Aquatic Biomes Practice Flashcards

A Comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the characteristics, zones, and types of aquatic biomes based on lecture materials.

Salinity

The amount of salt in a body of water, which determines which species can survive and its usability for drinking.

Depth

An aquatic factor that influences how much sunlight can penetrate and reach plants below the surface for photosynthesis.

Temperature (Aquatic)

A factor determining which organisms can survive; warmer water holds less dissolved $O_2$ and supports fewer aquatic organisms.

Rivers

Aquatic biomes with high $O_2$ due to flow mixing water and air, which carry nutrient-rich sediments that create fertile soil in deltas and floodplains.

Lakes

Standing bodies of fresh $H_2O$ that serve as key sources of drinking water.

Littoral Zone

The shallow water area of a lake characterized by the presence of emergent plants.

Limnetic Zone

The area of a lake where light can reach for photosynthesis; it contains phytoplankton but no rooted plants.

Profundal Zone

The area of a lake that is too deep for sunlight to reach, meaning no photosynthesis occurs there.

Benthic Zone

The murky bottom of a lake or ocean where invertebrates live in nutrient-rich sediments.

Freshwater Wetland

An area with soil submerged or saturated in water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough for emergent plants like cattails, lily pads, and reeds.

Estuaries

Areas where rivers empty into the ocean, characterized by a mix of fresh and salt water and high plant productivity due to nutrient-rich sediment.

Salt Marsh

An estuary habitat along the coast in temperate climates that serves as a breeding ground for many fish and shellfish species.

Mangrove Swamps

An estuary habitat along the coast in tropical climates featuring trees with long, stilt roots that stabilize the shoreline.

Coral Reef

The most diverse marine biome on earth, located in warm shallow waters beyond the shoreline.

Mutualistic Coral-Algae Relationship

A relationship where coral provides $CO_2$ and a calcium carbonate home for algae, while algae provide energy (sugar) to the coral via photosynthesis.

Intertidal Zone

A narrow band of coastline between high and low tide where organisms must adapt to crashing waves and direct sunlight/heat during low tide.

Sea Wrack

A type of seaweed in the intertidal zone that curls up and secretes mucus to retain water during low tide.

Open Ocean

A vast biome where algae and phytoplankton produce large amounts of $O_2$ and absorb atmospheric $CO_2$, though it has low productivity per unit area.

Photic Zone

The upper area of the open ocean where sunlight can reach to allow for photosynthesis.

Aphotic Zone

The deep area of the ocean where sunlight cannot reach, forcing species to rely on detritus or chemosynthetic microbes at hydrothermal vents for energy.