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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