Ecology exam 1

Individual

a living being — the most fundamental unit of ecology

adaptations

characteristics of an organism that make it well suited to its environment

lotic

characterized by fresh water

riparian zone

a band of terrestrial vegetation influenced by seasonal flooding and elevated water tables.

allochthonous

inputs of organic matter, such as leaves, that come from outside the stream ecosystem

autochthonous

produced from inside the ecosystem by algae and aquatic plants

Ponds and lakes

aquatic biomes characterized by nonflowing fresh water with at least some area of water that is too deep for plants to rise above the water’s surface

littoral zone

the shallow area around the edge of a lake or pond containing rooted vegetation, such as water lilies and pickerelweed

limnetic (or pelagic) zone

The open water beyond the littoral, where the dominant photosynthetic organisms are floating algae, or phytoplankton

profundal zone

Very deep lakes also have a it and does not receive sunlight because of its depth

benthic zone

The sediments at the bottoms of lakes and ponds constitute it, which provides habitat for burrowing animals and microorganisms

epilimnion

The surface water, can be warmer than the deeper water known as the hypolimnion

hypolimnion

deeper water

thermocline

this temperature region is between the epilimnion and the hypolimnion, which is a middle depth of water that experiences a rapid change in temperature over a relatively short distance in depth. Serves as a barrier to mixing between the epilimnion and hypolimnion.

spring turnover

The vertical mixing of lake water that occurs in early spring. brings nutrients from sediments on the bottom to the surface and oxygen from the surface to the depths. This mixing results in the rapid growth of phytoplankton, the microscopic algae that float throughout the water column and serve as a major food source for herbivores

stratification

In late spring and early summer, surface layers of water gain heat faster than deeper layers. At this point, the thermocline is created. Once the thermocline is well established, the surface and deep waters no longer mix because the warmer, less dense surface water floats on top of the cooler, denser water below, a condition

fall turnover

The vertical mixing that occurs in the fall and is assisted by winds that drive surface currents

neritic zone

extends to a depth of about 200 m, which corresponds to the edge of the continental shelf

oceanic zone

nutrients are sparse, and production is strictly limited

photic zone

the area of the neritic and oceanic zones that contains sufficient light for photosynthesis by algae

aphotic zone

the area of the neritic and oceanic zones where the water is so deep that sunlight cannot penetrate

intertidal zone

biome consisting of the narrow band of coastline between the levels of high tide and low tide

estuaries

areas along the coast where fresh water at the mouths of rivers mixes with the salt water from oceans

Freshwater wetlands

aquatic biomes that contain standing fresh water or soils saturated with fresh water for at least part of the year that are shallow enough to have emergent vegetation throughout all depths