Chapter 7

Question 1

Wetland

Answer 1

land consisting of marshes or swamps; saturated land.

Question 2

Plankton

Answer 2

the small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh water, consisting chiefly of diatoms, protozoans, small crustaceans, and the eggs and larval stages of larger animals.

Question 3

Nekton

Answer 3

aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents.

Question 4

Benthos

Answer 4

the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water.

Question 5

Littoral zone

Answer 5

the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. I

Question 6

Benthic zone

Answer 6

the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers.

Question 7

Eutrophication

Answer 7

excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.

Question 8

Estuary

Answer 8

the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.