NRC 260 Module 1 Exam

How much of Earth's surface is covered by water?

71%

***What does high specific heat/thermal mass mean in terms of water?

Water must gain or lose large amounts of heat energy before changing temperature

***At what temperature and state is water most dense?

4 degrees C and liquid

***What important property of water allows it to contain nutrients for life?

It is a universal solvent

What is a watershed?

A geographic area of land in which precipitation drains to a common point or body of water; includes surface and groundwater flow

***What type of systems are rivers and streams and what does that mean?

Lotic systems - they are continuously flowing

***What are properties of 1st order or lower order streams?

High on the landscape, fast-flowing, narrow

***What are properties of higher order streams?

Lower on the landscape, slower, deeper, wider

Name 7 different ways streams and rivers are described

Width, depth, flow rate, areas of erosion, areas of deposition, influence of geology, shape

Name the 3 shapes of streams and rivers

Straight, sinuous, meandering

Name the two properties of headwaters and riffles (in streams and rivers)

Swift and erosional

Name the two properties of lower reaches and pools (in streams and rivers)

Slower and depositional

Is the inside of a river/stream bend usually erosional or depositional? What about the outside?

The inside is usually depositional and the outside is usually erosional

***What 3 chemical properties of water are important to fish?

Temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients

***What is the name for external nutrient loading?

Allochthonous loading

***What is the name for internal nutrient loading?

Autochthonous loading

***What type of system is a lake and what does that mean?

Lentic system - a standing body of water

Name 5 parts of lake morphometry

Length, width, depth, surface area, volume

What 5 things does lake morphometry influence?

Water movements, dissolved oxygen, temperature, light, nutrient cycling

What 4 wind factors influence surface waves and Langmuir circulation?

Fetch, strength of wind, duration of wind, orientation to prevailing winds

What does seiche mean?

water movement back and forth as a result of wind

***Name the 3 layers of lakes in summer and their corresponding position and temperature

1. Epilimnion - top and warm

2. Metalimnion (thermocline) - mid and rapid temp change

3. Hypolimnion - bottom and cold

2. Metalimnion (thermocline

) - mid and rapid temp change

3. Hypolimnion - bottom and cold

***What is the state of lake stratification in early summer?

warm forming on top, thick layer of cold below

***What is the state of lake stratification in late summer?

warm on top, cold below, layers are more even

***What is the state of lake stratification in early fall?

thick layer of warm on top, thin layer of cold below

***What is the state of lake stratification in later fall?

Water turnover occurs as layer temps get closer and densities get closer; warm water mixing

***What is the state of lake stratification in winter?

All cold water

***What is the state of lake stratification in spring?

Turnover with cold water mixing

***What is the general, but not constant, relationship between water temp and DO content?

There is higher dissolved oxygen at colder water temps

***What process strips oxygen from water? What is the significance of this?

Decomposition; the bottom layer of water does not always have the highest DO content even though it is usually coldest

***What helps introduce oxygen? What is the significance of this?

Turbulence; even though the top layers of water are usually warmer, this is one factor that could lead to them still having more DO than the bottom layers

***Name the 2 bio-limiting factors in water

Nitrogen and Phosphorus

What 2 cell products are phosphorus needed for?

ATP and DNA

What cell product is nitrogen needed for?

Amino acids/proteins

Name the 3 nutrient classifications of a lake

Oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic

What are some properties of an oligotrophic lake?

clear water, deep thermocline

What are some properties of a mesotrophic lake?

some algae late summer, shallow plants, sediment buildup, thermocline at mid depth

What are some properties of a eutrophic lake?

shallow and murky water, plants dominate buildup, lots of sediment buildup

What is the world average ocean salinity?

3.5% or 35 ppt

Is freshwater or saltwater more dense?

Saltwater is more dense

What 4 things create and maintain the salinity of the ocean?

Geological time and weathering, evaporation, hydrothermal vents, volume in relation to freshwater sources

***What are Coriolis forces?

Forces from Earth's rotation that deflect objects to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere (no matter which direction they are facing to start)

***What are convection currents?

Heat/density driven cycles in the atmosphere that are divided by latitude

***What is the biological pump?

Sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere into the ocean that drives primary production through photosynthesis

***Where does nitrogen in the ocean primarily come from?

The atmosphere

***Where does phosphorus in the ocean primarily come from?

The ground

What is an ecotone?

A transition zone between biotic communities

What is a wetland?

An area of land where the soil is saturated with moisture, either permanently or seasonally

***Name the 3 important characteristics of bogs

Low nutrients, precipitation-dominated, often underlain by permafrost

***Name 4 precipitation-dominated wetlands other than bogs and 2 of their other important characteristics

Vernal pool, wet meadow, wet prairie, prairie pothole; they're depressions formed by the last glaciation and they have more open water than bogs

***Name some important characteristics of fen

groundwater-dominated, less acidic than bogs, higher nutrients than bogs, higher diversity than bogs, peat-forming

***Name some important characteristics of marshes

surface water dominated, frequently inundated with water, open water, high nutrients, neutral pH, higher biodiversity

What is a tidal freshwater marsh?

A marsh where the water level is influenced by tides but it is too upstream to be inundated by salt water

What are the hydrological functions of wetlands?

Flood prevention and groundwater recharge/discharge

What are the nutrient transformation functions of wetlands?

Nitrification, microbial removal of phosphorus, filtration of organic material, carbon storage, reduction of sulfate to sulfide, binding of metals

What are the 3 types of wetland flora?

Emergent, floating, and submerged

What is the quality of wetlands that is beneficial to fauna?

Diversity of habitats and niches

What are the two types of wetland fauna?

Permanent/frequent inhabitants and transient/seasonal inhabitants

What is an estuary?

A semi-enclosed coastal embayment with river discharge

What are some characteristics of estuaries?

Typically tidal, many types of estuaries, salinity is not static, either tide-dominated or wave-dominated

How do estuary plants vary?

Some are more salt-tolerant than others

What level of biodiversity is there in estuary fauna?

High

Name the 4 locations of deposition on shorelines

River delta, mud flats, cuspate foreland, barrier island

Name the 2 locations of erosion on shorelines

bluffs and rocky shores

***Name the 4 factors that influence zonation and whether they are more important higher or lower in the rocky intertidal zone

Desiccation and salt spray - higher; competition/predation and wave energy - lower

Name 4 characteristics of fish

Cold-blooded, craniate vertebrates, 2-chamber hearted, gilled

***Name the fish body parts, excluding fins, present on both bass and trout

Eye, mouth, nares, operculum, lateral line, scales, peduncle, vent, branchiostegal rays (not labeled on bass)

***Name the fins present on a bass

Spiny dorsal fin, soft dorsal fin, pectoral fin, pelvic fin, anal fin, caudal fin

***Name the fins present on a trout

Dorsal fin, adipose fin, pectoral fin, pelvic fin, anal fin, caudal fin

What percent oxygen is the atmosphere? What about water?

Atmosphere - 21%; water - <1%

***Where is oxygen absorbed on a fish?

Gills

How does buccal pumping work?

Mouth opens and takes in water while operculum is closed, mouth closes and operculum opens, pressure of this system pushes water out operculum and over the gills

How does oxygen enter the bloodstream and flow through the body?

Oxygen enters through a thin membrane over the blood vessels in the gills, heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the gills, the blood is then oxygenated and flows through the rest of the body

Do fish respire at a higher or lower rate than humans?

Higher

What is the relationship between body size and oxygen fish need?

As body size increases, more oxygen is needed

What is the relationship between water temperature and oxygen fish need?

As temperature increases, more oxygen is needed

How is water gained and lost in freshwater fish?

Gained through osmosis and food/drink; lost through lots of urine

How are ions gained and lost in freshwater fish?

Gained through food/drink and gill salt pumps; lost by diffusion and urine

How is water gained and lost in salt water fish?

Gained through food/drink; lost through osmosis and small amounts of urine

How are ions gained and lost in salt water fish?

Gained through diffusion and food/drink; lost through gill salt pumps and urine

***What is the sixth sense of fish?

The lateral line functions as a sixth sense because there are tons of cells with fine cilia on them that allow the fish to feel change in pressure

Other than the lateral line, how are fish senses heightened?

Otoliths in the inner ear are very sensitive to vibrations

What 3 factors must energy be balanced between?

Maintenance, growth, and reproduction

What is the relationship between temperature and metabolism?

As temperature increases, metabolism increases

***What type of growth do fish have?

Indeterminate growth

What is the number of eggs in a fish called?

Fecundity

How are fecundity and body size related?

The number of gametes increases with female body size

What happens with egg number and size in fish?

These two factors have an inverse relationship because of volume limits and sometimes there is evolutionary strategy to favor either more eggs or larger size

What is the word for fish spawning only once?

Semelparity

What is the word for fish spawning multiple times?

Iteroparity

Name the 3 modes of reproduction

Oviparity, ovoviviparity, viviparity

What is oviparity?

Egg laying; can have external fertilization (common) or internal fertilization (uncommon)

What are the similarities and differences between ovoviviparity and viviparity?

Similarities - livebearing with internal fertilization; Differences - viviparity has direct maternal nourishment while the other does not

Name the 2 sexual strategies

Gonochromism and hermaphroditism

Name the 2 interesting examples of oviparity

Nest guarding and mouth-brooders

***Name 3 ways to determine fish age

Direct observation, length-frequency distribution, calcified structures

What is the direct observation method of aging?

Mark-recapture over time to measure length increase