Oceans - Intertidal Ecosystem: Plum Island Sand Saltmarsh, US CS

Question 1

What is a saltmarsh?

Answer 1

Vegetated areas of deposited silt and clays

Question 2

What is a salt marsh an example of?

Answer 2

Low energy coastal environment, subject to tidal inundation and exposure twice daily

Question 3

What are the 5 sections of a salt marsh?

Answer 3

• Mud flat
• Lower marsh
• Upper marsh
• Creek
• Shrubland

Question 4

What is a mudflat?

Answer 4

Low lying areas of the shore composed of silt and clay that are submerged at high tide

Question 5

Features of a mudflat?

Answer 5

• Minimum veg coverage
• Shallow elevation
• No decomposition
• Mineral - fluvial resources

Question 6

Features of a lower marsh?

Answer 6

• Pioneer species - halosere
• High salinity
• Inundated by high tide twice a day
• Mud flat

Question 7

Features of an upper marsh?

Answer 7

• More veg
• More elevated land
• High biodiversity
• Covered at high tide

Question 8

Features of a creek?

Answer 8

• Channel starts from the sea inland
• Changes with the tide

Question 9

Features of a shrubland?

Answer 9

• Increased biodiversity
• Increase in veg
• High tides do not reach it
• Trees

Question 10

What are the two environments in a salt marsh?

Answer 10

• Pelagic
• Benthic

Question 11

What are examples of producers in this ecosystem?

Answer 11

• Salt meadow cord grass
• Green algae
• Phytoplankton

Question 12

Example of primary consumers?

Answer 12

• Grass shrimp
• Mussles
• Marsh snails

Question 13

Examples of secondary consumers?

Answer 13

• Eel
• Atlantic killi fish
• Atlantic silver side

Question 14

Example of Apex predators?

Answer 14

• Striped bass
• Great blue heron
• Spider

Question 15

Food chain for Pelagic environment?

Answer 15

Boat shaped diatom -> eel worm -> algae -> dagger blade cord grass shrimp -> grey plover

Question 16

Food chain for Benthic environment

Answer 16

Salt meadow cord grass -> detritus -> earth worm -> shrimp -> Atlantic killi fish -> heron

Question 17

Is this ecosystem dominated by short or long food chains?

Answer 17

Long

Question 18

Does it have a large amount of habitats?

Answer 18

Yes

Question 19

What is the biodiversity compared with the Southern ocean?

Answer 19

Higher

Question 20

What’s exposed during high water spring tide?

Answer 20

Upper border / shrubs

Question 21

What submerged during low water spring tide?

Answer 21

Subtidal zone

Question 22

Name the tides in order of high water height levels? Least -most

Answer 22

• Low water ST
• Low water NT
• High water NT
• High water ST

Question 23

What is the nutrient supply in the upper border?

Answer 23

Decomposed organic matter

Question 24

Where does subtidal get get its nutrient supply from?

Answer 24

Dissolved and solid nutrient transported fluvial + regular tide

Question 25

What resides in the upper border?

Answer 25

• Leaf Hopper
• Foxes
• Deer
• Hawk

Question 26

What resides in the upper marsh?

Answer 26

• Great blue heron
• Grey plover
• Spider

Question 27

What resides in the tidal mudflat?

Answer 27

• Cope pod
• Eel worm
• Mussle
• Grey plover

Question 28

What effects the ecosystem?

Answer 28

• Variations in light
• Variations in temperature
• Variations in nutrient supply