APES Mod 3: Aquatic Biomes

aphotic zone

The deeper layer of ocean water that lacks sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis.

Benthic Zone

The muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean beneath the limnetic and profundal zones.

Chemosynthesis

A process used by some bacteria to generate energy with methane and hydrogen sulfide.

Coral Bleaching

A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white.

Coral Reef

Represents Earth’s most diverse marine biome, and are found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline in tropical regions.

Estuary

An area along the coast where the fresh water of rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean.

Eutrophic

Describes a lake with a high level of fertility.

freshwater biomes

Categorized as streams and rivers, lakes and ponds, or freshwater wetlands

freshwater wetlands

An aquatic biome that is submerged or saturated by water for at least part of each year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation.

intertidal zone

The narrow band of coastline that exists between the levels of high tide and low tide.

limnetic zone

A zone of open water in lakes and ponds as deep as the sunlight can penetrate.

littoral zone

The shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds near the shore where most algae and emergent plants such as cattails grow.

mangrove swamp

A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water

mesotrophic

Describes a lake with a moderate level of fertility

oligotrophic

Describes a lake with a low level of phytoplankton due to low amounts of nutrients in the water.

photic zone

The upper layer of ocean water in the ocean that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis.

phytoplankton

floating algae

profundal zone

A region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the limnetic zone in very deep lakes.

salt marsh

found along the coast in temperate climates, a marsh containing nonwoody emergent vegetation.

open ocean

Deep-ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom.