L35 - Marine Ecosystems

Question 1

what are ecosystem services?

Answer 1

how ecosystems provide to the huamn population directly (food) or indirectly (filtering air)

Question 2

how do marine ecosystems provide services?

Answer 2

by water purification, waste management and nutrient cycling

Question 3

what ecosystem has the greatest phylogenetic level biodiversity?

Answer 3

marine ecosystem

Question 4

why do marine ecosystems have the greastest level of biodiversity?

Answer 4

they have been there the longest, more time to evolve

Question 5

what are biodiversity hotspots in marine ecosystems?

Answer 5

coral reefs - 9 million different species

Question 6

what is ecosystem functioning?

Answer 6

nature provides us with clean water, air and food via biodiversity

Question 7

what are advantages associated with sea weed?

Answer 7

source of biofuel production
food source
fast growth rate and absorbs CO2
aliginates from seaweed used for combatting disease by cellular reconstruction

Question 8

what are estuaries?

Answer 8

regions of water where the river meets the sea

Question 9

what is the hadal zone?

Answer 9

9000m below sea level

Question 10

what is the most common estuary type?

Answer 10

eustatic sea level rise flooded u-shaped valleys)

example Chesapeake USA

Question 11

what do offshore deposits cause?

Answer 11

barriers across bays and inlets/ bar built estuaries

Question 12

what are 3 types of estuary?

Answer 12

1) coastal plains with eustatic sea level rise (flooded u-shaped valley)
2) bar built estuaries (off shore deposits)
3) sinking bays with flooding (isostatic variation driven by tectonic activity)

Question 13

what effects tidal range?

Answer 13

the shape of the estuary

Question 14

how can we classify estuaries?

Answer 14

tidal range:
microtidal <2m
macrotidal 4-6m
hypertidal >6m

Question 15

what are estuaries a source of?

Answer 15

renewable energy

Question 16

how is salinity in an estuary measured?

Answer 16

proxy equipment

Question 17

how does salinity characterise estuaries?

Answer 17

it shows how well the water is mixed

Question 18

what is sediment in estuaries?

Answer 18

soft fine silt rich in OM

Question 19

how are species characterised within estuaries?

Answer 19

oxygen and salinity levels

Question 20

what does sediment produce during anaerboic breakdown?

Answer 20

CH4 and H2S

Question 21

what is zone 1 in relation to an estuary?

Answer 21

head of estuary river , low salinity (5)

Question 22

what is zone 2 in relation to an estuary?

Answer 22

main mixing area of fresh river water and salinity ocean water

Question 23

what is zone 3 in relation to an estuary?

Answer 23

salinity is 18-25

Question 24

what is zone 4 in relation to an estuary?

Answer 24

increasing salinity of 25-35

Question 25

what is zone 5 in relation to an estuary?

Answer 25

where the mouth of the river meets the sea, fully saline

Question 26

what organisms are found in zone 1 (fresh water)?

Answer 26

fish

Question 27

what organisms are found in zone 2?

Answer 27

polychaetes, nematodes, crustaceans and fish

Question 28

what organisms are found in zone 3?

Answer 28

anthropoda

Question 29

what organisms are found in zone 4?

Answer 29

filter feeders like mussels and oysters, eels and salmon (migrators)

Question 30

what organisms are found in zone 5?

Answer 30

no plants, too salty, algae found

Question 31

what effects Thames Fish Diversity (growth and abundance)?

Answer 31

climate change