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