Ch 8 Aquatic Ecosystems Review
Plankton - ANS-Tiny organisms that float in the water
Nekton - ANS-All organisms that swim actively in open water, independent of currents
Benthos - ANS-organisms that live attached to or near the ocean floor
Decomposer - ANS-An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms
Coastal zone ecosystem type - ANS-intertidal zone
Estuary - ANS-A habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the
ocean.
Mangrove swamp - ANS-A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts,
and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water.
Zooxanthellae - ANS-a yellowish-brown symbiotic dinoflagellate present in large
numbers in the cytoplasm of many marine invertebrates.
Coral Polyp - ANS-invertebrate that builds a protective limestone cup at the base of its
body
Salt marsh - ANS-an area of coastal grassland that is regularly flooded by seawater.
Euphotic zone - ANS-Upper layer of a body of water through which sunlight can
penetrate and support photosynthesis.
Bathyal zone - ANS-the steep descent of the seabed from the continental shelf to the
abyssal zone
Abyssal zone - ANS-deepest, very cold region of the open ocean
Coastal zone - ANS-contains 90% of the ocean's biodiversity
Coral reef ecosystem services - ANS-High NPP, high D.O., habitat, protection from
storms
Plankton - ANS-Tiny organisms that float in the water
Nekton - ANS-All organisms that swim actively in open water, independent of currents
Benthos - ANS-organisms that live attached to or near the ocean floor
Decomposer - ANS-An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms
Coastal zone ecosystem type - ANS-intertidal zone
Estuary - ANS-A habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the
ocean.
Mangrove swamp - ANS-A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts,
and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water.
Zooxanthellae - ANS-a yellowish-brown symbiotic dinoflagellate present in large
numbers in the cytoplasm of many marine invertebrates.
Coral Polyp - ANS-invertebrate that builds a protective limestone cup at the base of its
body
Salt marsh - ANS-an area of coastal grassland that is regularly flooded by seawater.
Euphotic zone - ANS-Upper layer of a body of water through which sunlight can
penetrate and support photosynthesis.
Bathyal zone - ANS-the steep descent of the seabed from the continental shelf to the
abyssal zone
Abyssal zone - ANS-deepest, very cold region of the open ocean
Coastal zone - ANS-contains 90% of the ocean's biodiversity
Coral reef ecosystem services - ANS-High NPP, high D.O., habitat, protection from
storms
