Deck 26: Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems

Question 1

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

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

Answer 1

D

Question 2

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.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

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

Question 5

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.

Question 6

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 7

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

Question 8

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 9

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

Question 10

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

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

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 fishes.

Question 16

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

Question 17

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

Question 18

The root extensions of mangroves are called ________.

Question 19

________ 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 20

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

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

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 24

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

Question 25

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 26

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 27

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 28

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 29

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 30

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

Question 31

Freshwater wetlands dominated by woody vegetation are referred to as

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

Question 32

Shoreline communities exhibit strong zonation.

Question 33

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 34

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 35

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

Question 36

The hydroperiod of a wetland is longest for

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

Question 37

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

Question 38

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

Question 39

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 40

Intertidal mud flats in tropical regions are typically composed of

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

Question 41

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

Question 42

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

Question 43

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

Question 44

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

Question 45

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 46

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

Question 47

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

Question 48

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

Question 49

Riverine wetlands act as natural flood-control reservoirs.

Question 50

Riverine wetlands usually have a longer hydroperiod than basin wetlands.

Question 51

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