ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 20 - AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM

a group of organisms dependent on one another and a water environment for nutrients and shelter

low productivity

a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it

the number of variety of organisms in a certain region.

measure of diversity in an ecological community. accounts for richness and total number of different species in a community.

variations in ecosystems

"essentially unchanged" when subject to some sort of disturbance.

the capacity or ability of an ecosystem to recover from a disturbance or withstand ongoing changes or pressures.

indicates the state or level of something ex.) frogs

a species n which other species largely depend on

when an organism absorbs a substance (usually toxic) at a rate faster than that at which the substance is lost by catabolism and excretions

the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely dispersed.

71%

oil dispersants booms & skimmers leaving the oil alone in situ burning

booms are floating barriers placed around the oil and the -skimmers are boats

work like dish soap -breaks up the oil into tiny suspended droplets in the water -naturally occurring bacteria would then consume the droplets & the dispersant would rapidly biodegrade/

some scientists argue that oil spills should be left to disperse naturally. oil spills are dispersed by natural physical processes in high-energy environments where strong wind current and wave action help to break up the oil.

freshly spilled oil is ignited while it's still floating on the water.

food shelter & energy health & hygiene manufacturing transportation

• most organism contain over 50% liquid water by weight. water fills cells and supports their structure and provides a medium in which life-sustaining chemical reactions can take place. such as regulating body temperature.

any physical

run-offs from farm fields and feedlots

factories

pathogens plant nutrients & other organic matter heavy metals other inorganic chemicals sediment petrochemical and other organic chemicals heat

microscopic disease-causing bacteria. viruses

urine and feces from animals as well as nitrates & phosphate from fertilizers

inorganic chemicals including: mercury

extremely virulent disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea.

• takes between 12 hours to 5 days for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food or water. -can kill within hours if untreated

an acute illness associated with fever caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria. The bacteria is deposited in water or food by a human carrier and are then spread to other people in the area.

a carrier of typhoid fever who worked as a cook and spread it to multiple wealthy families. she was eventually caught and quarantined in a deserted island where she escaped and returned to working as a cook

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is primarily spread when an uninfected/unvaccinated person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the feces of an infected person. -does not cause chronic liver disease and is rarely fatal

poliomyelitis is a highly infectious viral disease

He discovered and developed one of the first successful polio vaccines.

intestinal bacteria whose presence in a water sample indicates fecal contamination

1. take a water sample

2. place the sample on a growth medium

3. after 24 hours

the breakdown of complex molecules in living organisms to form simpler ones

ponds lakes rivers floodplains wetlands

bacteria

sizable body of water surrounded by land and fed by rivers

-oligotrophic -eutrophic

shallower

smaller bodies of still water located in natural hollows or created by dams

fresh

salt water that covers 70% of the world's surface

typically have a salinity content between that of an ocean and a fresh water ecosystem

a partially enclosed body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it

-coastal plain -tectonic -bar built -fjord

Formed at end of last ice age when rising sea level invaded low lying coastal river valleys. ex.) The Thames (England)

created when the sea fills in the 'hole' or basin that was formed by the motion of the earth's crust that creates cracks and faults on the land ex.) San Francisco Bay

formed when sandbars build up along the coastlines. usually shallow

valleys that have been cut deeper by moving glaciers and then invaded by the sea. They are narrow with steep sides and usually straight and long

seas are smaller than oceans and are usually located where the land and ocean met. a sea is part of the ocean partially enclosed by land.

human disturbances have not impaired the natural functioning

natural state is out of balance. can be physical

-loss of species -accelerated growth of organisms -tumours or deformities in animals -change in chemical properties -loss of Aboriginal culture associated with ecosystems

everything is interconnected

-environmental legislation to protect water from toxic substances -integrated resource planning; consider relationships among land development and water -technology -environmental monitoring -compensatory measures

a land area that is saturated with water

soil that is saturated permanently or seasonally by water

• characterizes wetlands

• absorb the impact of hydrologic events ( large waves or floods )

• filter sediments and toxic substances

• supply food and essential habitat

• also provide products for food

swamp marsh bog

wetlands characterized by the presence of trees growing on silty organic muck soils.

• dominated by trees and are often named for the type of trees that grow in them.

• they are transition areas

freshwater swamps saltwater swamps

commonly found inland and form around lakes and streams.

they are found and form on tropical coastlines. -plants that are able to tolerate tidal flooding grow ( mangrove trees ) and decay

One of the largest freshwater swamps in the United States. -it is a slow moving river flowing from the Kissimmee River

A saltwater swamp that grows mangrove trees.

a type of wetland

plants that have no persistent woody stem above ground

tidal saltwater marshes tidal freshwater marshes inland freshwater marshes

form a grassy fringe near river mouths

lie farther inland than saltwater marshes

found along the fringes of lakes and rivers where the water table

a freshwater wetland of soft

blanket bogs cataract bogs quaking bogs raised bogs string bogs valley bogs

they take hundreds or thousands of years to develop

• a bog is forrmed when a lake slowly fills with plant debris. -plants grow out from the lake's edges until it eventually covers the lake's entire surface

develop in highland areas with significant rainfall: the bog "blankets" the entire area

ecosystems that feature a permanent freshwater stream.

develop over a lake or pond

vaguely dome-shaped

have a varied landscape

develop in shallow valleys

A significant program that aims at protecting our remaining wetlands. Signed by Canada and the United States in reaction to the sharp decline in waterfowl populations associated with the destruction of their habitat.

atmosphere water air soil sun UV radiation salinity

parasitism predation competition for food competition for space fungi plants

affect the ability of organims to survive and reproduce. they restrict the growth of populations and help determine the number and types of numbers of organisms able to exist within an environment.

living organisms that affects another organism in its ecosystem. this inlcudes the organisms themselves

their interaction with each other. for a community of an ecosystem to survive

a lake or body of water rich in nutrients and so supporting a dense plant population

A lake

characterized by a low accumulation of dissolved nutrient salts

an organism that can live in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients

-cool temperatures -high oxygen concentrations

• low availability of nutrients -low biological productivity -steep shorline and deep bottom reduce heating during summer and help maintain lower water temperatures

-warm temperatures -low oxygen availability -high availability of nutrients -high biological productivity -shallow bottom reduces total water volume and increases heating during summer

• nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer is spread on fields to help crops grow

• rain causes runoff to streams