Estuarine Habitats
The 3 types of estuarine habitats
What are wetlands, mudflats, and channels
Gyres turn this direction in the Northern Hemisphere
what is clockwise
This is the most common strategy used by organisms living in an estuary to combat salinity changes
what is osmoregulation
These are the 5 types of estuaries
What are
Drowned river valleys
Bar-built estuaries
Fjords
River deltas
Tectonic estuaries
what are euryhaline species
The two types of wetlands, differentiated by their climate
What are salt marshes and mangrove forests
As you float on ocean and face the river shore, the water will have lower salinity on this side if you are in the Southern Hemisphere
what is the left side
Seawater has a greater concentration of solute (~35%) than the internal environment of the salmon (~18%) so water will leak out of the salmon’s body into the water via this passive diffusion process
what is osmosis
This estuary type was once narrow and deep but became broad and shallow as water levels rose
What is a drowned river valley
This species type can tolerate only narrow ranges of salinity changes and therefore live along the outer edges of an estuary
what are stenohaline species
Cordgrass with horizontal roots that help it to dig into the mud is prevalent in this type of wetland
As you float on the ocean and face the river shore, the water will have this type of salinity on the right if you are in the Northern Hemisphere
what is lower salinity
To make itself more hypertonic, the salmon will continually do this, which allows it to absorb more salt into its blood through its digestive system
what is drink seawater
This estuary type is formed because of a protective sand bar or barrier island blocking the freshwater coming out of the river
What is a bar-built estuary
This species are those that live in water that is saltier than freshwater but not as salty as seawater
what are brackish species
This species of mangrove is called an "island maker" because of the ability of its prop roots to trap debris and sediment
Gyres turn this direction in the Southern Hemisphere
What is counterclockwise
This is the strategy salmon use to combat cytolysis as freshwater has a lower concentration of solute (~0.5%) compared to the salmon (~18%)
what is drink very little water and constantly pee out dilute urine to get rid of a lot of water
This estuary type is the result of glaciers cutting deeply into the earth, creating a valley as they moved nearer the coast
What is a fjord
what are anaerobic bacteria
This estuarine habitat is exposed at low tide and hosts an abundant amount of anaerobic bacteria and detritus
what is a mudflat
Due to the increased salinity of seawater compared to freshwater, this density-dependent sectioning of water occurs when these bodies of water meet
what is a salt wedge
This type of organism allows its internal concentration of dissolved solutes to change in order to match, or conform to, the external concentration of dissolved solutes in surrounding water
what is an osmoconformer
This estuary type results from river water carrying eroded sediments and depositing them along the coast near the sea
What is a river delta
The most prevalent species of this type of organism located in the mudflats are clams
what are infauna
This estuarine habitat is always underwater
what is a channel
This type of sediment is carried by a river and settles closer to a river’s headwaters (where it meets the ocean) due to its weight, leaving behind silt/clay which is carried out further into the estuary
what is sand
Osmoconformers tolerate this range of salinity as drastic changes in salinity pose a problem for them
what is a very narrow range
This type of estuary formed as a result of motion in the earth's crust
What is a tectonic estuary
These are organisms whose feeding strategy is to eat detritus that has settled in sediment
what are deposit feeders
Since there are few land plants or algae in mudflats, these two organisms are the primary producers
what are diatoms and bacteria
Due to the shallow nature of estuaries, water temperature tends to trend in this direction
what is increased temperature
This is one "reduction of exposure" method organisms use to endure changing water salinity
what is ceasing to feed, closing shells, burrowing, and physically moving away from the higher salt concentrations
Estuary types are categorized by this feature
what is topography
what are meiofauna
This is most common type of feeding strategy in the mudflat; an example of an organism that does this is quahog clam
Mud of an estuary has low levels of oxygen in the substrate, but but because estuaries have this feature, there are plentiful amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water
what is constant flowing water that reverses with the ebb and flow of the tide
The white mangrove is least tolerant of salinty changes and employs these methods to adapt
what are prop roots, pneumatophores, and living further inland
Most estuaries likely formed from ice-age activity because they require rising sea levels or glacial action, but these two types are the exception to the rule
what are river deltas and tectonic estuaries
These are the most common predators of the mudflats
what are birds (and fishes)
Many fishes use this estuarine habitat for spawning and nurseries because of the abundant food and safety from predators
what is the channel
Because water flowing out of a river contains sediment, this factor of the water is often reduced which hampers light penetration
what is clarity
Cordgrass of the temperate salt marsh habitat in an estuary are able to live in the soft, muddy bottom and endure tide shifts by employing this survival strategy to help reinforce their roots
what is grow horizontal stems that travel under the mud and anchor
What is an estuary
Black mangroves have a series of these pencil-thin root extensions that grow up out of the soil to allow for more oxygen exposure
what are pneumatophores
what is outwelling
This is the average salinity percentage of pure seawater
what is 35%
Salmon are able to use the strategy of adjusting slowly from a saltwater to freshwater environment on their journey by spending time in this estuarine habitat
what is the channel
This caused worldwide ocean levels to rise, resulting in the formation of the most common type of estuaries
what is a the melting of large glaciers after an ice age
Since there are few land plants or algae in mudflats, these are the major primary producers
what are diatoms (and other photosynthetic plankton)