| Term | Definition |
|---|
| plankton | a general term for the tiny, free-floating or weakly swimming organisms that live in both freshwater and saltwater environments |
| phytoplankton | single-celled algae supported by nutrients in the water and form the base of many aquatic food webs |
| zooplankton | planktonic animals feed on the phytoplankton |
| wetland | an ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year |
| estuaries | wetlands formed where rivers meet the sea |
| detritus | made up of tiny pieces of organic material that provide food for organisms at the base of the estuary's food web |
| salt marshes | temperate-zone estuaries dominated by salt-tolerant grasses above the low-tide line, and by seagrasses under water |
| mangrove swamps | coastal wetlands that are widespread across tropical regions, including Florida and Hawaii |
| photic zone | well-lit upper layer of the oceans |
| aphotic zone | permanently dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone |
| zonation | prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in a particular habitat |
| coastal ocean | extends from the low-tide mark to the outer edge of the continental shelf |
| coastal ocean | the relatively shallow border that surrounds the continents |
| kelp forests | a giant brown alga that can grow at extraordinary rates (as much as 50 cm a day) |
| coral reefs | named for their coral animals whose hard, calcium carbonate skeletons make up their primary structure |
| aphotic zone | below the photic zone |
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