What environmental conditions determine the location and makeup...?
Interactive Study Guide
false
true
Guiding Question 13.2
What environmental conditions determine the location and makeup of marine ecosystems?
Why You Should Care
Oceans cover 75% of the globe, but they are not a uniform set of ecosystems. The most important variables for ecosystems underwater are access to light, nutrients, and depth.
The most diverse and productive communities are those where photosynthesis is the highest— the shallow areas near to shore so they can capture nutrients running off the land (estuaries are shallow areas where freshwater rivers drain into the saltwater ocean). In tropical and subtropical waters, these saltwater ecosystems are the highly productive coral reefs. Colder waters closer to the poles create less productive ecosystems.
Farther out from the shallow coastal waters, ocean depth increases quickly and distance from estuaries causes nutrient levels to drop away quickly. In general, the ocean areas that are shallow enough to support photosynthesis (less than 600 feet down) are the most productive. As you go deeper (more than 600 feet down), productivity drops off sharply and ecosystems that are more dependent on decomposition become more important.
Question
13.1
cUTOHT+/2TyKtAkDpQhRqtkt0Lxv/Q+mXspReRAOaRPsYipn4oIHXcySy0nix/+Bv4lu8oWOr6Ovw9IcsIHkTwzvOUD519dpkp88YtixcD2E0O+mUdWQC3/kIebs1ybZ4ex1LOmrm5RxDeoz20i4nZSFOencwm5sesuYS1idfYJtnl41OMrx3r50dZ5jOJuXfeaR4CAu+2g4glu1o9PLwRGnjXA/NKJDvsXWAFvMAktwB71AtxA2/VGTs2RLSRjPRE0q5FE0Mzf6ag+m
999
Try again.
Correct.
Incorrect.
Question
13.2
fZitPYp0A9iFaRM0X6XCAE899VegyDAZI135Mc58brb3zZl8yx5OqBaeRgUa0AYJzaXIBkVs1HZr7NTNInwtw6S/m0N1jgFmjFD3ZtUfnLg5nwp6HgPh/iPuiq1J5OXpZjBiQr/eeL6bNhWIiW+EWN1xhju6iM2h4pwvWRgrbLYhLBUNWl2f6toCU4TrYKlY+QVDsfU4mJT64uJ9fesokE8gywI=
999
Try again.
Correct.
Incorrect.
Question
13.3
LPXufScJu8gfRNb1oyoUb4dnY/Cxo6PpgW8O7q8mX2KaOfJJ4Sg/aVvlDcw28u1VxrSfNVG2PCfdBtCPeOzTdEpvuy56DLvBV6mkOA9G243PgxBM1GXI1tzgS90bH236wvRmXFYvi/g4Sr2tPc3xiShQttg=
999
Try again.
Correct.
Incorrect.
Question
13.4
Ltxx/lbo50Fnomo4uWz95lJ2UvNiAtHk/2LsqX85C++mjfz/EHbQ1lOoapoNX1ThyX4JtynwK/0EfLpXJ3HRCenRLSd42xsa10i9hhwbs3Tp4uZy
999
Try again.
The continental shelf is close to the shore and receives nutrients flowing off the land and from the rivers. These nutrients are usually low in the seawater, so when the levels rise, ocean producers respond with higher productivity. This leads to larger food webs and a higher overall species diversity.
Question
13.5
syzts4vr5vhH6ptOuUu8D4NRkwNuY6QQ7cYa1Jm8eChM/WHg9ETv9b7eMCiRVVvDmT2yNw==
999
Try again.
Coral reefs have the highest productivity and diversity in the ocean. These both require higher levels of available nutrients that are only possible near estuaries.
