APES Ch. 8

aquatic

pertaining to water

aquatic life zone

marine and freshwater portions of the biosphere

benthos

botton-dwelling organisms

coastal zone

warm, nutrient-rich, shallow part of the ocean that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the edge of a shelflike extension of continental land masses known as the continental shelf

coastal wetland

Lang along a coastline, extending inland from an estuary that is covered with salt water all or part of the year

coral reef

formation produced by massive colonies containing billions of tiny coral animals, called polups, that secrete a stony substance (calcium carbonate) around themselves for protection

cultural eutrophication

overnourishment of aquatic ecosystems with plant nutrients (mostly nitrates and phospate) because of human activites such as ariculture, etc.

decomposer

organism that digests part of dead organisms, and cast-off fragments and wastes of living organisms by breaking down the complex organic molecules in those materials into sampler inorganic compounds and then absorbing the soluble nutrients.

drainage basin

the entire area drained by a stream and its tributaries

estuary

partially enclosed coastal area at the mouth of a river where its freshwater, carrying fertile silt and runoff from the land, mixes with salty seawater

euphotic zone

upper later of a body of water through which sunlight can penetrate and support photosynthesis

eutrophic lake

lake with a large excessive supply of plant nutrients, mostly nitrates and phosphates

forest

biome with enough average annual precipitation to support the growth of tree species and smaller forms of vegetation

freshwater life zones

aquatic systems where water with a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1% by volume accumulates on or flows through the surface of terrestrial biomes

hypereutrophic

results of excessive inputs of nutrients in a lake

inland wetland

land away from the coast, such as a swamp, marsh or bog, that is covered by all or part of the time with freshwater

intertidal zone

the area of shoreline between low and high tides

lake

large natural body of standing freshwater formed when water from precipitation, land, or groundwater flow fills a depression in the earth created by glaciation, earth movement, volcanic activity, or a giant meteorite

mangrove swamps

Swamps found on the coastlines in warm tropical climates. They are dominated by mangrove trees, any of about 55 species of trees and shrubs that can live partly submerged in the salty environment of coastal swamps.

marine life zone

type of saltwater life zone

mesotrophic lake

lake with a moderate supply of plant nutrients

nekton

strongly swimming organisms found in aquatic systems

oligotrophic lake

lake with a low supply of plant nutrients

open sea

part of an ocean that lies beyond the continental shelf

plankton

Small plant organisms (phytoplankton) and animal organisms (zooplankton) that float in aquatic ecosystems

runoff

freshwater from precipitation and melting ice that flows on the earth’s surface into nearby streams, lakes, wetlands, and reservoirs

saltwater intrusion

movement of saltwater or backish (slighting salty) water into freshwater aquiers in coastlast and inland areas as groundwater is withdrawn faster than it is recharged by precipitation

saltwater life zones

aquatic life zones associated with oceans: oceans and their accompanying bays, estuaries, coastal wetlands, shorelines, coral reefs, and mangrove forests

stream

flowing body of surface water

surface water

precipitation that does not infiltrate the ground or return to the atmosphere by evaporation or transpiration

turbidity

cloudiness in a volume of water; a measure of water clarity in lakes and other bodies of water

watershed

land area that delivers water, sediments, and dissolved substances via small streams to a major stream (river)

wetland

land that is covered all or part of the time with salt water or freshwater, excluding streams, lakes, and the open ocean

zooplankton

animal plankton; small floating herbivores that feed on plant plankton (phytoplankton)