(CES) Coastal Ecosystems Module Overview

Image reads Module Review Oceanography

Coastal Ecosystems Module Overview

Introduction

This unit will focus on introducing the students to the various marine environments, their unique formations, origin and identifying characteristics.

Essential Questions

Here are the essential questions for this module:

  • Describe the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors in marine ecosystems.
  • What are the characteristics of estuaries, coral reefs, open waters, and the deep ocean?
  • What is the relationship between productivity, the flow of energy, and the structure of marine food webs?

Key Terms

Pay attention to these key terms as you go through the module:

  • Barrier island - A long, narrow island which runs parallel and provides a measure of protection to the mainland
  • Longshore drift - Generated by waves and currents that move sediment along the beach shore
  • Marsh - low lying area on the sound-side of a barrier island stabilized by cord grasses such as spartina
  • Maritime forest - after the dunes, some islands have forests with shrubs and trees such as Live Oak, Myrtle Oak, Slash Pine, and Magnolia
  • Tabby - building material composed of oyster shells, lime, and sand mixed with water
  • Wetlands - An area of land that has soil saturated with moisture such as swamp, marsh, or bog
  • Estuary - Semi-enclosed coastal body of water where freshwater from rivers or streams meet the open sea
  • Detritivores - Organisms that feed on detritus (decomposing organic matter)
  • Anaerobic respiration - Cellular metabolism in which oxygen is not used
  • Coral reef - A reef composed of coral and other organic matter
  • Apron reef - Short reef resembling a fringing reef, but more sloped; extending out and downward from a point or peninsular shore
  • Fringing reef - Reef that is directly attached to shore or borders it with an intervening shallow channel or lagoon
  • Barrier reef - Reef separated from a mainland or island shore by a deep lagoon
  • Patch reef - An isolated, often circular reef, usually within a lagoon or embayment
  • Ribbon reef - Long, narrow, somewhat winding reef, usually associated with an atoll lagoon
  • Table reef - Isolated reef, approaching an atoll type, but without a lagoon
  • Atoll reef - A more or less circular or continuous barrier reef surrounding a lagoon without a central island
  • Grass community - Nursery community of flowering plants that live underwater
  • Sandy beach - Community along the foreshore where large animals burrow into the sand
  • Backshore - Region of beach from beyond the waves to the vegetation line
  • Foreshore - Sloping part of beach between the high and low tide intertidal zone
  • Inshore - The area seaward of the foreshore
  • Rocky shore - Sometimes referred to as the intertidal community where organisms live in extreme conditions between the low and high tide line
  • Mangrove community - Communities of trees that grow in the shallow marine waters
  • Fouling community - Communities of organisms found on the sides of docks, marine harbors, and boats
  • Kelp forest - A forest of giant kelp which grows in cool, clear coastal waters

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