Deck 8: Aquatic Biodiversity

Question 1

A jellyfish would be considered a type of ____.

A) benthos
B) zooplankton
C) nekton
D) phytoplankton
E) ultraplankton

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following are the two greatest long-term threats to coral reefs?

A) ocean acidification and overfishing
B) damage by divers and predation
C) climate change and acidification
D) erosion and sea-level rise
E) climate change and predation

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is a highly productive wetland that provides habitat for some 69 species of trees that can live in salty water?

A) seagrass beds
B) barrier beaches
C) barrier islands
D) coastal rain forests
E) mangrove forests

Answer 3

E

Question 4

What is the coastal marine ecosystem consisting of at least 60 species of plants that grow underwater in shallow marine and estuarine areas along most continental coastlines?

A) salt marshes
B) sea grass beds
C) intertidal zones
D) mangrove forests
E) coral reefs

Question 5

What is an area where a river meets the sea,and includes some of the earth's most productive wetlands?

A) euphotic zone
B) estuary
C) inlets
D) bays
E) coastal marshes

Question 6

Which of the following is not part of the coastal zone?

A) estuaries
B) coastal wetlands
C) bathyal zone
D) intertidal zone
E) coral reefs

Question 7

If you find a new species of algae floating on the surface of a coastal zone,you would likely consider it a type of ____.

A) benthos
B) zooplankton
C) nekton
D) phytoplankton
E) ultraplankton

Question 8

Which of the following is not part of the saltwater or marine aquatic life zones?

A) oceans
B) estuaries
C) inland wetlands
D) coastal wetlands
E) mangrove forests

Question 9

The single ocean on the earth is divided into four parts by the continents.Which of the following is not one of those parts?

A) Atlantic
B) Arctic
C) Baltic
D) Indian
E) Pacific

Question 10

Although they only occupy 0.2% of the ocean floor,coral reefs provide many benefits.Which of the following is not one of these?

A) They provide significant free oxygen.
B) They serve as natural barriers.
C) They protect coastlines from erosion.
D) They provide habitats for one-quarter of all marine organisms.
E) They provide one-tenth of the global fish catch.

Question 11

Strongly swimming consumers are most likely to be ____.

A) phytoplankton
B) zooplankton
C) nekton
D) benthos
E) decomposers

Question 12

Which of the following is classified as a freshwater aquatic life zone?

A) oceans
B) mangrove forests
C) rivers
D) coral reefs
E) coastal wetlands

Question 13

Since the 1950s,_____________ of the world's shallow coral reefs have been destroyed.

A) 75%
B) 50%
C) 35%
D) 22%
E) 10%

Question 14

Net Primary Productivity is highest in ____.

A) open oceans as nutrients are plentiful
B) open oceans as disturbance is minimized
C) shallow systems as nutrients are plentiful
D) shallow systems as temperatures are cooler
E) open oceans as sunlight is plentiful

Question 15

Which of the following is a major cause of increasing ocean acidification?

A) eutrophication
B) construction of dams and levees
C) rising sea level
D) rising levels of CO₂
E) decreasing dissolved oxygen

Question 16

On a fishing boat,someone catches a swordfish.As a biologist,you would consider this organism a type of ____.

A) phytoplankton
B) zooplankton
C) nekton
D) benthos
E) decomposer

Question 17

Organisms in ____ must be able to avoid being swept away,crushed by waves,or being left high and dry at low tides,and must survive daily or seasonal salinity and temperature changes.

A) estuaries
B) coastal wetlands
C) bathyal zone
D) intertidal zone
E) coral reefs

Question 18

Oysters,sea stars,and lobsters would be considered what type of organism?

A) phytoplankton
B) zooplankton
C) nekton
D) benthos
E) decomposers

Question 19

What prevents coral reefs from surviving below the euphotic zone?

A) high water density
B) high pressure
C) saline water
D) inadequate sunlight
E) damage from storms

Question 20

Several key factors help to determine the types and numbers of organisms found in the various layers of both freshwater and marine systems.What is not one of these?

A) algal bloom
B) availability of nutrients
C) temperature
D) dissolved oxygen levels
E) availability of food

Question 21

The zone in which you would expect to find deposit feeders along with oysters,clams,and sponges is the ____.

A) euphotic zone
B) abyssal zone
C) coastal zone
D) intertidal zone
E) bathyal zone

Question 22

The open,sunlit surface area away from the shore is in which zone?

A) benthic
B) littoral
C) bathyal
D) limnetic
E) profundal

Question 23

The ocean zone that covers the continental shelf is the ____.

A) bathyal zone
B) coastal zone
C) littoral zone
D) benthic zone
E) abyssal zone

Question 24

Humans have built dams and levees on many of the world's rivers to control water flows.These structures ____.

A) cause major river deltas to sink
B) prevent flooding in areas downstream of the structure
C) increase wetland habitat
D) increase floodplain area
E) improve habitat for wetland species

Question 25

The ocean zone that makes up less than 10% of the world's ocean area,yet contains 90% of all the marine species,is the ____.

A) abyssal zone
B) bathyal zone
C) benthic zone
D) coastal zone
E) littoral zone

Question 26

Which of the following is not a type of inland wetland?

A) marshes
B) littoral
C) swamps
D) prairie potholes
E) Arctic tundra

Question 27

In large lakes,there are four distinct zones.Which of the following is not one of those zones?

A) benthic
B) littoral
C) bathyal
D) limnetic
E) profundal

Question 28

Between 1980 and 2005,researchers estimated more than ____ of the world's mangrove forests were destroyed by human activities.

A) one-fourth
B) one-fifth
C) one-half
D) two-thirds
E) three-fourths

Question 29

The dimly lit zone in which zooplankton and smaller fishes predominate is the ____.

A) abyssal zone
B) euphotic zone
C) estuary zone
D) bathyal zone
E) benthic zone

Question 30

Most photosynthesis in the open ocean occurs in the ____.

A) abyssal zone
B) euphotic zone
C) estuary zone
D) bathyal zone
E) benthic zone

Question 31

In lakes,the nutrient-rich water near the shore is part of the ____.

A) limnetic zone
B) benthic zone
C) littoral zone
D) profundal zone
E) abyssal zone

Question 32

Which of the following would be characteristic of the profundal zone?

A) rooted plants
B) low oxygen levels
C) nourished by dead matter
D) high photosynthetic activity
E) decomposers and detritus feeders

Question 33

Which human activity is least likely to be a major threat to marine systems?

A) overfishing
B) sinking of ships to create artificial reefs
C) runoff of nonpoint source pollution
D) invasive species introduced by humans
E) habitat destruction from coastal development

Question 34

How much of the world's ocean area has been heavily affected by human activity?

A) 11%
B) 21%
C) 31%
D) 41%
E) 61%

Question 35

In certain areas of the open sea,winds,ocean currents,and other factors cause water to come up from the depths to the surface,bringing nutrient from the ocean bottom.This process is called a(n)____.

A) downdraft
B) updraft
C) El Niño
D) La Niña
E) upwelling

Question 36

What percentage of the world's photosynthetic activity is accomplished by phytoplankton in the euphotic zone?

A) 70
B) 60
C) 50
D) 40
E) 30

Question 37

In 2012,____ of the world's population lived along or near a coast.

A) 95%
B) 82%
C) 75%
D) 66%
E) 45%

Question 38

The deepest part of the ocean is the ____.

A) abyssal zone
B) euphotic zone
C) estuary zone
D) bathyal zone
E) benthic zone

Question 39

Fish adapted to cool,dark waters in lakes are found in the ____.

A) limnetic zone
B) benthic zone
C) littoral zone
D) profundal zone
E) abyssal zone

Question 40

Deep lakes with steep banks that have a short supply of plant nutrients are ____.

A) oligotrophic lakes
B) eutrophic lakes
C) culturally eutrophic lakes
D) hypereutrophic lakes
E) mesotrophic lakes

Question 41

In lakes,large numbers of decomposers are found in the ____.

A) limnetic zone
B) benthic zone
C) littoral zone
D) profundal zone
E) abyssal zone

Question 42

If you fish for trout,you would be most likely to seek out which part of a stream?

A) source zone
B) benthic zone
C) transition zone
D) floodplain zone
E) profundal zone

Question 43

The heavily farmed state of Iowa has lost about _____ of its inland wetlands.

A) 29%
B) 39%
C) 59%
D) 79%
E) 99%

Question 44

Oysters in Chesapeake Bay were once so abundant that they filtered and cleaned the water of the entire Bay every three days.

Question 45

The distribution of many aquatic organisms is determined largely by salinity.

Question 46

A watershed is the land area that delivers runoff,sediment,and dissolved substances to a stream.

Question 47

In most shallow systems,such as lake edges,nutrients are often in short supply,limiting the net primary productivity (NPP).

Question 48

By 2050,it is estimated that more than 50% of all coral reefs will be lost.

Question 49

The largest ocean is the Atlantic,which contains more than one-half of the earth's water.

Question 50

Four of the following are major human activities that disrupt and degrade freshwater systems;one is not.Choose the one that is not.

A) eliminating entire river systems
B) fragmenting habitats through dams and canals
C) disconnecting rivers from floodplains through flood control levees and dikes
D) adding excess nutrients and pollution through cities and farms
E) draining inland wetlands to grow crops

Question 51

Coral bleaching occurs when algae,the food of the corals,die off because of stresses such as increased ocean temperatures.

Question 52

Most of the wetlands that are lost are used for ____.

A) mining
B) urban development
C) growing crops
D) forestry
E) recreation

Question 53

Which of the following would be characteristic of a eutrophic lake?

A) crystal clear waters
B) limited population of phytoplankton
C) small supply of plant nutrients
D) well-supplied with nutrients for producers
E) low net primary productivity

Question 54

Water in the floodplain zone usually has lower temperatures and more dissolved oxygen than that in the other zones.

Question 55

Wide,slow-moving rivers containing lots of particulate matter (silt)would be typical of what aquatic life zone?

A) source zone
B) benthic zone
C) transition zone
D) floodplain zone
E) profundal zone

Question 56

Four of the following are ecological and economic services provided by inland wetlands;one is not.Choose the one that is not.

A) filtering and degrading toxic wastes and pollutants
B) stopping the recharge of groundwater aquifers
C) reducing flooding and erosion caused by storms
D) helping to sustain stream flow during dry periods
E) helping to maintain biodiversity by providing habitat

Question 57

Forty percent of the world's photosynthetic activity is conducted in the euphotic zone of the oceans.

Question 58

Barrier beaches and their accompanying sand dunes are the first line of defense against the ravages of the sea.

Question 59

Since 1960,Chesapeake Bay has suffered from water pollution.What is a major cause of this?

A) human population growth
B) dam construction
C) sea level rise
D) introduction of exotic fish species
E) waste from fishing boats

Question 60

By following the principles of sustainability,we could cut CO₂ emissions and reduce ocean ____.

A) acidification
B) pollution
C) overfishing
D) cooling
E) algal blooms

Question 61

The ____________________ is the largest of the four oceans,and contains more than one-half of the earth's water.

Question 62

____________________ are where rivers meet the sea.

Question 63

Standing freshwater is called a lotic system.

Question 64

About 80% of lost wetlands in the U.S.have been drained to ____________________.

Question 65

Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States.

Question 66

Levees built along rivers ______________the rivers from their floodplains.

Question 67

A lake is a(n)____________________ body of freshwater,which also includes ponds and inland wetlands.

Question 68

In terms of biodiversity,coral reefs are the marine equivalent of _______________ forests.

Question 69

Some wetlands are covered with water all year;others remain under water or soggy for a short time each year and are called ____________________ wetlands.

Question 70

____________________ lakes are typically shallow,have murky brown or green water,and have high nutrient levels.

Question 71

The distribution of many aquatic organisms is determined largely by the water's ____________________.

Question 72

The majority of the wetlands that have been lost since the 1600s have been lost to development of cities.

Question 73

In the deepest ocean zone,the abyssal zone,most organisms get their food from dead and decaying organisms drifting down from upper,lighted levels,a phenomenon called _______________.

Question 74

Funneling Mississippi River sediments through the wetlands and into the Gulf of Mexico,instead of into the Mississippi Delta,has caused the Delta to rise.

Question 75

Once past the coastal zone,beyond the continental shelf,the ocean is called the ____________________.

Question 76

About 20 percent of all inland wetlands in Germany and France have been destroyed.

Question 77

Precipitation that does not sink into the ground or evaporate becomes ____________________.

Question 78

Global sea levels have risen almost ____________________ meters since 1900.

Question 79

Algal blooms can result in a cloudiness called ____________________,which can reduce the penetration of sunlight.

Question 80

In deep aquatic systems,the photosynthetic zone is called the ____________________ zone.