Ecology Vocab Chapter 7-Aquatic Ecosystems

A land area that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year

• plankton

• wetland

• nekton

• benthos

Tiny organisms that float in the water

• nekton

• wetland

• plankton

• benthos

All organisms that swim actively in open water, independent of currents. Example is fish, turtles, and whales

• nekton

• plankton

• benthos

• littoral zone

Bottom-dwelling organisms.

• benthos

• nekton

• littoral zone

• eutrophication

a shallow zone in a freshwater habitat where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants

• plankton

• nekton

• littoral zone

• wetland

bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms

• wetland

• benthic zone

• plankton

• nekton

A process by which nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, become highly concentrated in a body of water, leading to increased growth of organisms such as algae or cyanobacteria.

• wetland

• plankton

• eutrophication

• nekton

A habitat in which the freshwater of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.

• estuary

• wetland

• salt marsh

• plankton

temperate-zone estuary dominated by salt-tolerant grasses above the low-tide line and by seagrasses under water

• nekton

• salt marsh

• wetland

• plankton

a tropical or subtropical marine swamp that is characterized by the abundance of low to tall trees, especially mangrove trees

• salt marsh

• wet land

• mangrove swamp

• plankton