Welcome Envirothon Students!

AQUATIC ECOLOGY

Aquatic EcologyWater Cycle Ecology Wildlife Ecosystems Pollution

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400 400 400 400 400

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800 800 800 800 800

1000 1000 1000 1000 1000

FINAL JEOPARDY

Water Cycle: 200• 97% of the earth’s water is_____________.• 3% of the earth’s water is _____________.

• What is saltwater? • What is freshwater? 2.997% of the freshwater is ice and 0.003% isavailable for use by organisms.

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Water Cycle: 400• Condensation and evaporation are parts of the

__________ _________, also called the hydrologic cycle.

• What is the water cycle? • Click for Illustration ->

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Water Cycle: 600• We are located in the ____-________River

Basin. NC is divided into 17 river basins (also called Watersheds/Drainage basins) that is based upon topography or shape of the land.

• What is the Tar-Pamlico River Basin?

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Water Cycle: 800• Water is comprised of two ________ atoms and

one ________ atom that bond asymmetrically by sharing electrons forming a polar molecule.

• What is hydrogen and oxygen? The hydrogen bonding and polarity of water are responsible for many of water’s unique characteristics and physical properties that make it important for life.

• Click for illustration ->Back

Water Cycle: 1000• The dissolving ability of water makes water a_____________

_____________. This dissolving ability makes nutrients and gases available to aquatic organisms.

• What is a“universal solvent”? Water dissolves gases, minerals, and organic compounds easily, makingthem available to aquaticorganisms.

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Ecology: 200• These organisms make their own food using

sunlight, CO2, water, and minerals.

• What are producers? Producers are at the base of the food chain and are the most numerous or all organisms

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Ecology: 400• This diagram outlines the flow of energy from the

most plentiful organisms to the least numerous organisms. ->

• What is the Aquatic EnergyPyramid? 10% of the energyfrom the organisms are passed onto the nexttrophic level.

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Ecology: 600• Name up to three types of biotic interactions that

occurs between living organisms within an ecosystem.

• What are: (1) Predator-Prey relationship (2) Competition(3) Symbiosis

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Ecology: 800• A tree uses carbon dioxide to produce oxygen,

a process called ______________ and a cow uses oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, a process called ___________.

• What is photosynthesis and what is respiration?

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Ecology: 1000• Name the process where physical, chemical, and

biological changes occur when an excess amount of nutrients or organic matter is added to the Tar-Pamlico River.

• What is eutrophication? Click 3x to see whatchanges may resultfrom adding excessnutrients to the river ->

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Wildlife: 200• Is this fish an example of Plankton, Nekton, or

Benthos?

• What is Nekton? This menhaden swimsfreely in the water.

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Wildlife: 400• What is the difference between these two snails besides that one on the

left is highly tolerant to pollution (usually indicative of poor water quality) and the one on the right is intolerant to pollution or pollution sensitive ( indicative of good water quality)?

• What is the snail on the left is“left handed” (operculum opens to left) and the one on the right is “right handed”? Two types of snails that have two differentwater quality requirements. These types oforganisms are called “Indicator Species”.

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Wildlife: 600• This local seafood is Plankton, Nekton, or

Benthos?

• What is Benthos? These oysters are attached to the bottom and move very little.

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Wildlife: 800• Name these fish which can be caught in thePamlico River when the salinityof the water is half salt and halffresh (brackish water).• What is speckled (or spotted) seatrout and Flounder?

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Wildlife: 1000• This locally caught seafood item is considered

Plankton, Nekton, or Benthos?

What is benthos and nekton? Blue crabs are benthos since they live on the bottom but are nekton sincethey are able to swim freely.

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Ecosystems: 200• This ecosystem is where saltwater and freshwater mix.

The Pamlico Sound is an example of this type of ecosytem.

• What is an estuary? Back

Ecosystems: 400• The _____________ zone is the expanses of

open water of our oceans, also called the open ocean.

• What is the pelagic zone? The abyssal zone is the dark extreme depths of our oceans.

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Ecosystems: 600• A marsh is dominated by ____________ plants that have soft

stems.

• What is herbaceous plants? Some examples are cattail, bulrush, sedge, and sawgrass. North Carolina marshes, or coastal wetlands, are regulated by the State’s Division of Coastal Management.

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Ecosystems: 800• The temperature layering of lakes and rivers is

called ___________ ______________.

• What is thermal stratification? As lake water iswarmed in the summer, the water in deeper lakes forms threedistinct temperature layers: 1) warmer (less dense) epilimnionlayer at the surface 2) the thin thermocline (transition) layer3) the cold and deep hypolimnion layer

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Ecosystems: 1000

• This ecosystem is a boggy shrub wetland that has spongy ground, peat deposits, and evergreen trees such as hollies, bays, and stunted pond pines.

• What is Pocosin?

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Pollution: 200• What is the number one water pollutant in North Carolina?

• What is sediment?Sediment clogs gills of fish and covers their eggs. Sediment blocks sunlight and prevents beneficial SAV from growing.

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Pollution: 400• Pollution that enters the river from a source that

can be identified is called __________ source pollution.

• What is point source pollution?Non-point source pollution comes from various sourcesand cannot be traced.

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Pollution: 600• What are the two substances we think of most

when we talk about nutrient pollution in local waters?

• What is nitrogen and phosphorous? Common sources are agricultural and urban fertilizers, sewage, and manure.

Click for 2x for Illustrations->

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Pollution: 800• What is the name of the federal legislation

aimed at making all of the surface waters safe for fishing and swimming?

• What is the Federal Clean Water Act of 1977?

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Pollution: 1000• What is the name of the practices, management, and

conservation techniques that are used to effectively control nutrient pollution?

• What are Best Management Practices (BMP’s)?

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FINAL JEOPARDY• Why are estuaries important?• 1. Marsh grasses control erosion, filter contaminants, and reduce

flooding.• 2. Estuaries are important spawning, feeding, protection, and nursery

(growing) areas for many species of aquatic vegetation, fish, turtles, and birds. More than 150 species of fish and invertebrates live in NC estuaries.

• 3. 75% of fish caught commercially live in estuaries during part of their life cycle. Commercial and recreational fishing is important to many people in Eastern NC. About 30 commercial species live in NC estuaries. Can you name some?

• 4. Estuaries support a large tourism industry-fishing, boating, birding, transportation-shipping.

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Thank you for your

participation.

Study hard and good luck in the envirothon competition.