral, limnetic and benthic zones that receive sunlight
Term
What is an aphotic zone
Definition
An aphotic zone is comprised of the portions of a pond or lake that do not receive sunlight.
Term
What drives water movements in lakes and ponds?
Definition
wind and temperature
Term
What is plankton comprised of?
Definition
Algae, cyanobacteria and other microscopic organisms.
Term
What zones are plankton most common in?
Definition
photic zones
Term
What zones are animals that eat detritus more commonly in?
Definition
benthic zone
Term
What are wetlands?
Definition
wetlands are shallow water habitats where soil is saturated with water for at least part of the year
Term
How are wetlands distinct from ponds and lakes?
Definition
they have only shallow water
they have emergent vegetation
Term
What is emergent vegetation?
Definition
emergent vegetation is when plants grow above the surface of the water, such as in wetlands
Term
Describe the waterflow in freshwater marshes and swamps
Definition
slow but steady flow of water
Term
What affect does very low water flow have on the acidity of a shallow body of water? and why?
Definition
very low water flow can cause a shallow body of water to become very acidic because 673450136458917238594713289047210894721390847120394719
Term
What affect does low pH have on plant growth?
Definition
At a low pH nitrogen becomes unavailable to plants.
Term
What are the factors contributing to the lack of productivity in bogs?
Definition
1) acidity
2) anoxic conditions
3) lack of available nitrogen
Term
What type of plant life is typically found in marshes?
Definition
Abundant in grasses
Lacks tress
Term
What type of plant life is typically found in
Definition
Abundant in trees and shrubs
Term
TRUE or FALSE: Most bogs, marshes and swamps share many of the same types species
Definition
FALSE: because their physical environments are so different, there is little overlap in the types of species found in bogs marshes and swamps
Term
What is a stream?
Definition
a stream is a body of water that moves constantly in one direction
Term
What is the difference between a river and a creek
Definition
a river is a large stream and a creek is a small stream
Term
What are the major physical variables in streams?
Definition
speed of current and availability of nutrients and oxygen
Term
TRUE or FALSE: sunlight is not a limiting factor for organisms in streams
Definition
TRUE: because most streams are shallow enough that sunlight reaches the bottom, sunlight is typically abundant
Term
TRUE or FALSE: warm water holds more oxygen than cold water
Definition
FALSE: cold water holds more oxygen than warm
Term
What allows some fish, insects, larvae, molluscs and other animals to live in fast moving streams?
Definition
They have adaptations that allow them to maintain their positions in the fast moving portions of streams.
Term
What position in a stream is one more likely to find algae and plants?
Definition
Algae and plants are found in the wider, slower portions of streams.
Term
What is an estuary?
Definition
An estuary is where rivers meet the ocean
Term
Describe the water depth in an estuary
Definition
most estuaries are shallow enough for sunlight to reach the substrate. However it may fluctuate dramatically
Term
Why is the fluctuation of water flow in estuaries important?
Definition
It is important because it alters salinity, which in turn affects the type of organisms that are present
Term
What factors allow estuaries to be among the most productive environments on earth?
Definition
- shallow and sunlit water
- nutrients are constantly replenished by incoming river water
Term
Why are estuaries ideal environments for young fish?
Definition
because they can feed on abundant vegetation and plankton, while hiding from predators
Term
TRUE or FALSE: Due to the different chemical composition in the oceans, the types of organisms are markedly different
Definition
FALSE: the oceans are actually very uniform in their chemical composition, it is the physical characteristics of the oceans that cause variation in species found in certain areas
Term
What are the six zones found in an ocean?
Definition
1) intertidal
2) neritic
3)oceanic
4)benthic
5) photic
6) aphotic
Term
What is an intertidal zone?
Definition
An intertidal zone is a zone in an ocean that consists of a rocky, sandy or muddy beach that is exposed to the air at low tide but submerged in water at high tide
Term
What is a neritic zone?
Definition
A neritic zone is a zone in an ocean that extends from the intertidal zone to depths of about 200m. Its edge is defined by the end of the continental shelf
Term
What is an oceanic zone?
Definition
An oceanic zone is the 'open ocean'- the deepwater region beyond the continental shelf.
Term
What is a benthic zone? (oceans)
Definition
In oceans the benthic zone is the bottom of the ocean
Term
What is the major cause of water movement in the intertidal zones of oceans?
Definition
Tides and wave action
Term
What is the major cause of water movement in the neritic zones of oceans?
Definition
water currents
Term
What is the major cause of water movement throughout all the oceans?
Definition
large-scale water currents and the earths rotation
Term
What are requirements of organisms living in an intertidal zone?
Definition
They must be able to stand physical pounding from crashing waves and desiccation at low tide
Term
Where is productivity highest in oceans?
Definition
In the intertidal zone and the outer edge of the neritic zone.
Term
Where are most coral reefs found?
Definition
In the shallow areas of the neritic zones in the tropics
Term
Describe the nutrient availability in the open ocean and the causes.
Definition
There are very little nutrients because when the photosynthetic plankton die their bodies drift downwards, out of the photic zone and are lost.
Term
What type of '-vore' (as in eating habits) typically live in the aphotic zones of oceans?
Definition
Detritivores. Most organisms living in the aphotic zones of oceans feed on the rain of dead bodies from the photic zones
Term
What are the spring and fall turnovers?
Definition
A mixing of water in lakes that happens every year. The water form the bottom of the lake mixes with the water form the top of the lake. it causes nutrients and oxygenation to mix.
Term
What is a thermocline?
Definition
the region in a thermally stratified body of water which separates warmer surface water from cold deep water and in which temperature decreases rapidly with depth
Supporting users have an ad free experience!