Science - Life in Estuaries

They make their own food.

• producers

• consumers

• decomposers

They depend on other organisms for food.

• producers

• consumers

• decomposers

They eat the detritus and produce nutrient-rich wastes.

• producers

• consumers

• decomposers

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

• brackish water

• detritus

• estuaries

• intertidal zones

is the area where the ocean meets the land between high and low tides.

• brackish water

• detritus

• estuaries

• intertidal zones

It is the result when freshwater meets saltwater.

• brackish water

• detritus

• estuaries

• intertidal zones

They are rotting plants such as mangroves and seagrasses.

• brackish water

• detritus

• estuaries

• intertidal zones

The concentration of saltwater.

• salinity

• dissolved oxygen

• temperature

• sunlight

It is an indicator of how healthy water in estuaries are.

• salinity

• dissolved oxygen

• temperature

• sunlight

Adequate levels of these in the water are necessary for fish, crabs, and aquatic animals.

• salinity

• dissolved oxygen

• temperature

• sunlight