4-4 Aquatic Ecosystems
Benthos
Organisms that live attached to or near the bottom of the ocean
kelp forest
A huge forest of giant brown algae in the coastal ocean
Three main types of freshwater wetlands?
Bogs Marshes Swamps
Aquatic ecosystems are primarily determined by what characteristics of the overlying water?
Dept Flow Temerature Chemistry
The two main types of freshwater ecosystems
Flowing-water ecosystems Standing-water ecosystems
What are the three main vertical divisions of the ocean based on the depth and distance from the shore?
Intertidal zone Coastal ocean Open ocean
What are the boundaries of the open ocean?
It begins at the edge of the continental shelf and extends outward.
What does the depth of the water determine?
It determines the amount of light that organisms can receive.
What are the boundaries of the benthic zone?
It extends along the ocean floor from the coastal ocean through the open ocean.
What are the boundaries of the coastal ocean?
It extends from the low-tide mark to the outer edge of the continental shelf.
Brackish water
It is a mixture of fresh and salt water.
Wetland
It is an ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil, at least part of the year.
Zonation
It is the prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in a particular habitat.
The photic zone of the ocean
It is the well-lit upper layer
What does water chemistry primarily refer to?
It refers to the amount of dissolved chemicals—especially salts, nutrients, and oxygen—on which life is dependent.
Plankton
Plankton is a general term for the tiny, free-floating, weakly swimming organisms that occur in both fresh water and salt water.
Zooplankton
Planktonic animals Feed on phytoplankton
Phytoplankton
Single-celled algae Supported by nutrients in the water
Salt marshes
Temperate-zone estuaries dominated by salt-tolerant grasses above the low-tide line and by seagrasses under water.
How does the circulating water in a standing-water ecosystem affect the ecosystem?
The circulating water distributes heat, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the system.
Why is the coastal ocean often rich in plankton and many other organisms?
The continental shelf is often shallow enough to fall mostly or entirely within the photic zone, where photosynthesis can occur.
aphotic zone
The permanently dark zone below the photic zone is called the
What distinguishes a marsh from a swamp?
The presence of trees and shrubs in swamps is what distinguishes swamps from marshes.
What are mangrove swamps, and where are they found?
They are coastal wetlands that are widespread across tropical regions, including southern Florida and Hawaii.
Estuaries
They are wetlands formed where rivers meet the sea.
Where do flowing-water ecosystems originate?
They originate in mountains or hills, often springing from an underground water source.
Detritus
Tiny pieces of decaying plants and animals make up the that provides food for organisms at the base of an estuary's food web.
The benthic zone covers the ocean
floor
