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Light
- Light is a key limiting factor in all aquatic habitats. Light
regulates photosynthesis, which is the process that allows plants to
produce organic matter from carbon dioxide.
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Temperature
- Water temperature affects many chemical and biological processes,
from the degradation of toxic chemicals to cellular respiration to the
migration patterns of fish.
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Dissolved Oxygen - The amount of oxygen contained in water defines the living conditions for oxygen-requiring (aerobic) aquatic organisms
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Salinity - Salinity is the mass fraction of salts in water. A key factor determining organism distribution in estuaries.
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Nutrients - Nutrients are the essential building blocks for plant and animal growth.
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Hydrodynamic Setting - Physical actions such as waves, tides and current that mix coastal waters and bottom sediments.
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Habitat Type - The location and environmental conditions in which a particular organism normally lives such as seagrass bed or marsh.