Chapter 6 Reading Q’s: Aquatic Biodiversity
Miller Living in the Environment
APES
I.
Why should we care about the coral reefs? a.
Where and how do coral reefs form? b.
Give 3 benefits of coral reefs.
II.
III.
c.
Give 3 ways humans are affecting coral reefs. d.
What is coral bleaching? What are 2 causes of coral bleaching?
Aquatic Environments a.
The Water Planet: Saltwater and Freshwater i.
How much of the planet is covered in water? ii.
What is salinity? b.
What Kinds of organisms Live in Aquatic Life Zones? i.
Identify and describe 4 types of aquatic organisms. c.
Life in Layers i.
Identify 4 factors that can determine the type and quantity of aquatic organisms. ii.
What is the euphotic zone? iii.
What is an upwelling?
Saltwater Life Zones a.
Why Should we care about the oceans? b.
The Coastal Zone: Where Most of the Action is i.
Describe the location of the coastal zone. ii.
Give 3 reasons why coastal zones have high NPP. c.
Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands: Centers of Productivity i.
What is an estuary? ii.
What is a coastal wetland? iii.
iv.
Give 3 reasons why these are productive ecosystems.
Describe and give the location of mangrove forests. v.
Give 3 ecological and economic services of mangrove forests. vi.
Give 3 reasons why humans are destroying mangrove forests. d.
Figure 6-5 i.
Identify and describe the location of estuaries, coastal zone, euphotic zone, bathyal zone, and abyssal zone. e.
Rocky and Sandy Shores: Living with the Tides i.
What causes tides?
IV.
ii.
Where is the intertidal zone? iii.
What are 3 adaptations of organisms that live in the intertidal zone? iv.
What are barrier islands? v.
Using figure 6-10, describe the natural protective barriers on barrier beaches. f.
Threats to Coral Reefs: Increasing Stresses i.
Why are corals vulnerable to damage? ii.
Describe the biodiversity of a coral reef. iii.
How much of the world’s coral reefs could be lost due to climate change? iv.
What is some good news about coral reefs? g.
Biological Zones in the Open Sea: Light Rules i.
List and describe the 3 zones of the open sea. ii.
List 2 types of organisms on the ocean floor. iii.
Describe the NPP of the ocean. h.
Effects of Human Activities on Marine Systems: Red Alert i.
Using figure 6-13, list and describe 5 ways humans are hurting the oceans.
Freshwater Life Zones a.
Freshwater Systems i.
Compare lotic and lentic systems. b.
Lakes: Water Filled Depressions i.
List and describe the 4 zones of a lake. c.
Effects of Plant Nutrients on Lakes: Too much of a good thing i.
Describe oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes. ii.
What is cultural eutrophication? d.
Freshwater Streams and Rivers: From the Mountains to the Oceans i.
What is runoff? ii.
What is a watershed?
Aquatic Biodiversity 1

iii.
Describe the 3 different zones of a river. iv.
What do coastal wetlands and deltas provide? v.
How are protective coastal delta’s build up? vi.
How have human activities effected the coastal wetlands? e.
Dams, Deltas, Wetlands, Hurricanes, and New Orleans (Case Study) i.
How have humans changed the coastline of New Orleans? ii.
How deep is New Orleans below sea level? f.
Freshwater Inland Wetlands: Vital Sponges i.
What is an inland wetland? ii.
List 5 other names for inland wetlands. iii.
Describe 7 ecological and economic services of inland wetlands. g.
Impacts of human Activities on Freshwater Systems i.
List and describe 4 impacts that humans have on freshwater systems. h.
Case Study: Inland Wetland Losses in the US i.
How much of the US inland wetlands have been lost? ii.
What are 2 consequences of this loss?
Key Terms (Terms are listed in the same font style as they appear in the text.) abyssal zone (p. 135) arctic tundra (p. 140) barrier beaches (p. 133) barrier islands (p. 133) bathyal zone (p. 135) benthic zone (p. 137) benthos (p. 128) coastal wetland (p. 129) coastal zone (p. 129) continental shelf (p. 129) coral bleaching (p. 126) coral reefs (p. 133) cultural eutrophication (p. 138) decomposers (p. 128) deposit feeders (p. 135) drainage basin (p. 138) estuary (p. 129) euphotic zone (p. 128) euphotic zone (p. 135) eutrophic lake (p. 138) filter feeders (p. 135) floodplain zone (p. 138) floodplains (p. 140) flowing (lotic) (p. 136) freshwater (p. 127) freshwater life zones (p. 136) inland wetlands (p. 140) intertidal zone (p. 131) lakes (p. 136) limnetic zone (p. 136) littoral zone (p. 136) mangrove forests (p. 129) marshes (p. 140) mesotrophic lake (p. 138) nekton (p. 128) oligotrophic lake (p. 138) open sea (p. 135) overturns (p. 137) phytoplankton (p. 128) plankton (p. 128) polyps (p. 126) prairie potholes (p. 140) profundal zone (p. 137) rocky shores (p. 132) runoff (p. 138) salinity (p. 127) saltwater ( marine ) (p. 127) sandy shores (p. 133) seasonal wetlands (p. 140) source zone (p. 138) standing (lentic) (p. 136) surface water (p. 138) swamps (p. 140) tides (p. 131) transition zone (p. 138) ultraplankton (p. 128) watershed (p. 138) xooxanthellae (p. 126) zooplankton (p. 128)