Aquatic Ecosystems Exam 1 Perusal Questions

The name of the curve that describes the distribution of the world's land mass:

Hypsographic curve

What gives water the ability to conduct electricity?

The dissolved substances within the water are good conductors

If there are two lakes, 1 at sea level and 1 in the mountains, which will have a higher oxygen concentration?

The lake in the mountains

Why is oxygen necessary for human respiration?

Oxygen works as the final electron acceptor

What is an osmoconformer?

organism that adjust its body fluids to match the osmotic concentration of their environment

____ is produced in situ.

Autochthonus

___ soils consist of low organic matter.

Mineral

Briefly describe two aspects of tolerators in regards to wetland adaptations:

Plants have frequently adapted over time to fit their environment, systems have methods in place to survive in scenarios of stress being put on the area

What is the ideal N:P ratio?

6.6

___ water has a pH of over 7, ___ water has a pH under 7, and __ water has a pH of 7

alkaline, acidic, pure

What is the amount of biomass (or energy) formed over a specified period of time?

production/productivity

what is the key depth where the rate of photosynthesis = the rate of respiration?

compensation point

Define thalweg

deepest part of the active channel

Types of freshwater colonization?

Direct & Secondary

What is the Intermediate disturbance hypothesis?

Intermediate disturbances lead to high diversity

Why is calcium carbonate important in marine ecosystems?

It is the primary ingredient for skeletons and shells that many marine organisms depend on for survival.

When should bottom-up vs top-down apply?

Depends if a change to the top of the food chain is made or the bottom of the food chain

DOM' is ____.

Dissolved Organic Matter

___ is >1,000um in size, has an abundance of input via dead and dying aquatic plants, and has poor nutritional quality

CPOM or Course particulate Organic Matter

___ is the amount of meandering within a valley

Sinuosity

What are the 3 dimensions of streams?

Lateral, Vertical, Longitudinal

What is low flow?

only 5 percent of time is flow in a river/stream lower than this

What is Recurrence Interval?

average number of years between two floods of similar size

What is exceedance probability?

probability of a flood of that size or larger occurring in any given year

Define Liebig's Law

Growth is dictated not by total resources available, but by the scarcest resource

Define detritus

Particulate dead matter

The organization of organisms within the aquatic ecosystem is modulated by _______?

Disturbance

What is the HSS model?

Postulates that herbivores are kept in check by top-down pressure from predators preventing herbivores from eating all of the primary producers.

Define Anoxia

The lack of oxygen leading to chemical changes in the soil

Define Blue carbon:

Carbon captured and stored by ocean and coasts underground

What are some characteristics of osmoregulators?

Low salt conc, keep water out, excrete a lot of water, have high metabolic costs

Why are bogs so low in nutrients?

Because bogs are mainly acidic making it easy for nutrients to leave.

Define a wetland:

An area of land whose characteristics are determined by the presence of water, either permanent water logging or through regular, usually seasonal, flooding.

What characteristics of water make it so valuable to nature?

Water consists of polar covalent bonds, and also acts as a universal solvent. It also has a high boiling point and can help maintain temperature. It is essential in all biological processes.

Which of the following temperatures is the maximum density of water?

A. 100 C

B. 0 C

C. 30 C

D. 4C

C. 30

What is the difference between a conformer and tolerator?

Which of the following is true of osmoregulators?

A. Most marine species are osmoregulators.

B. Metabolically expensive adaptions are required for these species.

C. Their internal body fluids are in osmotic equilibrium with external water.

D. Relatively low internal salinity is required.

B. Metabolically expensive adaptions are required for these species.

Explain the mid order in the river continuum concept and explain how it differiente from the low order and high order.

If the NEP > 0 the ecosystem ____ C and acts a ____.

1) releases, carbon sink

2) stores, carbon sink

3) releases, carbon source

4) stores, carbon sink

stores, carbon sink

What can break down cellulose?

A. Humans

B. Monkeys

C. Bacteria

D. None of the above

Bacteria

What's the productivity of tropical rainforests?

A 2000

B 3000

C 4000

D 1500

2000

What is considered the "universal solvent" as LOTS dissolved in it?

A: Ethanol

B: Water

C: Carbon

D: Nitrogen

Water

What is the maximum depth at which photosynthesis can occur?

A. Compensation point

B. Eutrophic Depth

C. Critical depth

D. Mixing depth

Eutrophic Depth

T/F: Most organsisms' evolution was marine, and most marine species are osmoregulators

False! (most are osmoconformers)

T/F: animal diversity is much higher in the sea than land

True!

What is the sediment/water interface called in a habitat?

A. pelagic zone

B. benthic zone

C. neuston zone

D. fringing zone

benthic zone

Which type of substrate is most easily eroded?

A. clay

B. boulders

C. pebbles

D. sand

sand

What is the average precipitation of the U.S?

A) 25 inches

B) 30 inches

C) 39 inches

D) 45 inches

30 inches

Which areas of Earth receive the most precipitation on average?

a. Tropics

b. Temperate zones

c. Regions near 30 N and S latitudes

d. Polar zones

Tropics

T/F: The atmosphere is the primary source of dissolved gases in water.

True

T/F: The pH of seawater is highly variable but the pH of freshwater is fairly constant.

false

What does Dr.Doyle's wife call him?

A. Doc Doyle

B. Robert

C. Robert the Bruce

D. Mudmucker

Mudmucker

Regarding the river geomorphological "tree", the branches represent the sediment ____ zone.

A. Transport

B. Erosion

C. Deposition

D. Transfusion

Erosion

____ break up big pieces of organic matter

. A. Shredders

B. Predators

C. Collectors

D. Scrapers

Shredders

Q: ____ are smaller particles suspended in the water column and transported. A. Bedload

B. Sediment Load

C. Suspended Load

D. FPOM

Suspended Load

Drop down style question: What are the three parts of the river geomorphological tree-

Branches- Sediment Erosion Zone

Trunk- Sediment Transport Zone

Roots- Sediment Deposition Zone

what is the order of the amazon river?

12th

What type of reservoir does water spend most of its time in? A. oceans B. atmosphere C. Polar icecaps D. Rivers

Polar icecaps

Aquatic Systems, more specifically NPP, are not limited by moisture and temperature but by ____ and _______.

Light and Nutrient

Distribution and abundance of aquatic organisms primarily defined by ___ and for terrestrial organisms primarily defined by ___

A: disturbances, biotic interactions

B biotic interactions, disturbances

C. HSS model, Top-Down model

D. Top-Down model, HSS model

A: disturbances, biotic interactions

What is the most important or "master" variable of controlling wetland structure?

A: Temperature

B: Hydric Soils

C: Support Hydrophytes

D: Hydrology

Hydrology

T/F Fresh water species have a higher metabolic cost than salt water species?

True

What is a trophic cascade?

A. Tropical storm

B. Shortage of nutrients

C. Addition or removal of organisms from an ecosystem

D. None of the above

Addition or removal of organisms from an ecosystem

Which of these is NOT one of the 3 zones that deep water can be divided into?

A. Epilimnion

B. Metalimnion

C. Hyperlimnion

D. Hypolimnion

Hyperlimnion

What is the master variable controlling wetland structure?

A. Hydrology

B. Soil

C. Vegetation

D. None of the above

Hydrology

Which of the following has the highest NPP?

A. Costal marshes

B. Tropical rainforest

C. Mangroves

D. Peatlands

Costal marshes

Which of the following habitats is defined by "open water?

A: Benthic

B: Neuston

C: Pelagic

D: Fringing

Pelagic

Which of the habitats is defined by "shallow water"?

A: Pelagic

B: Benthic

C: Neuston

D: Fringing

Fringing