Deck 25: Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems

Question 1

Organisms living on the sediment surface of sandy and muddy beaches are collectively referred to as ________.

Answer 1

epifauna

Question 2

Bacterial decomposition on sandy beaches is most rapid at ________ tide.

Answer 2

low

Question 3

In tidal pools,

A)oxygen concentrations are usually higher during the day than during the night.
B)carbon dioxide concentrations are usually higher during the day than during the night.
C)salinity is usually higher during the night than during the day.
D)temperature is usually higher during the night than during the day.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The root extensions of mangroves are called ________.

Question 5

The ________ zone of a rocky shoreline is submerged and exposed by tides daily.

Question 6

________ plants are adapted to grow in water or on soil that is periodically anaerobic because of excess water.

Question 7

The part of a rocky shore in which barnacles,oysters,mussels,limpets,and brown algae are most common is called the

A)littoral or intertidal zone.
B)infralittoral or subtidal zone.
C)supralittoral or supratidal zone.
D)superlittoral or supertidal zone.

Question 8

All coastal shores have one feature in common: they are alternately exposed and submerged by the ________.

Question 9

Fucus is found in the

A)infralittoral zone.
B)subtidal zone.
C)midlittoral zone.
D)supralittoral zone.

Question 10

________ forests typically grow in the intertidal zone of tropical coasts where wave action is absent,sediments accumulate,and the muds are anoxic.

Question 11

The duration,frequency,depth,and season of flooding of a freshwater period are collectively referred to as the ________.

Question 12

________ are the detrital-feeding organisms responsible for the conspicuous coiled and cone-shaped casts found on sandy beaches.

A)Gastropod mollusks
B)Lugworms
C)Nematodes
D)Polychaete worms

Question 13

Wetlands in which considerable amounts of water are retained by an accumulation of partially decayed organic matter are referred to as ________.

Question 14

Tiny organisms living between the particles of sand and mud on beaches are collectively referred to as ________.

Question 15

The ________ fringe occurs above the ocean along a rocky shoreline and is contacted by saltwater only once every two weeks during spring tides.

Question 16

Seasonally flooded,forested wetlands along river systems are referred to as bottomlands or ________ woodlands.

Question 17

Which zone is also known as the spray zone?

A)infralittoral zone
B)littoral zone
C)midlittoral zone
D)supralittoral zone

Question 18

In comparison to rocky coasts,intertidal organisms living on sandy or muddy beaches

A)experience greater variability in salinity.
B)experience greater variability in temperature.
C)are more likely to be attached to the substrate.
D)are more likely to move back and forth with the tides.

Question 19

The intertidal zone is defined by

A)being a marine environment.
B)containing starfish.
C)being continually exposed and submerged by the ocean.
D)rocky shores.

Question 20

A salt ________ refers to a herbaceous plant community thriving in the intertidal zone,typically along the fringe of estuaries and islands along the coast at temperate latitudes.

Question 21

Cordgrass (Spartina),glassworts (Salicornia),and spearscale (Atriplex)are types of plants commonly found in

A)bogs.
B)salt marshes.
C)mangroves.
D)riparian forests.

Question 22

Bogs formed when a lake basin fills in from above rather than from below,creating a floating mat of peat over open water,are called

A)fens.
B)blanket mires.
C)moors.
D)quaking bogs.

Question 23

Which wetland type is known for low pH?

A)fringe wetlands
B)mires
C)bogs
D)bottomlands

Question 24

Which plants are known for their pneumatophores?

A)cattails
B)ash trees
C)mangroves
D)Spartina

Question 25

What is true regarding sandy shores?

A)There are rich biota on the sand surface.
B)Tidal patterns exist.
C)Sea urchins live in this environment.
D)They are much cooler than ocean environments.

Question 26

Compared to low tidal marshes,high tidal marshes are characterized by

A)lower salinity.
B)decreased input of nutrients.
C)higher tidal exchange rates.
D)a phenotypically taller,greener cordgrass (Spartina).

Question 27

Freshwater wetlands dominated by woody vegetation are referred to as

A)swamps.
B)marshes.
C)mangrove forests or mangals.
D)prairie potholes.

Question 28

In salt marshes,predatory fish move in when

A)the tide is high.
B)migratory fishes are spawning.
C)the sun goes down.
D)salinity is low.

Question 29

Mangrove forests are found primarily in

A)tropical areas.
B)freshwater areas.
C)eutrophic areas.
D)cold-water areas.

Question 30

Salt marshes

A)occur mostly in temperate latitudes.
B)are inhabited by plants that often have root extensions rising above the water.
C)are always submerged,except during the lowest of low tides.
D)are important nurseries for fish.

Question 31

Mangrove swamps

A)are formed by a single species of tree adapted to variable salinities.
B)have relatively anoxic soils.
C)occur mostly in temperate latitudes.
D)typically occur along rocky coastlines subjected to heavy wave action.

Question 32

A wetland with trees is called a

A)marsh.
B)swamp.
C)fen.
D)bog.

Question 33

Which of the following mismatches a wetland with its location?

A)the Everglades-Florida
B)the Fens-England
C)the Okavango-Egypt
D)the Pantanal-Brazil

Question 34

What type of wetlands would be found adjacent to the Missouri River?

A)fringe wetlands
B)mires
C)bogs
D)bottomlands

Question 35

The ability to live in a semi-submerged state,have a high salinity tolerance,and possess hollow tubes for root oxygenation best describes the dominant eastern North American tidal plant

A)bald cypress (Taxodium distichum).
B)bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica).
C)cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora).
D)rockweed (Fucus spp.).

Question 36

Herbaceous vegetation such as reeds,sedges,grasses,and cattails typically grow in freshwater

A)marshes.
B)swamps.
C)riparian woodlands.
D)peatlands or mires.

Question 37

Intertidal mud flats in tropical regions are typically composed of

A)salt marshes.
B)peatlands.
C)mangrove forests or mangals.
D)oysterbeds.

Question 38

What is formed when an accumulation of peat rises above the surrounding landscape?

A)moors
B)fens
C)mires
D)marshes

Question 39

What is an important attribute of the cordgrass Spartina?

A)It is fast-growing.
B)It is desiccation-resistant.
C)It is salt-tolerant.
D)It lives primarily under water.

Question 40

The major food sources for both deposit-feeding and filter-feeding organisms are

A)zooplankton.
B)zooanthellae.
C)phytoplankton.
D)bacteria.

Question 41

The diversity of organisms is greater in the intertidal zone of rocky shores than in sandy and muddy shores.

Question 42

The floating peat over open water makes this habitat a

A)swamp.
B)marsh.
C)bog.
D)fen.

Question 43

Bird and mammal predators are more common in salt marshes during low tide than during high tide.

Question 44

Shoreline communities exhibit strong zonation.

Question 45

Freshwater wetlands are important in supporting

A)waterfowl.
B)aquatic invertebrates.
C)amphibians.
D)all of the above.

Question 46

The hydroperiod of a wetland is longest for

A)riverine wetlands.
B)basin wetlands.
C)fringe wetlands.
D)coastal wetlands.

Question 47

The installation of tile drainage systems on farms removes wetlands from the Midwestern landscape.This with the loss of coastal marshes in the South are dramatically impacting

A)migratory waterfowl.
B)blue crabs.
C)salmon.
D)crayfish.

Question 48

Which area is best known for its large effect of hydroperiod?

A)bottomlands
B)prairie potholes
C)fens
D)bogs

Question 49

Most organisms in the intertidal zone of sandy shores burrow into the sand.

Question 50

The roots of mangrove trees often have extensions called pneumatophores that facilitate oxygen absorption by the roots.

Question 51

Salt marshes occur mostly below the intertidal zone and are exposed only during very low tides.

Question 52

Salinity is more variable in the intertidal zone of rocky shores than in sandy and muddy shores.

Question 53

Ribbed mussels (Modiolus demissus),fiddler crabs (Uca spp.),and marsh periwinkles (Littorina spp.)are the dominant animals of a high salt marsh.

Question 54

Peat bogs and mires generally form under ________ conditions.

A)only dystrophic
B)only eutrophic
C)both dystrophic and oligotrophic
D)both oligotrophic and eutrophic

Question 55

Sphagnum is an important component of which system?

A)bottomlands
B)peatlands
C)swamps
D)marshes

Question 56

In tidal pools,carbon dioxide concentrations are higher during the day than during the night.

Question 57

Peatlands differ from other wetlands in that

A)the rate of organic production exceeds the rate of decomposition.
B)there is no outflow of water,resulting in increasing salinities.
C)they are seasonal,filling with water during the wet season and drying out during the dry season.
D)they have a two-way flow of water due to tidal action.

Question 58

The meiofauna of a sandy beach are organisms living on the surface of sediments.

Question 59

Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)can be found in different forms,such as tall in the low marsh environment and short in the high marsh environment.This response to environmental conditions is an example of genotypic plasticity.

Question 60

On rocky shores,shallow pools produced by ebbing tides maintain the same temperature and salinity as the open ocean.

Question 61

The Everglades National Park is one of the smallest natural wetlands in the world.

Question 62

Wetlands subjected to a long hydroperiod support more submerged and deep-water emergents than wetlands with a shorter hydroperiod.

Question 63

Because bogs depend on precipitation for nutrient inputs,they are highly deficient in mineral salts and are low in pH.

Question 64

The environment surrounding the roots of mangrove trees provides a sheltered nursery for the larvae and juvenile crabs,shrimp,and fish.

Question 65

Riverine wetlands usually have a longer hydroperiod than basin wetlands.

Question 66

The dominant herbivore in prairie marshes is the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus).