Estuaries and Tropical Foodwebs Flashcards
Define an Estuary (mix of general AND aussie terms)
partially enclosed coastal body of water periodically/permanantly open to the sea that has times measurable variable salinity due to the mix of land drainage and sea water
Describe some attributes of estuaries
- sheltered and shallow
- accumulate sediments
- variable salinity
- high turbidity
T/F: Estuaries are dynamic
True
How strong are waves that come into estuaries?
not that strong
How is the diversity of estuaries?
very poor
-rought changing conditions
What are euryhaline species?
animals able to survive estuarine conditions for a long time
What things does sediment composition influence in estuaries
chemical interactions
affects on living organisms, including burrowing animals and bioturbidity
What does bioturbidity do for the estuary?
increased the oxygenation of the sediment (the Redox Discontinuity Layer)
What is the Redox Discontinuity Layer? (RDL)
the anoxic layer of the sediment (in estuaries)
Grazing pathways are for coasts and reefs whereas ___ pathway is for estuaries and the deep ocean
Detrital
Describe the detrital food web
1) bacteria & fungi break down complex cmpds
2) protists feed on the bacteria/fungi
3) detrivores take the detritus and returnn it via feces
How is protists feeding on bacteria/fungi like graze feeding?
it keeps the populations small so they can grow back faster and break down more detritus
List the trophic groups of the estuaries
Suspension Feeders
Deposit Feeders
Predators
How do suspension feeders eat and their significance
filter feeding
*take suspended sediment and deposit it on the ground
How do deposit feeders eat-
feeders that swallow and filter sediement
