Deck 7: Aquatic Biodiversity

Question 1

What is the most likely classification for a bacteria sample obtained from the mud at the bottom of the abyssal zone? 

A) benthos 
B) a decomposer 
C) zooplankton 
D) nekton

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What is considered an ecological service of the marine ecosystem? 

A) offshore oil 
B) harbours 
C) recreation 
D) nutrient cycling

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What percentage of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans? 

A) about 50% 
B) about 60% 
C) about 70% 
D) about 80%

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which characteristics do estuaries exhibit? 

A) constant temperature and variable salinity 
B) constant temperature and salinity 
C) variable temperature and salinity 
D) variable temperature and constant salinity

Question 5

What is one function of a mangrove swamp? 

A) It provides sites for shrimp production. 
B) It provides sites for coral reefs to develop. 
C) It collects salt for salt mining. 
D) It traps sediments.

Question 6

What is characteristic of the euphotic zone? 

A) low levels of phosphate and nitrates 
B) high levels of dissolved oxygen (O₂) 
C) high levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) 
D) a low amount of sunlight

Question 7

Which statement does NOT explain why coastal wetlands are important? 

A) They filter out waterborne pollutants from swimming and wildlife areas. 
B) They reduce storm damage from large waves. 
C) They provide coral for limestone production and the tourist trade. 
D) They provide spawning and nursery grounds for marine fish and shellfish.

Question 8

What is the most likely classification for a swordfish caught from a deep-sea fishing boat? 

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

Question 9

What is most threatening to the survival of coral reefs? 

A) predation by sharks 
B) daily fluctuation in tides 
C) deep-sea fisheries 
D) increases in ocean temperature and acidity

Question 10

Which characteristic would a marine organism that lives in the intertidal zone on a barrier beach possess? 

A) intolerant to changes in salinity 
B) tolerance to changes in acidity 
C) intolerant to changes in temperature 
D) tolerance to being exposed to air

Question 11

Which trees are characteristic of a tropical coastal wetland? 

A) cypress trees 
B) coconut trees 
C) mangrove trees 
D) pine trees

Question 12

In which aquatic zone are ecosystems with the world's highest net primary productivities per unit area found? 

A) the benthic zone 
B) the bathyal zone 
C) the abyssal zone 
D) the coastal zone

Question 13

What best describes most food chains and webs in aquatic life zones when compared to those in terrestrial biomes? 

A) they are simpler and longer 
B) they are more complex and longer 
C) they are simpler and shorter 
D) they are more complex and shorter

Question 14

Which ecosystem is most likely to be found in a temperate coastal wetland? 

A) a fen 
B) a salt marsh 
C) a bog 
D) a mangrove swamp

Question 15

What is required for a coral reef to thrive? 

A) cold water 
B) dissolved oxygen and nutrients 
C) cloudy water 
D) salinity that fluctuates with the tides

Question 16

What is a disadvantage for populations of organisms living in water? 

A) less exposure to UV radiation 
B) exposure to dissolved pollutants 
C) physical support from water buoyancy 
D) fairly constant temperature

Question 17

What is an advantage for populations of organisms living in water? 

A) less fluctuations in temperatures 
B) fewer predators 
C) fluctuating population sizes 
D) physical support from water buoyancy

Question 18

What is the most likely classification for a new species of algae found floating on the surface of a coastal zone? 

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

Question 19

Which term refers to the ocean zone that extends from the shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf? 

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

Question 20

What is considered an economic service of the marine ecosystem? 

A) nursery areas for marine species 
B) nutrient cycling 
C) recreation 
D) CO₂ absorption

Question 21

What is the deepest part of the ocean? 

A) the intertidal zone 
B) the abyssal zone 
C) the euphotic zone 
D) the estuary zone

Question 22

Which marine ecosystem is the equivalent to a tropical rain forest ecosystem in terms of biodiversity? 

A) the abyssal zone 
B) the bathyal zone 
C) a coral reef 
D) an estuary

Question 23

In which lake zone are fish that are adapted to cool,dark water found? 

A) the benthic zone 
B) the littoral zone 
C) the limnetic zone 
D) the profundal zone

Question 24

In which lake zone are large numbers of decomposers found? 

A) the littoral zone 
B) the limnetic zone 
C) the benthic zone 
D) the profundal zone

Question 25

During which season is a Canadian lake most likely to show thermal stratification and restriction on mixing of surface and deeper waters? 

A) in the summer 
B) in the winter 
C) in the fall 
D) in the spring

Question 26

Which lake zone refers to the open-water surface layer? 

A) the benthic zone 
B) the profundal zone 
C) the littoral zone 
D) the limnetic zone

Question 27

Which term refers to lakes that have few minerals and low productivity? 

A) eutrophic 
B) mesotrophic 
C) autotrophic 
D) oligotrophic

Question 28

What percentage of the world's coral reefs do marine biologists estimate has been destroyed by human activities? 

A) about 5% 
B) about 10% 
C) about 15% 
D) about 20%

Question 29

What is considered an economic service of freshwater systems? 

A) nutrient cycling 
B) habitat for aquatic species 
C) groundwater recharge 
D) drinking water

Question 30

Which zone is the dimly lit (twilight)zone of the sea? 

A) the bathyal zone 
B) the coastal zone 
C) the abyssal zone 
D) the euphotic zone

Question 31

Which lake zone includes the shallow sunlit water near the shore? 

A) the benthic zone 
B) the littoral zone 
C) the limnetic zone 
D) the profundal zone

Question 32

In what zone are hydrothermal vents with chemosynthetic-based communities found? 

A) in the euphotic zone 
B) in the abyssal zone 
C) in the coastal zone 
D) in the estuary zone

Question 33

What is considered an ecological service of freshwater systems? 

A) recreation 
B) hydroelectricity 
C) nutrient cycling 
D) irrigation

Question 34

In which zone does most of the photosynthesis in the open sea occur? 

A) in the coastal zone 
B) in the bathyal zone 
C) in the abyssal zone 
D) in the euphotic zone

Question 35

What is the result of a lake "turnover"? 

A) It brings oxygen to the surface and nutrients to the lake bottom. 
B) It brings oxygen and nutrients to the lake bottom. 
C) It brings oxygen to the lake bottom and nutrients to the surface. 
D) It brings oxygen and nutrients to the surface.

Question 36

What percentage of the Earth's surface is covered by fresh water? 

A) about 1% 
B) about 5% 
C) about 10% 
D) about 15%

Question 37

During which season would an ecologist expect to find a thermocline in a temperate lake? 

A) in the fall 
B) in the summer 
C) in the spring and summer 
D) in the spring

Question 38

What is a characteristic of an oligotrophic lake? 

A) It has low net primary productivity. 
B) It has murky brown or green water. 
C) It has a dense fish population. 
D) It has an abundance of phytoplankton.

Question 39

During which season would an ecologist expect a temperate lake to demonstrate "turnover"? 

A) in the spring and summer 
B) in the spring and fall 
C) in the fall and winter 
D) in the fall and summer

Question 40

Which characteristic would a marine organism that lives in the intertidal zone on a steep rocky shore possess? 

A) intolerant to changes in temperature 
B) tolerance to being exposed to air 
C) intolerant to changes in salinity 
D) tolerance to changes in acidity

Question 41

In which areas of Canada are freshwater inland wetlands at greatest risk of being lost due to human-related activities? 

A) the boreal forest 
B) the rocky mountains 
C) the prairies 
D) the high arctic

Question 42

Coral bleaching occurs when corals become stressed and expel their zooxanthellae.

Question 43

The euphotic zone would include such animals as sharks and zooplankton.

Question 44

What percentage of the world's freshwater supply is located in Canada? 

A) about 20% 
B) about 25% 
C) about 30% 
D) about 35%

Question 45

In which river zone are plants that are adapted to attach to rocks mostly found? 

A) in the source zone 
B) in the transition zone 
C) in the limnetic zone 
D) in the floodplain zone

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT a type of inland freshwater wetland? 

A) a marsh 
B) an estuary 
C) a bog 
D) a fen

Question 47

Coral reefs are sensitive biological indicators of environmental conditions.

Question 48

Phytoplankton flourish most abundantly in the bathyal zone on the ocean.

Question 49

The two types of aquatic life zones on the Earth are freshwater life zones and coastal life zones.

Question 50

What is responsible for the formation of prairie potholes? 

A) meteor impacts 
B) Earthquakes 
C) retreating glaciers 
D) volcanic craters

Question 51

Food chains and food webs in aquatic systems are usually simpler and shorter than those in terrestrial biomes.

Question 52

An estuary is important because it is a partially enclosed area where seawater mixes with freshwater and nutrients from rivers,streams,and runoff from land.

Question 53

What is a characteristic of the floodplain zone of a river? 

A) it interacts with the saltwater aquatic zone 
B) it is a poor place to fish 
C) it has clear, cold water 
D) it has low net primary production

Question 54

The aquatic equivalent of terrestrial biomes are called aquatic life zones.

Question 55

Sea stars,anemones,hermit crabs,and periwinkles all can be found in the rocky shore zone.

Question 56

The euphotic zone is that region of the ocean just below the limit of light absorption.

Question 57

A cause of coral bleaching is increased water temperature.

Question 58

In which river zone would an ecologist look for a deep meandering stream? 

A) in the floodplain zone 
B) in the benthic zone 
C) in the source zone 
D) in the transition zone

Question 59

What would be a result of building a dam in the transition zone of a river? 

A) increased amount of sediment reaching the floodplain zone 
B) decreased amount of water in the watershed 
C) decreased water flow downstream 
D) increased amount of water in the source zone

Question 60

A major group of marine organisms that live on the bottom of the ocean are called nekton.

Question 61

Precipitation that does not sink into the ground or evaporate is known as_________________________.

Question 62

Toxic ____________________ will first affect the limnetic zone of a lake.

Question 63

The bottom layer of a lake is called the ____________________ zone.

Question 64

A highly productive zone in a coastal zone is an estuary.

Question 65

The area of shoreline between the low and high tides is called the intertidal zone.

Question 66

Currently,about _________________________ of the world's population live along coasts or within 100 kilometres of a coast.

Question 67

Wetlands that are dominated by sphagnum moss are referred to as ____________________.

Question 68

One of the ecological services that marine ecosystems provide is nutrient cycling.

Question 69

The ______________________________ are highly productive marshes located in central Canada.

Question 70

________________________lakes have a low supply of nutrients.

Question 71

The area of shoreline between low and high tides is called the ____________________ zone.

Question 72

The land area that provides runoff,sediments,and dissolved substances via small streams to a major stream or river is known as a ___________________________________.

Question 73

Classification of the vertical zones of the open sea (euphotic,bathyal,and abyssal)is based primarily on ___________________________________.

Question 74

You would find crabs and periwinkles in the ____________________ zone.

Question 75

Organisms that live in the oceanic zone between 200 and 1000 metres in depth live in the mesopelagic zone.

Question 76

Coral reefs involve a __________________________ relationship between the coral polyps and zooxanthellae that live in the tissues of the polyps.

Question 77

The top layer of a lake near the shoreline is called the ____________________ zone.

Question 78

The ____________________________ extends from the high-tide mark to the edge of the continental shelf.

Question 79

About _________________________ of the world's beaches are eroding because of coastline development and rising sea levels.

Question 80

In the summer in many temperate lakes,the ________________________ separates the epilimnion from the hypolimnion.