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

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

Question 6

benthic zone

Answer 6

is 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.

Question 9

salt marsh

Answer 9

also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides.

Question 10

mangrove swamp

Answer 10

is a distinct saline woodland or shrubland habitat formed by mangrove trees in brackish tidal water.

Question 11

barrier island

Answer 11

are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast.

Question 12

coral reef

Answer 12

an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate.