Results for “aquatic”

aquatic

Growing, living, or otherwise found in water.

Used in 920 profiles

nitrates

Any salt or ester of nitric acid, and the end product of the portion of the nitrogen cycle taking place in most closed aquarium systems (the conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas in natural systems is carried out by anaerobic microorganisms not normally present in sufficient numbers in aquaria, though this process can be induced by installation of a nitrate reactor). While nitrates are less toxic than ammonia or nitrites, they are still potentially harmful to fishes and other aquatic organisms if allowed to accumulate unchecked, and must therefore be diluted via regular water changes. Aquatic plants also help since they are able to metabolise nitrates to an extent.

Used in 20 profiles

periphyton

Sessile, aquatic organisms that live attached to submerged surfaces in aquatic environments. Often complex in form and may comprise organisms from several groups including algae, cyanobacteria, other microbes, and detritus.

Used in 8 profiles

algae

A large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms and including seaweeds, diatoms, and Spirogyra. They're photosynthetic, like plants, and the majority are aquatic.

Used in 408 profiles

aquarist

A person studying aquatic life or maintaining organisms in an aquarium, whether as a hobby or profession.

Used in 269 profiles

Asellus

Genus of isopod crustaceans in the family Asellidae. Contains the well-known 'water louse', Asellus aquaticus.

Used in 8 profiles

aufwuchs

Adopted German term meaning 'surface growth' used to describe the aggregate of plants, animals and detritus adhering to solid surfaces such as rocks or vegetation in aquatic environments.

Used in 119 profiles

biome

A major regional or global biotic community normally characterised by the dominant vegetation and local climatic conditions, e.g., deserts, tropical rainforests, tundra. The two major aquatic biomes are freshwater and marine but these are often broken down into less-generalised categories.

cladocera

Order of small, aquatic crustaceans commonly referred to as 'water fleas'.

Cnidaria

Phylum of aquatic organisms that includes the corals, jellyfishes, sea anemones, hydrae, etc., and characterised by possession of specialised venomous cells known as cnidocytes. Formerly included in the now-defunct phylum Coelenterata.

coral reef

Erosion-resistant aquatic structure formed from living corals, their rock-like skeletal secretions and calcium carbonate deposits from other organisms such as calcareous algae, molluscs, and protozoans.

crustacean

Any member of the predominantly aquatic arthropod grouping Crustacea which currently contains almost 70,000 recognised species, including all crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. It's difficult to define their characteristics since the group is of arguable hierarchical status, generally regarded to represent either a Phylum or Subphylum.

Used in 421 profiles

euryhaline

Of aquatic organisms, able to tolerate a wide range of salinity. Opposite of stenohaline.

Used in 11 profiles

eutrophication

Hypertrophication; process by which addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, to a body of water increases the concentration of dissolved nutrients, this in turn stimulating the growth of aquatic plant life, especially phytoplankton, and typically resulting in depletion of dissolved oxygen. Negative effects include reductions in populations of fishes and other organisms incapable of withstanding this hypoxia.

Used in 8 profiles

fin

Membranous appendage supported by cartilage or bony rays. Used for locomotion, steering, and balance by fishes and some other aquatic organisms.

Used in 800 profiles

gill

Respiratory organ of fishes and some other aquatic organisms comprising a highly-vascularised membrane or outgrowth.

Used in 314 profiles

infusoria

Collective term for certain members of the protozoan Phylum Ciliophora, of which it is considered a subclass in certain classification systems. Members naturally inhabit infusions of decomposing organic material and some are cultured by aquarists in order to feed very small fish fry. The name was formerly applied to a much larger group of aquatic microorganisms which also included some other protist groups and unicellular algae.

Used in 186 profiles

macrophyte

An aquatic plant large enough to be seen with the naked eye.

Used in 27 profiles

marginal

Of, relating to, or locate on the edge or margin of something; a semi-aquatic plant growing near the margin of a water body.

Used in 276 profiles

micro crab

Vernacular name for the tiny freshwater crab Limnopilos naiyanetri Chuang and Ng 1991, a member of the family Hymenosomatidae, or false spider crabs. It's native to Nakhon Pathom province, southern central Thailand and its body achieves a maximum diameter of around 1 cm. Completely aquatic and apparently spends its entire life cycle in fresh water.