Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Stream Ecology
Stream eclolgy final
72
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate 4
12/11/2010

Additional Environmental Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Solutes
Definition
substances dissolved in other substances.
In streams: C, N, P, Mg, K, Si, S, Na, Fe, Mn, Cu, B, Mo, V...
Term
Macronutrients
Definition
Nutrients required by organisms in large amounts to live and grow healthily. Examples: N, P, K, Si
Term
Nutrients
Definition
inorganic material required for life
Term
Organic
Definition
relating to, or derived from living organisms
Term
Inorganic
Definition
not composed of organic matter
Term
dissolved
Definition
in solution
Term
Particulate
Definition
tiny subdivisions of solid matter suspended in a gas or liquid.
Term
nitrite
Definition
NO2
Term
nitrate
Definition
NO3-
Term
ammonium
Definition
a positively charged polyatomic cation with the chemical formula NH+4
Term
nitrification
Definition
the biological oxidation of ammonia with oxygen into nitrite followed by the oxidation of these nitrites into nitrates
Term
de-nitrification
Definition
a microbially facilitated process of nitrate reduction that may ultimately produce molecular nitrogen (N2) through a series of intermediate gaseous nitrogen oxide products.
Term
N-fixation
Definition
is the natural process, either biological or abiotic, by which nitrogen (N2) in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia. This process is essential for life because fixed nitrogen is required to biosynthesize the basic building blocks of life, e.g. nucleotides for DNA and RNA and amino acids for proteins
Term
absorption
Definition
Uptake of dissolved inorganic nitrogen by autotrophs
Term
ingestion
Definition
Heterotrophs consume organic molecules
Term
N-assimilation
Definition
conversion of nitrate to nitrite (by nitrate reductase) is followed by a reduction to ammonia by nitrite reductase
Term
uptake length
Definition
represented by Sw on chart; is the time it takes before nutrient is take back up or down in the benthos
Term
nutrient spiral
Definition
the flow of nutrients in and out of the benthos in a stream
Term
turnover length
Definition
Term
pollutant loads
Definition
Term
no slip condition
Definition
water in contact with a solid surface will have a 0 velocity no matter the surface texture or condition
Term
fluid
Definition
gas or liquid, not solid
Term
shear
Definition
The rate of change of velocity at which one layer of fluid flows over an adjacent parallel layer, often expressed in seconds-1.
Term
boundary layer
Definition
is equal to 99% of freestream velocity/ thickness of flow below 99% of maximum vleocity; is where the graph stops curving.
Term
laminar sublayer
Definition
very small layer near substrate where the flow is not turbulent.
Term
laminar flow
Definition
flow that is uniform/ where adjacent packets of water move in the same direction at the same speed without any rapid changes in relative velocity or position.
Term
turbulent flow
Definition
adjacent packets of water move independent of one another in direction and velocity. (whirls)
Term
Reynold's number
Definition
Discovered by Osborn Reynolds in 1883- equal to inertial forces over viscous forces/ or velocity times length scale (avg depth) divided by viscosity. (less than 500= laminar flow/ greater than 2000= turbulent flow)
Term
viscosity
Definition
A physical property of fluids that determines the internal resistance to shear forces. "viscous forces dominate in the world of the small"
Term
inertial forces
Definition
"dominate in the world of the large"
Examples: pressure drag, eddy diffusion
Term
Eddy diffusion
Definition
turbulent diffusion in which substances are mixed in an eddy motion/ mix rapidly and allows quick replenishment of nutrients.
Term
Streamlined shape
Definition
important to large organisms due to inertial forces/ minimizes flow separation at the rear of the animal.
Term
Froude number
Definition
Discovered by William Froude a Naval Engineer- ratio of inertial and gravitational forces at a liquid-air interface, used to predict supercritical flow. Equal to velocity divided by the square root of gravity times depth dimension.
Term
Substrate
Definition
all materials that project into or out of the bottom of or sides of a river. Examples include rocks, mud, debris, logs
Term
Wentworth scale
Definition
categorizes types of substrate by particle size/ boulder > 265mm, cobble 64-256mm, pebble 16-64mm, gravel 2-16mm, sand 0.063-2mm, silt < 0.063mm
Term
Organic substrates
Definition
leaf packs or woody debris
Term
Lithophilous
Definition
organisms that prefer rocks as substrates
Term
Psammophilous
Definition
sand preferring organisms
Term
Xylophilous
Definition
organisms that prefer woody substrates
Term
phytophilous
Definition
organisms that prefer plants as substrates
Term
degree-days
Definition
Unit for estimating the demand for energy required for heating or cooling. In the US, the typical standard indoor temperature is 65ºF (18.3ºC). For each 1ºF decrease or increase from this standard in the average outside temperature one heating or cooling degree day is recorded.
Term
eukaryote
Definition
organisms whose cells have nuclei
Term
chloroplasts
Definition
A chlorophyll-containing plastid found in algal and green plant cells.
Term
prokaryote
Definition
organisms whose cells do not have nuclei such as bacteria, blue-green algae and viruses
Term
filamentous
Definition
being longer than wide; examples of filamentous algae include mugeotia
Term
centric
Definition
Of or relating to diatoms of the class Centrales, distinguished by their radially symmetrical form.
Term
colonial
Definition
algae that lives in groups
Term
motile
Definition
mobile, free swimming, usually with a flagellum
Term
heterotrophic
Definition
is an organism that cannot fix carbon and uses organic carbon for growth
Term
autotrophic
Definition
also called a producer, is an organism that produces complex organic compounds (such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) from simple inorganic molecules using energy from light (by photosynthesis) or inorganic chemical reactions
Term
periphytic
Definition
algae attached to substrates
Term
planktonic
Definition
algae suspended in the water column
Term
paraphyletic
Definition
Relating to a taxonomic group that includes some but not all of the descendants of a common ancestor.
Term
frustule
Definition
is the hard and porous cell wall or external layer of diatoms. The frustule is composed almost purely of silica, made from silicic acid, and is coated with a layer of organic substance, which was referred to in the early literature on diatoms as pectin
Term
raphe
Definition
The median groove of a diatom valve.
Term
cyclomorphosis
Definition
Cyclic recurrent polymorphism in certain planktonic fauna in response to seasonal temperature or salinity changes.
Term
heterocysts
Definition
are specialized nitrogen-fixing cells formed by some filamentous cyanobacteria,during nitrogen starvation. They fix nitrogen from dinitrogen (N2) in the air using the enzyme nitrogenase, in order to provide the cells in the filament with nitrogen for biosynthesis.
Term
akinetes
Definition
a thick-walled dormant cell derived from the enlargement of a vegetative cell.[1] It serves as a survival structure. It is a resting cell of cyanobacteria and unicellular and filamentous green algae.
Term
chlorophyll-a
Definition
green pigment in chloroplasts/ a specific form of chlorophyll used in oxygenic photosynthesis. It absorbs most energy from wavelengths of violet-blue and orange-red light.[
Term
photoinhibition
Definition
is light-induced reduction in the photosynthetic capacity of a plant, alga or a cyanobacterium
Term
cyanotoxins
Definition
is a toxin produced by certain cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). When produced during algal blooms, cyanotoxins can poison and even kill animals and humans. Cyanotoxins can also accumulate in other animals such as fish and shellfish
Term
vertical migrations
Definition
diatoms migrate diurnally up and down the water column
Term
Allelopathy
Definition
a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms.
Term
micronutrients
Definition
nutrients required by humans and other living things throughout life in small quantities to orchestrate a whole range of physiological functions, but which the organism itself cannot produce.
Term
impoundment
Definition
A body of water, such as a reservoir, made by impounding; damming of rivers and streams
Term
irrigation
Definition
transport of water for agricultural purposes
Term
fragmentation
Definition
describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat). Habitat fragmentation can be caused by geological processes that slowly alter the layout of the physical environment or by human activity such as land conversion
Term
DCIA
Definition
directly connected impervious area; impervious areas that are connected directly to drainage systems without flowing over pervious surfaces
Term
point sources
Definition
A source, especially of pollution or radiation, occupying a very small area and having a concentrated output.
Term
non-point source
Definition
pollution that occurs when rainfall, snowmelt, or irrigation runs over land or through the ground, picks up pollutants, and deposits them into rivers, lakes, and coastal waters or introduces them into ground water.
Term
IBI
Definition
Index of Biotic Integrity; helps calculate the impact of development on streams
Term
MFLs
Definition
minimum flows and levels for streams
Supporting users have an ad free experience!