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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\nWelcome to today’s marine ecology class. In our field, there are several words that often cause confusion. Understanding these words is crucial for accurate communication and research. So, let’s dive in!\n<\/p>\n
\nBenthos refers to organisms that live at the bottom of a water body, while plankton are drifting organisms. Remember, benthos is ‘bottom-dwelling’ and plankton is ‘drifting’.<\/p>\n
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\nEstuaries are semi-enclosed coastal areas where freshwater and seawater mix, while deltas are landforms formed at the mouth of a river. Estuaries are ‘water bodies’ and deltas are ‘landforms’.\n<\/p>\n
\nAn ecosystem is a community of organisms interacting with their environment, while a habitat is the physical place where an organism lives. Ecosystems are ‘communities’ and habitats are ‘places’.\n<\/p>\n
\nMigration is the regular movement of organisms from one place to another, often for breeding or feeding. Dispersal, on the other hand, refers to the movement of individuals away from their birthplace. Migration is ‘regular’ and dispersal is ‘movement away’.\n<\/p>\n
\nNekton are actively swimming organisms, while plankton are drifting organisms. Nekton are ‘swimmers’ and plankton are ‘drifters’.\n<\/p>\n
\nIntertidal refers to the area between high and low tide, while subtidal is the area below the low tide mark. Intertidal is ‘between tides’ and subtidal is ‘below low tide’.\n<\/p>\n
\nPhytoplankton are plant-like organisms, while zooplankton are animal-like organisms. Phytoplankton are ‘plant-like’ and zooplankton are ‘animal-like’.\n<\/p>\n
\nSeagrass is a flowering plant that grows in marine environments, while seaweed is a type of algae. Seagrass is a ‘flowering plant’ and seaweed is an ‘algae’.\n<\/p>\n
\nUpwelling is the upward movement of cold, nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean, while downwelling is the downward movement of surface water. Upwelling is ‘upward’ and downwelling is ‘downward’.<\/p>\n
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\nBrackish water has a mix of freshwater and saltwater, while saline water has a high salt concentration. Brackish is a ‘mix’ and saline is ‘high salt’.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"