Aquatic, Marine and Coastal Ecosystems

What this unit covers

This page brings together coastal, marine and freshwater material made by GoConqr users. Over 190 mind maps sit alongside more than 30 flashcard decks, over 10 quizzes, notes and a few slide sets. The mix runs from coasts and coral reefs to mangroves, marine protected areas and lake and stream ecology.

Where to start

Begin with the flashcard deck on halosere and salt marsh succession. It walks through the stages, from shelter and deposition to mudflats forming behind a spit or in a sheltered estuary. Then open the Coastal Ecosystems Flashcards deck, which covers mangrove dynamics, productivity, carbon flow and forest management.

Next, try the mind maps in this order:

1. Coasts, for waves, constructive and destructive processes, and coastal recession.
2. Coral Reefs, for their values and dangers, including fisheries, coastal protection and tourism.
3. Threats to Mangroves, covering housing pressure, shrimp fishing, tourism and population growth.
4. Threats to Coastal Systems, for waste, sewage and oil spills.

Case studies and management

For real examples, read the notes on managed retreat in Pacifica, California, and the Maldives case study notes. The Great Barrier Reef mind map links warmer waters and coral bleaching to climate change. The Environmental Gradients map looks at the intertidal gradient, including temperature and the risk of desiccation out of the water.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then cover it and test yourself with a quiz such as Coastal management, Fisheries or Water and Wetlands. Anything you miss tells you which map or deck to revisit. Freshwater quizzes and the limnology decks suit university-level study, while the coastal management items fit school courses.

Where it fits

This unit sits in the Biomes, Habitats and Land strand of Environmental science and ecology. Choose one map today, then try a quiz on the same topic and see what sticks.