1.3 - Aquatic Biomes

Question 1

Characteristics of aquatic biomes

Answer 1

1. salinity - how much salt water there is in a body of water determines which species can survive and usability for drinking (freshwater vs estuary vs ocean)
2. Flow - How much O2 can dissolve in the water, determines which plants and organisms can survive
3. Depth - Influences how much sunlight can penetrate and reach plants below the surface for photosynthesis
4. Temperature - warmer water holds less dissolves O2 so it can support fewer aquatic organisms

Question 2

What are 3 types of freshwater biomes?

Answer 2

1. wetlands
2. rivers
3. lakes

Question 3

Explain rivers as a freshwater biome

Answer 3

they have high O2 due to flow mixing water & air, also carry nutrient-rich sediments (deltas & flood plains = fertile soil)

Question 4

What are the zones of a lake?

Answer 4

1. Littoral - shallow water with emergent plants
2. limnetic - where light can reach (photosynthesis)
   - no rooted plants, only phytoplankton
3. Profundal - too deep for sunlight (no photosynthesis)
4. Benthic - murky bottom where inverts (bugs) live, nutrient-rich sediment

Question 5

What are lakes?

Answer 5

Standing bodies of fresh H2O (key drinking H2O sources)

Question 6

What is a wetland?

Answer 6

An area with soil submerged/saturated in water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough for emergent plants

Question 7

What is special about animals living in wetlands?

Answer 7

They need to be adapted to living with roots submerged in standing water

Question 8

What are the benefits of wetlands?

Answer 8

1. stores excess water during storms, lessening floods
2. recharges groundwater by absorbing rainfall into soil
3. roots from wetland plants filter pollutants from water draining through
4. high plant growth due to lots of water and nutrients (dead organic matter) in sediments

Question 9

What type of plant grows in a swamp?

Answer 9

Cyprus trees

Question 10

What type of plant grows in a marsh?

Answer 10

reeds and cattails

Question 11

What kind of plant grows in a bog?

Answer 11

Spruce and sphagnum moss

Question 12

What are estuaries?

Answer 12

• areas where rivers empty into the ocean
• mix of fresh and saltwater
• high productivity due to nutrients in sediments deposited in estuaries by rivers

Question 13

Explain a salt marsh

Answer 13

• Estuary habitat along coast in temperate climates
• breeding ground for many fish and shellfish species

Question 14

Explain Mangrove swamps

Answer 14

• Estuary habitat along coast of tropical climates
• mangrove trees with long, stilt roots stabilize shoreline and provide habitat for many species of fish and shellfish

Question 15

Explain coral reefs as biomes

Answer 15

• Warm shallow waters beyond the shoreline; most diverse marine (ocean) biome on earth
• Mutualistic relationship between coral (animals) & algae (plants)

Question 16

Explain the relationship between coral reefs and algae

Answer 16

• Mutualistic relationship
• Coral takes CO2 out of the ocean to create calcium carbonate exoskeleton and provides CO2 for the algae
• Algae lives in the reef and provides sugar to the reef through photosynthesis
• Both species rely on each other -coral couldn’t survive without energy from the algae and algae needs the home of the coral reef and the CO2

Question 17

Explain intertidal zones

Answer 17

• narrow land of coastline between high and low tides
• Organisms must be adapted to survive the crashing of the waves and direct sunlight/heat during lowtide
• Shells and tough outer skin can prevent drying out during low tide

Question 18

What is desiccation

Answer 18

aquatic species drying out from the sun

Question 19

Explain open ocean

Answer 19

• low productivity/area as only algae and phytoplankton can survive in most of the ocean
• The ocean and population of algae and phytoplankton is so large that they produce a lot of the earths O2 and absorb a lot of atmospheric CO2
• Photic zone = area where sunlight can reach
• Aphotic zone = area too deep for sunlight

Question 20

What is a photic zone?

Answer 20

area where sunlight can reach

Question 21

What is an aphotic zone?

Answer 21

area too deep for sunlight