Coastal Ecosystems Quiz

Estuaries and Coastal Ecosystems

• Estuaries are bays where rivers empty into the sea, mixing fresh water with salt water.
• Salt marshes are shallow wetlands flooded regularly or occasionally with seawater, occurring on shallow coastlines, including estuaries.
• Tide pools are depressions in a rocky shoreline that are flooded at high tide but retain some water at low tide.
• Barrier islands are low, narrow, sandy islands that form parallel to a coastline, occurring where the continental shelf is shallow and rivers or coastal currents provide a steady source of sediments.

Freshwater Ecosystems

• Freshwater ecosystems vary according to depth and light penetration, which control size and types of vegetation.
• Pelagic zone refers to the water column, with the epipelagic zone having photosynthetic organisms.
• Below the epipelagic zone are the mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssal, and hadal zones, with decreasing light penetration and depth.
• Littoral zones refer to shorelines, with the intertidal zone being the area exposed by low tides.

Marine Ecosystems

• Marine ecosystems vary mainly with depth, temperature, and salinity.
• Coral reefs and estuaries are among the world’s most productive and diverse ecosystems.
• Vertical stratification is a key feature of aquatic ecosystems, with communities below the photic zone relying on energy sources other than photosynthesis.
• Temperature and salinity also affect the amount of oxygen and other elements that can be absorbed in water.
• Phytoplankton are microscopic floating algae that carry on photosynthesis in pelagic ecosystems.
• Zooplankton are small, weakly swimming animals that feed on phytoplankton.

Ocean Systems

• Ocean systems are classified based on depth and proximity to shore, with benthic communities occurring on the bottom.
• Mangrove forests or swamps help stabilize shorelines and are critical nurseries for fish, shrimp, and other commercial species.

Freshwater Lakes

• Freshwater lakes have distinct vertical zones, including the benthos, epilimnion, hypolimnion, and thermocline boundary.
• Benthos refers to the bottom, occupied by various snails, burrowing worms, fish, and other organisms.
• Epilimnion is a warmer upper layer that is mixed by wind and warmed by the sun.
• Hypolimnion is a colder, deeper layer that is not mixed.

Wetlands

• Wetlands are shallow ecosystems in which the land surface is saturated or submerged at least part of the year.
• They have vegetation that is adapted to grow under saturated conditions.
• Swamps are also known as wooded wetlands, while marshes are wetlands without trees.
• Bogs are areas of saturated ground, with deep layers of accumulated, undecayed vegetation known as peat.
• Fens are similar to bogs except that they are mainly fed by groundwater, with mineral-rich water and specially adapted plant species.

Human Disturbance

• Humans have become dominant organisms over most of the earth, damaging or disturbing more than half of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems to some extent.

Test your knowledge on different coastal ecosystems such as estuaries, salt marshes, tide pools, and barrier islands. Learn about the unique characteristics and functions of these important ecological systems.