Science Chapter 12
In addition to how much oxygen and nutrient content a body of freshwater has, what three other factors affect its variety and productivity?
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River and lake environments are different from each other. Copy the Venn diagram below into your notebook and then complete it by listing the characteristics that are different between the two environments, as well as those characteristics that they share.
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Canada is home to what percentage of the world's wetlands?
6%
What main characteristic do scientists use to classify different freshwater environments?
Biotic characteristics and abiotic character character
What changes do wetlands and estuaries in British Columbia go through between summer and winter?
In winter (if it snows) the wetland will become covered in snow. In the spring, the snow melts and by summer the wetland is full of fresh water from the melted snow.
What are wetlands?
Land consisting of marshes or swamps.
Name the two types of plankton and what each name means.
Phytoplankton: means plant. Zooplankton: means animal.
How do tides affect estuaries?
Salt water from the ocean and freshwater from the wetland have different densities, so if mixing isn't very efficient you can have highly a stratified water column with different salinities at different depths and locations.
Why does more fresh water flow into wetlands and estuaries in the spring than in the summer?
Snow from winter melts and the fresh water flows into wetlands and estuaries.
What would happen if plankton were removed from lake and pond environments?
The food chain would collapse, as they are at the bottom. Bigger animals can't survive without them.
Describe what an estuary is.
The tidal mouth of a river, where the tide meets the stream.
What role does plankton play in lake and pond environments?
They are photosynthetic primary producers at the base of the food web. They also produce oxygen.
What would happen if British Columbia's wetlands were to suddenly disappear?
Wetlands are very important to the environment. Wetlands house some important species in the food chain.
What value do the wetlands have?
Wetlands help prevent floods, spreading sediment, and water purification.
How does the water cycle contribute to the health of freshwater environments?
When water goes through the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, ect.) the water become purified when it falls from the sky in form of rain droplets, spreading fresh water.