Earth and Environmental Chapter 7 exam review

Which of the following is not an environmental function of wetlands

Increasing runoff

What causes coastal pollution in the US

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

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

Amount of nutrients and sunlight that are available

long, thin ------ island that typically runs parallel to the shore

Barrier

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

Benthos

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

Calcium carbonate

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

Climate and land

coastal land covered by salt water much of the time

Coastal wetland

ecosystem where a river empties into the ocean, mixing fresh and salt water

Estuary

Swamps are commonly found on

Flat, poorly drained areas

land periodically covered with water of extremely low salinity

Freshwater wetland

In the ------ zone life is diverse and abundant

Littoral

region of shallow water near the shores of lakes and oceans

Littoral zone

Marine ecosystem dominated by trees with stilt-like root systems

Mangrove swamp

What are the two main types of freshwater wetlands

Marshes and swamps

In estuaries, fresh water and salt water mix, forming a(n)

Mineral trap

Marine ecosystem dominated by grasses

Salt marsh

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

Swiftly

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

The amount of sunlight available, the temperature of the water, the presence of of nutrients

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

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

absorbs

Estuaries

are ecosystems where both fresh water and salt water are present

phytoplankton and zooplankton are

microscopic organisms

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

nekton

free swimming organisms

nekton

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

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

the ocean

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

50

Fish are a type of ___, or free swimming, organisms

Nekton

The least productive marine ecosystem is the

Ocean

Which of the following is a threat to coral reefs

Oil spills, sewage, and pesticides.

What mainly distinguishes nekton from benthos?

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

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 and zooplankton

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

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

Wider, warmer, and sloweer

Plankton form the ____________________ of the marine food web.

base

In the ------ zone the water is cool and dark

benthic

Mussels, worms, and barnacles

benthos

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

eutrophic

Most ocean pollution can be traced to activities on ____________________.

land

Two threats to ocean ecosystems are

nutrient runoff, overfishing and entanglement, sewage and algal blooms

Excessive nutrient growth in an aquatic ecosystem can be accelerated by

run-off

The amount of dissolved salts in water is known as

salinity

Which ecosystem has the highest level of salinity?

salt marsh