Questions and Answers
What are the two broad categories of inland waters?
What type of organisms are described as Nekton?
Swimming organisms
What percentage of oceanic life is found in the benthic zone?
98%
Which zone is the richest of all marine environments?
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The pelagic zone comprises only 10% of the total oceanic area.
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A population can comprise a single cohesive __________ or many distinct populations.
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What defines the sizes of populations?
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Match the air pollutants with their sources:
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Study Notes
Island of Water
- Inland waters serve essential human needs for irrigation, drinking, hydroelectric power, and waste disposal.
- Category of inland waters includes running (lotic) and standing (lentic) water habitats.
Lotic Habitats
- Includes mountain brooks, streams, and rivers characterized by high water flow and oxygen concentration.
Lenthic Habitats
- Comprises ponds and lakes with slower water flow and reduced oxygen levels.
- Benthos organisms include snails, mussels, crustaceans, and various insects that inhabit the bottom or submerged vegetation.
- Nekton refers to swimming organisms, while plankton denotes small floating or weakly swimming plants and animals.
Ocean
- Oceans cover 71% of Earth’s surface with an average depth of 3.75 km (2.3 miles) and are crucial for supporting life.
- More than 200,000 species inhabit oceans, with 98% found on the seabed (benthic) and 2% in the open ocean (pelagic).
- The photic zone is where sunlight allows photosynthesis to occur.
Life in the Ocean
- Divided into various regions, including:
- Littoral Zone: Intertidal area where land and sea meet; richest yet harshest environment, inhabited by barnacles, snails, mussels, and sea stars.
- Sublittoral Zone: Always submerged, rich biodiversity including brown algae forests.
- Estuary: Semi-enclosed areas where freshwater meets saltwater, nutrient-rich, supporting diverse wildlife.
- Neritic Zone: Shallow waters extending to continental shelf (~200m depth); highly productive, supports world's fisheries.
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Pelagic Zone: Vast open ocean making up 90% of oceanic area; biologically less diverse due to sinking nutrients.
- Epipelagic: Sunlit upper ocean layer.
- Mesopelagic: Twilight zone with limited light.
- Bathypelagic, Abyssopelagic, Hadopelagic: Deeper zones characterized by darkness and progressively lower temperatures.
Community
- A community comprises various species occupying the same habitat, showcasing species diversity.
- Interactions among species define the structure of ecological communities.
Air Pollutants
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Ozone (O3):
- Formed by reactive organic gases (ROG) and nitrogen oxides reacting in sunlight; originates from fuel burning, solvents, and industrial processes.
- Causes breathing difficulties and damage to materials; can be mitigated by emissions standards and energy conservation.
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Respirable Particulate Matter:
- Sources include road dust, agriculture, construction, and fireplaces, alongside other pollutants like acid rain.
Characteristics of Population
- Size refers to the density of individuals in a habitat.
- Birth or reproductive rate (Natality) is significant for understanding population dynamics.
- Populations can vary significantly, as seen in distinct groups of species despite geographic separations.
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Description
Test your knowledge on inland and ocean habitats in this quiz. Explore the unique characteristics of lotic and lentic waters, and learn about the diverse organisms that inhabit these ecosystems. Challenge yourself with questions about the importance of oceans and their ecological significance.
