SCIE 1P50 Lecture Notes - Benthic Zone, Littoral Zone, Silt

• School: Brock University
• Department: Science
• Course: SCIE 1P50
• Professor: Caroline Starrs

Document Summary

Frequent deposition of silt makes oodplain soils fertile. Floodplain = areas nearest to the river"s course that are ooded periodically. Riparian = riverside areas that are productive and species-rich. Water of rivers and streams hosts diverse ecological communities. Wetlands = systems that combine elements of freshwater and dry land. Freshwater marshes = shallow water allows plants to grow above the water"s surface. Swamps = shallow water that occurs in forested areas. Bogs = ponds covered in thick oating mats of vegetation. Southeastern canada has lost more than half of their wetlands. Lakes and ponds are bodies of open, standing water. Littoral zone = region ringing the edge of a water body. Limnetic zone = open portions of the lake or pond where the sunlight penetrates the shallow waters. Profundal zone = water that sunlight does not reach. Benthic zone = extends along the entire bottom of the water body, home to many invertebrates.