02 - Freshwater Ecosystems

Open Ended

How do changes in Earth's surface, such as pollution or resource management, impact aquatic ecosystems and their sustainability?

Multiple Choice

Why is it important to study aquatic ecosystems in understanding Earth's environmental systems?

• Because they cover most of Earth's surface and influence global processes

• Because they are isolated from other ecosystems

• Because they only contain fish and plants

• Because they do not interact with human activities

Fill in the Blank

Ponds are generally ___ than lakes.

Multiple Choice

What type of plants are found in the littoral zone that root at the bottom and pass through the water surface?

• Floating plants

• Emergent plants

• Submerged plants

• Phytoplankton

Multiple Select

Which of the following are true about the profundal zone in lakes?

• It is cold and aphotic.

• It supports emergent vegetation.

• It is located beneath the limnetic zone.

• It receives little to no sunlight.

Multiple Choice

Which zone in a lake is nearest to the shore and characterized by warm, shallow, sunlit waters with emergent plants?

• Limnetic zone

• Profundal zone

• Littoral zone

• Benthic zone

Open Ended

Explain how the characteristics of the limnetic zone differ from those of the littoral zone in lakes and ponds.

academic vocabulary : salinity, DO, light, nutrient availability, temperature, benthos, nekton, shallow, deep

Multiple Choice

Compare the nutrient levels and turbidity between oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes.

• Oligotrophic lakes have high nutrient levels and high turbidity, while eutrophic lakes have low nutrient levels and low turbidity.

• Oligotrophic lakes have low nutrient levels and low turbidity, while eutrophic lakes have high nutrient levels and high turbidity.

• Oligotrophic lakes have high nutrient levels and low turbidity, while eutrophic lakes have low nutrient levels and high turbidity.

• Oligotrophic lakes and eutrophic lakes both have high nutrient levels and high turbidity.

Open Ended

Explain how streams (creeks) and rivers differ in terms of their physical characteristics and the amount of water they carry.

Academic vocabulary - narrow/wide, run off

Fill in the Blank

Each section of a river has different properties.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following are characteristics of the headwaters or river source?

• High dissolved oxygen

• High nutrient levels

• Warm water temperatures

• High turbidity

Multiple Choice

Which of the following changes occur as a river moves from its source to the transition zone?

• The river widens and deepens

• Water temperature decreases

• Dissolved oxygen increases

• Nutrient levels decrease

Open Ended

Describe the changes that occur in the transition zone of a river.

Academic vocabulary - DO, temperature, salinity, turbidity, widen, deepen

Multiple Choice

What is the main reason floodplains are very fertile?

• Floodplains receive a lot of sunlight.

• Floods deposit soil sediments dissolved from upstream, increasing soil nutrient levels.

• Floodplains are close to mountains.

• Floodplains have high salinity.

Multiple Select

Which of the following characteristics are found at the mouth of a river as it enters the ocean?

(3)

• Low dissolved oxygen

• High nutrients

• Cold water temperatures

• High turbidity

Fill in the Blank

Wetlands are areas containing soils that are usually ___________ meaning completely saturated in water.

Multiple Choice

Which type of wetland is found in low-lying, treeless areas?

• Swamp

• Bog

• Marsh

• Floodplain

Multiple Choice

What distinguishes swamps from other types of wetlands?

• Swamps are dominated by trees.

• Swamps have acidic water.

• Swamps are found in high-altitude areas.

• Swamps are always dry.

Open Ended

Explain how bogs slow decomposition and nutrient cycling, and describe the role of floating mats in bog ecosystems.

Academic vocabulary - acidic, nutrient cycling, floating mats

Multiple Choice

Which adaptation helps wetland plants obtain more oxygen for their submerged roots?

• Floating

• Carnivorous

• Emergent

• Photosynthetic

Multiple Choice

Reflecting on today's lesson about aquatic ecosystems, what is one factor that can affect the carrying capacity of an ecosystem?

• Availability of sunlight

• Presence of predators

• Amount of nutrients

• All of the above

Open Ended

How do changes in Earth's surface, such as pollution or resource management, impact the cycling of matter and energy in aquatic ecosystems?