Studied by 3 people
aquatic ecosystem
a group of organisms dependent on one another and a water environment for nutrients and shelter
Oligotrophic
low productivity
Estuary
a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it
Biodiversity
the number of variety of organisms in a certain region.
species diversity
measure of diversity in an ecological community. accounts for richness and total number of different species in a community.
ecosystem diversity
variations in ecosystems
Resistant ecosystems
"essentially unchanged" when subject to some sort of disturbance.
Resilient ecosystems
the capacity or ability of an ecosystem to recover from a disturbance or withstand ongoing changes or pressures.
indicator species
indicates the state or level of something ex.) frogs
keystone species
a species n which other species largely depend on
Bioaccumulation
when an organism absorbs a substance (usually toxic) at a rate faster than that at which the substance is lost by catabolism and excretions
Biomagnification
the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely dispersed.
how much space do aquatic ecosystems take up on our planet?
71%
what are methods to get rid of oil spills in water
oil dispersants booms & skimmers leaving the oil alone in situ burning
booms & skimmers
booms are floating barriers placed around the oil and the -skimmers are boats
oil dispersants
work like dish soap -breaks up the oil into tiny suspended droplets in the water -naturally occurring bacteria would then consume the droplets & the dispersant would rapidly biodegrade/
leaving the oil alone
some scientists argue that oil spills should be left to disperse naturally. oil spills are dispersed by natural physical processes in high-energy environments where strong wind current and wave action help to break up the oil.
in situ burning
freshly spilled oil is ignited while it's still floating on the water.
uses of water
food shelter & energy health & hygiene manufacturing transportation
Role of water in life
most organism contain over 50% liquid water by weight. water fills cells and supports their structure and provides a medium in which life-sustaining chemical reactions can take place. such as regulating body temperature.
water pollution
any physical
non-point sources of water pollution
run-offs from farm fields and feedlots
point sources of water pollution
factories
common types of water pollutants
pathogens plant nutrients & other organic matter heavy metals other inorganic chemicals sediment petrochemical and other organic chemicals heat
Pathogens
microscopic disease-causing bacteria. viruses
plant nutrients and other organic matter
urine and feces from animals as well as nitrates & phosphate from fertilizers
heavy metals
inorganic chemicals including: mercury
Cholera
extremely virulent disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea.
takes between 12 hours to 5 days for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food or water. -can kill within hours if untreated
typhoid fever
an acute illness associated with fever caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria. The bacteria is deposited in water or food by a human carrier and are then spread to other people in the area.
typhoid Mary
a carrier of typhoid fever who worked as a cook and spread it to multiple wealthy families. she was eventually caught and quarantined in a deserted island where she escaped and returned to working as a cook
infectious hepatitis
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is primarily spread when an uninfected/unvaccinated person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the feces of an infected person. -does not cause chronic liver disease and is rarely fatal
Polio
poliomyelitis is a highly infectious viral disease
Jonas Salk
He discovered and developed one of the first successful polio vaccines.
coliform bacteria
intestinal bacteria whose presence in a water sample indicates fecal contamination
testing for coliform bacteria
take a water sample
place the sample on a growth medium
after 24 hours
Catabolism
the breakdown of complex molecules in living organisms to form simpler ones
Aquatic Ecosystems in Canada
ponds lakes rivers floodplains wetlands
organisms in aquatic ecosystems
bacteria
lake
sizable body of water surrounded by land and fed by rivers
two types of lakes
-oligotrophic -eutrophic
eutrophic
shallower
pond
smaller bodies of still water located in natural hollows or created by dams
rivers & streams
fresh
ocean
salt water that covers 70% of the world's surface
sea
typically have a salinity content between that of an ocean and a fresh water ecosystem
estuary
a partially enclosed body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it
four main types of estuaries
-coastal plain -tectonic -bar built -fjord
coastal plain estuary
Formed at end of last ice age when rising sea level invaded low lying coastal river valleys. ex.) The Thames (England)
tectonic
created when the sea fills in the 'hole' or basin that was formed by the motion of the earth's crust that creates cracks and faults on the land ex.) San Francisco Bay
Bar Built
formed when sandbars build up along the coastlines. usually shallow
Fjord
valleys that have been cut deeper by moving glaciers and then invaded by the sea. They are narrow with steep sides and usually straight and long
difference between ocean and sea
seas are smaller than oceans and are usually located where the land and ocean met. a sea is part of the ocean partially enclosed by land.
healthy aquatic ecosystem
human disturbances have not impaired the natural functioning
unhealthy aquatic ecosystem
natural state is out of balance. can be physical
symptoms of a poor or unhealthy ecosystem
-loss of species -accelerated growth of organisms -tumours or deformities in animals -change in chemical properties -loss of Aboriginal culture associated with ecosystems
Why is the health of an ecosystem important?
everything is interconnected
things we can do to restore the health of an aquatic ecosystem
-environmental legislation to protect water from toxic substances -integrated resource planning; consider relationships among land development and water -technology -environmental monitoring -compensatory measures
wetlands
a land area that is saturated with water
hydric soil
soil that is saturated permanently or seasonally by water
characterizes wetlands
what do wetlands contribute to the environment?
absorb the impact of hydrologic events ( large waves or floods )
filter sediments and toxic substances
supply food and essential habitat
also provide products for food
types of wetlands
swamp marsh bog
swamps
wetlands characterized by the presence of trees growing on silty organic muck soils.
dominated by trees and are often named for the type of trees that grow in them.
they are transition areas
two main types of swamps
freshwater swamps saltwater swamps
freshwater swamps
commonly found inland and form around lakes and streams.
saltwater swamps
they are found and form on tropical coastlines. -plants that are able to tolerate tidal flooding grow ( mangrove trees ) and decay
Florida Everglades
One of the largest freshwater swamps in the United States. -it is a slow moving river flowing from the Kissimmee River
Mangrove Swamps
A saltwater swamp that grows mangrove trees.
marshes
a type of wetland
herbaceous
plants that have no persistent woody stem above ground
types of marshes
tidal saltwater marshes tidal freshwater marshes inland freshwater marshes
tidal saltwater marsh
form a grassy fringe near river mouths
tidal freshwater marsh
lie farther inland than saltwater marshes
inland freshwater marshes
found along the fringes of lakes and rivers where the water table
bogs
a freshwater wetland of soft
types of bogs
blanket bogs cataract bogs quaking bogs raised bogs string bogs valley bogs
How do bogs form?
they take hundreds or thousands of years to develop
a bog is forrmed when a lake slowly fills with plant debris. -plants grow out from the lake's edges until it eventually covers the lake's entire surface
blanket bogs
develop in highland areas with significant rainfall: the bog "blankets" the entire area
cataract bogs
ecosystems that feature a permanent freshwater stream.
quaking bogs
develop over a lake or pond
raised bogs
vaguely dome-shaped
string bogs
have a varied landscape
valley bogs
develop in shallow valleys
North American Waterfowl Management Plan ( NAWMP )
A significant program that aims at protecting our remaining wetlands. Signed by Canada and the United States in reaction to the sharp decline in waterfowl populations associated with the destruction of their habitat.
abiotic factors in an ecosystem
atmosphere water air soil sun UV radiation salinity
Biotic factors in an ecosystem
parasitism predation competition for food competition for space fungi plants
abiotic factors
affect the ability of organims to survive and reproduce. they restrict the growth of populations and help determine the number and types of numbers of organisms able to exist within an environment.
biotic factors
living organisms that affects another organism in its ecosystem. this inlcudes the organisms themselves
significance of abiotic and biotic factors
their interaction with each other. for a community of an ecosystem to survive
eutrophic
a lake or body of water rich in nutrients and so supporting a dense plant population
Process of Eutrophication
A lake
oligotrophic
characterized by a low accumulation of dissolved nutrient salts
oligotroph
an organism that can live in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients
oligotrophic lake
-cool temperatures -high oxygen concentrations
low availability of nutrients -low biological productivity -steep shorline and deep bottom reduce heating during summer and help maintain lower water temperatures
eutrophic lake
-warm temperatures -low oxygen availability -high availability of nutrients -high biological productivity -shallow bottom reduces total water volume and increases heating during summer
step by step process of eutrophication
nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer is spread on fields to help crops grow
rain causes runoff to streams
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Flashcard (78)