Freshwater Biomes Test

What are the two aquatic biomes?

saltwater and freshwater

Mixture of freshwater and saltwater

Brackish Water

Freshwater makes up __ of all the water on the planet

3%

Properties of water

- Salinity
- Temperature
- Dissolved oxygen
- pH
- Turbidity (how much sediment is in the water)

How do aquatic plants improve water quality?

Aquatic plants can often help improve water quality by filtering the water, keeping sediment rooted in the ground, and by providing oxygen to the water.

Zooplankton

Photosynthetic plant planktons

Phytoplankton

Eat other planktons

Nekton

Free swimming organisms

Benthos

Live on the floor of aquatic ecosystems

Which layer of the aquatic ecosystem receives the least amount of light?

Typically the floor of aquatic ecosystems receives the least amount of light, and therefore is the coldest and lacks aquatic plants.

What is the basis of the aquatic food chain?

The basis of the food chain is typically decomposers getting energy from dead things falling from above.

Lakes and Ponds

- Static water
- No official difference between lake or pond
- Those rivers flow downhill toward sea level where the empty into the ocean.

Zones of Lakes and Ponds

- Intertidal
- Litoral
- Benthic

How are temperature and nutrients distributed in lakes and ponds?

Mixing during the spring and fall causes a more uniform distribution of temperature and nutrients

How do rivers get their water?

From melting snow and glaciers. Those rivers flow downhill toward sea level where the empty into the ocean.

Estuaries

Where rivers meet the oceans, they are typically surrounded by wetlands

Watershed/River system

The area of land around the river that drains into the river is referred to as the watershed or river system

Characteristics of Rivers

- Typically colder, faster moving, cleaner, but have less biodiversity at their source than they are at any other part of the - Slow down and widen in the middle, where they peak in biodiversity

Where does pollution go in rivers?

All pollution is brought to the mouth of the river, which typically has the highest levels of nutrients, but high turbidity and high nutrient values can limit the diversity of life

Turbidity

A measure of how clear water is

Where does the Chesapeake Bay get its name from?

The CB gets its name from the Algonquin word Chesipioc which translates to the great shellfish bay.

Where does the Chesapeake Bay run to?

The CB runs from Havre De Grace to Norfolk VA. It holds over 15 trillion gallons of water

How many people does the Chesapeake Bay watershed hold?

The CB watershed holds 18 million people with an area of 64,000 miles including states such as Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and New York

What are the 5 major rivers of the Chesapeake Bay?

The James, the Potomac, The Rappahanok, the Susquehanna, and the York
- The Susquehanna is the biggest river leading into the Chesapeake, supplying 50%of the freshwater to the bay.
- It also brings the biggest amount of pollution through surface runoff from farmland in PA and Southern New York.

Issues affecting the Chesapeake include

- Dead zones due to eutrophication
- Air pollution dissolving into the water
- Climate Change
- Loss of bay grass and oyster population
- Loss of wetlands and riparian forests

CB has several distinct habitats, what are some examples?

Wetlands - marsh around where the rivers meet the ocean
Estuaries - rivers flowing into the Bay
Open water - open water of the bay
Riparian Forests - buffer forests around the bay
Bay grasses - Bay grasses on the floor of the shallower parts of the bay
Oyster Reeves - 3D oyster reeves

Keystone species of the Chesapeake include

- Bay Grasses - provide shelter for small fish, they keep the bay floor rooted and prevent sediment, and because they filter the water. Bay grasses were on the decline due to poor water chemistry and low water turbidity which makes sunlight penetration poor.
- Oysters - provide habitat and food for small fish, break up storm surges and waves, filter 50 gallons of water per day per adult oyster.
- Blue Crab - towards the top of the food chain, also scavengers that help with decomposition