Lorca, Princess Anne H.

BS ENTREP 1-3

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Define the following terms:

1. Marine ecosystem

Marine ecosystems are aquatic environments with high levels of dissolved salt. These include the open
ocean, the deep-sea ocean, and coastal marine ecosystems, each of which have different physical and
biological characteristics.

2. Estuaries

A water passage where the tide meets a river current especially. An arm of the sea at the lower end of a
river.

3. Ocean

A very large expanse of sea, in particular each of the main areas into which the sea is divided
geographically.

4. Benthic zone

The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake,
or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are
called benthos and include microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi)[1][2] as well as larger invertebrates,
such as crustaceans and polychaetes.[3] Organisms here generally live in close relationship with the
substrate and many are permanently attached to the bottom. The benthic boundary layer, which
includes the bottom layer of water and the uppermost layer of sediment directly influenced by the
overlying water, is an integral part of the benthic zone, as it greatly influences the biological activity that
takes place there. Examples of contact soil layers include sand bottoms, rocky outcrops, coral, and bay
mud.

5. Pelagic zone

Pelagic zone, ecological realm that includes the entire ocean water column. Of all the inhabited
Earth environments, the pelagic zone has the largest volume, 1,370,000,000 cubic kilometers
(330,000,000 cubic miles), and the greatest vertical range, 11,000 meters (36,000 feet). Pelagic life is
found throughout the water column, although the numbers of individuals and species decrease with
increasing depth. The regional and vertical distributions of pelagic life are governed by the abundance of
nutrients and dissolved oxygen; the presence or absence of sunlight, water temperature, salinity, and
pressure; and the presence of continental or submarine topographic barriers.

6. Planktons

The word “plankton” comes from the Greek for “drifter” or “wanderer.” An organism is
considered plankton if it is carried by tides and currents, and cannot swim well enough to move against
these forces. Some plankton drift this way for their entire life cycle.

7. Zooplanktons

Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word
for animal). They are heterotrophic (other-feeding), meaning they cannot produce their own food and
must consume instead other plants or animals as food. In particular, this means they eat phytoplankton.

8. Freshwater

Freshwater is water that contains only minimal quantities of dissolved salts, thus distinguishing it from
sea water or brackish water. All freshwater ultimately comes from precipitation of
atmospheric water vapor, reaching inland lakes, rivers, and groundwater bodies directly, or after
melting of snow or ice.