Chapter 7 study guide (Test)

Which of the following is not an environmental function of wetlands?

Increasing runoff

What causes most coastal pollution in the United States?

Industrial waste and sewage

Most pollutants that enter estuaries break down over time, yet they are still considered a problem because

It is the volume of the pollutants, more than the time factor, that harms estuaries.

Most ocean pollution can be traced to activities on ____________________.

Land

Because water ____________________ sunlight, photosynthesis is limited to the upper 100 meters of the ocean.

Absorbs

Two threats to ocean ecosystems are

All of the above ( Nutrient runoff and industrial waste discharges, Overfishing and entanglement of marine mammals in trawl nets, Sewage and algal blooms)

Which of the following is a threat to coral reefs?

All of the above * Oil spills * Sewage * Pesticides

As they flow down a mountain to flatter ground, rivers generally become

All of the above ( Wider , Warmer, and Slower)

The types of organisms found in a pond or lake depend on

All the above * The amount of sunlight available * The temperature of the water * The presence of nutrients

Long, thin ____________________ islands typically run parallel to a shore.

Barrier

Plankton form the ____________________ of the marine food web.

Base

In the _____ zone, the water is cool and dark.

Benthic

Barnacles are a type of ____________________, or bottom-dwelling, organisms.

Benthos

Which of the following is not characteristic of salt marshes and mangrove swamps?

Both are dominated by marsh grasses.

The water in salt marshes is saltier than the water in ____________________ marshes.

Brackish

A(n) ____________________ lake has a large amount of plant growth due to nutrients.

Eutrophic

What adaptation prevents phytoplankton from sinking into deep waters?

Flagella

Swamps are commonly found on

Flat, poorly drained land

A river changes with the ____________________ and ____________________ through which it flows.

Land, Climate

Coral polyps secrete skeletons of _________________________ that slowly accumulate and form coral reefs.

Limestone or Calcium carbonate

In the _____ zone, life is diverse and abundant.

Littoral

Which of the following statements is not correct?

Rivers generally move faster, and their oxygen levels decrease, as they near the ocean.

Excessive nutrient growth in an aquatic ecosystem can be accelerated by ____________________.

Runoff

The amount of dissolved salts in water is known as ____________________.

Salinity

The majority of marine organisms are found in

Shallow, coastal waters

Downstream, a river often widens and flows more ____________________.

Slowly

Many rivers originate from ____________________ in mountains.

Snow melt

Upstream, a river is usually cold and flows ____________________ through a shallow riverbed.

Swiftly

An arctic ecosystem depends almost entirely on ____________________ for its available food.

The ocean

The arrangement of organisms in the open ocean is determined by the

amount of nutrients and sunlight that are available.

Estuaries

are ecosystems where both freshwater and saltwater are present.

What are the two main types of freshwater wetlands?

marshes and swamps

Marshes are dominated by ____________________ plants while swamps contain mainly ____________________ plants.

non-woody, woody

An estuary functions as a mineral trap due to

the mixing action of river water and ocean water.

Coral reefs are intricately shaped rocklike structures that are formed as a result of

the secretion of calcium carbonate by tiny marine animals.

An estimated ____________________ percent of all coral reefs are threatened by human activities.

27

Fish are a type of ____________________, or free-swimming, organisms.

Nekton

Three groups of aquatic organisms include plankton, ____________________, and benthos.

Nekton

In estuaries, freshwater and saltwater mix, forming a(n) ____________________ trap.

Nutrient or mineral

What mainly distinguishes nekton from benthos?

One swims freely and the other often lives attached to a hard surface.

The least productive marine ecosystem is the ____________________.

Open ocean

Mosses use ____________________ to anchor themselves to rocks near churning river headwaters.

Rhizoids

Estuaries are very productive ecosystems because they receive fresh nutrients from

Rivers and oceans

Why doesn't photosynthesis occur in deep ocean water?

There is no sunlight.

Corals live only in shallow, ____________________ water where there is enough light for photosynthesis.

Warm

Which of the following is not characteristic of wetlands?

Wetlands are limited to inland freshwater environments.

Most of the food in aquatic ecosystems is produced by _________________________.

phytoplankton

Which organism produces most of the food in an aquatic ecosystem?

phytoplankton

Two types of plankton are microscopic plants called _________________________ and microscopic animals called _________________________.

phytoplankton, zooplankton

Which ecosystem has the highest level of salinity?

salt marsh