WATER BIORESOURSES AND AQUACULTURE ISSUES

МИНИСТЕРСТВО СЕЛЬСКОГО ХОЗЯЙСТВА  

РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ 

 

ДЕПАРТАМЕНТ ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ, НАУЧНО-ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ 

ПОЛИТИКИ И РЫБОХОЗЯЙСТВЕННОГО КОМПЛЕКСА 

 

САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ  
УНИВЕРСИТЕТ ВЕТЕРИНАРНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ 

 

 
 
 
 

Корнильева А.В.  

 
 
 
 

WATER BIORESOURSES  

AND AQUACULTURE ISSUES 

 

Учебно-методическое пособие 

по английскому языку 
для студентов I курса 

факультета водных биоресурсов и аквакультуры 

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Санкт-Петербург 

2021 

УДК: 372.881.111.1 
 
 
 

Корнильева А.В. WATER BIORESOURSES AND AQUACULTURE 

ISSUES: учебно-методическое пособие по английскому языку для студентов 
I курса факультета водных биоресурсов и аквакультуры / А.В. Корнильева ; 
МСХ РФ, СПбГУВМ. – Санкт-Петербург : Издательство СПбГУВМ, 2021. –  
95 с. 

 
 
Учебно-методическое пособие состоит из 8 разделов, в каждом из 

которых имеется три текста по теме раздела. Материалы пособия  
позволяют развивать навыки профессионального общения  в рамках 
специальности. 
Каждый 
урок 
содержит 
необходимое 
количество 

упражнений, направленных на усвоение  лексическо-грамматических 
основ  и тренировку навыков монологической и диалогической речи. 

 Учебные тексты пособия снабжены списками терминологической 

лексики и приближены к темам  основных специальных дисциплин,  
включенных в программы по направлению подготовки 35.03.08  «Водные 
биоресурсы и аквакультура». Пособие содержит аутентичный материал и 
систему упражнений, направленных на формирование необходимых 
компетенций. 

 
 
Автор: Корнильева А.В., ст. преподаватель кафедры иностранных 

языков. 

 
Рецензент: Трушкин В.А., декан факультета водных биоресурсов и 

аквакультуры СПбГУВМ, доцент, кандидат ветеринарных наук. 
 
 
 
 

Учебно-методическое пособие одобрено и рекомендовано к изданию 

методическим советом Санкт-Петербургского государственного 

университета ветеринарной медицины, протокол № 4 от 27.04.2021 г. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

© ФГБОУ ВО СПбГУВМ, 2021 

Unit 1 

AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT 

Text A 

Characteristics of aquatic environments 

 

VOCABULARY LIST TO TEXT A 

 

inland   adj
[ˈɪnlənd]
внутренний

inlet n
[ˈɪnlet]
узкий морской залив

microbial   adj
[mʌɪˈkrəʊbɪəl]
микробный 

biofilm   n
[ˈbʌɪəʊfɪlm]
биопленка

detrimental  adj
[ˌdɛtrɪˈmɛnt(ə)l]
вредный

stream   n
[striːm]
ручей

extracellular   adj
[ɛkstrəˈsɛljʊlə]
внеклеточный

bay   n
[beɪ]
бухта, залив

interact   v
[ɪntərˈakt]
взаимодействовать

habitat  v
[ˈhabɪtat]
среда обитания

еcosystem   n
[ˈiːkəʊsɪstəm]
экосистема

biotic    adj
[bʌɪˈɒtɪk]
живой, биотический

profound adj
[prəˈfaʊnd]
глубокий

benthos  n
[ˈbɛnθɒs]
бентос

anaerobic adj
[ˌanɛːˈrəʊbɪk]
анаэробный

dissolve v
[dɪˈzɒlv]
растворять

microorganism   n
[mʌɪkrəʊˈɔːɡ(ə)nɪz(ə)m]
микроорганизм

adjacent   adj
[əˈdʒeɪs(ə)nt]
прилежащий

inhabitant   n
[ɪnˈhabɪt(ə)nt]
обитатель

stratigraphy
n
[strəˈtɪɡrəfi]
стратиграфия

  
Exercise 1. Read and translate the following word combinations from English  
into Russian. 
     Groundwater environment, coastal waters, algal populations,  detrimental 
effects,  interact,  food web,  microbial habitats, inland surface water,  biotic 
foundation,  geologic time,  biofilms, algal populations,   a profound influence 
on the climate,  essential nutrients,  microbial mats,  alternative energy sources, 
bacterial extracellular polymers, anaerobic microenvironments, marine 
microbial life. 

Read the text and translate. Be ready to discuss. 
 
Aquatic Environments include inland surface water (Canals, lakes, rivers, 

water courses, inlets, and bays), seas, and ground water. Aquatic, or watery, 
environments are divided into freshwater and marine. Freshwater has less than one 
gram per liter of dissolved solids, mainly salts, of which sodium chloride (NaCl) is 
the most important as far as living organisms are concerned. It is the main source of 
water for most human uses. Microorganisms are the key components of aquatic 
environment. Microorganisms are fundamental to all ecosystems, providing the biotic 
foundation upon which all life exists.  Microorganisms, due to their unique ability to 
adapt to extreme conditions imposed by oligotrophy (low nutrients), temperature, pH, 
pressure, and radiation, among others, have so far been found in every environment 
imaginable. In fact, microorganisms are pioneer colonizers and have, over geologic 
time, had a profound influence on the climate and environments found on Earth. They 
can be found in different microbial habitats-planktonic, sediment or benthos, 
microbial mat, and biofilm.  Planktonic microbial communities include algae, 
bacteria, and protozoa. The benthos is characterized by a dramatic increase in 
microbial numbers and activity that supports the formation of adjacent aerobic and 
anaerobic microenvironments as well as cycling of essential nutrients. Microbial mats 
are the unique communities often found in extreme environments or in environments 
where conditions fluctuate rapidly. Biofilms are characterized by the presence of 
bacterial extracellular polymers, and their roles in nutrient cycling and pollution 
control within the aquatic environment as well as for their beneficial or detrimental 
effects on human health have been extensively studied. The fresh water environments 
such as streams, rivers, and lakes apart from their bacterial and algal populations 
contain fungal, protozoan, and viral populations, which interact and contribute to the 
functioning of the food web. The ocean contains diverse microbial habitats, and total 
bacterial numbers are on an average one order of magnitude higher in coastal waters 
than in the open ocean. In the groundwater environment, microorganisms are the sole 
inhabitants and bacteria are the dominant type of microbes present; however, the 
levels of microbial activity are low. Many of the new microbial species have been 
isolated from the marine environments, suggesting that marine microbial life may 
offer valuable clues in the quest to develop alternative energy sources.  
Exercise 2. Define the term and remember its definition. 
     Inland surface water, biofilm, microbial mat, stratigraphy. 
Exercise 3. Make up collocations using words from both columns. 

energy
foundation

microbial 
habitats

biotic 
water 

microbial 
sources

geologic 
effects

detrimental 
mat

inland 
time

Exercise 4. Read and translate the following word combinations from Russian 
into English.  
     Водная среда, геологическое время, прибрежные воды, окружающая 
среда 
подземных 
вод, 
пищевая 
цепь, 
отрицательное 
воздействие, 

внеклеточные полимеры, смежные аэробные микроокружения, значительное 
увеличение, микробный мат,  внутренние воды, основные питательные 
вещества, разнообразные места обитания микробов, хлористый натрий, 
озѐра, реки, ручьи. 
 
Exercise 5. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English. 
     1. Водная среда включает внутренние поверхностные воды, моря и  
грунтовые воды. 
     2. Водная среда делится на пресноводные и морские области. 
     3. Микробные маты - это уникальные сообщества, которые часто 
встречаются в экстремальных условиях или в условиях, которые быстро 
меняются. 
     4. Океан содержит разнообразные микробные среды обитания. 
     5. Сегодня существует много источников альтернативной энергии, 
используемой для снижения уровня загрязнения окружающей среды 
ископаемыми видами горючего топлива. 
    6. Геологическое время – это период, отражающий развитие планеты. 
    7. Микроорганизмы являются существенными организмами для всех 
экосистем, обеспечивая биотическую основу, на которой существует вся 
жизнь. 

 

Exercise 6. Test yourself  by answering these questions and summarize given 
information.  

1. What does aquatic environment include? 
2.  What do microorganisms provide to all ecosystems? 
3. What is the main source of water for most human uses? 
4. What can be found in different microbial habitats? 
5. What are the microbial mats? 
6. What is the function of biofilms? 
7. What do planktonic microbial communities include? 
8. Where can microorganisms be found? 
9. What does inland surface water mean? 
10.  What are biofilms characterized by? 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Text B 

Aquatic еcosystem 

 

VOCABULARY LIST TO TEXT B 

abiotic   adj
[ˌeɪbʌɪˈɒtɪk]
абиотический, неживой

extent   n
[ɪkˈstɛnt]
Мера, степень

salinity   n
[səˈlɪnɪti]
соленость

irrigаtiоn   n
[ɪrɪˈɡeɪʃ(ə)n]
орошение

algae  n
[ˈælɡiː]
водоросли

vent  n
[vent]
выходное отверстие

consume   v
[kənˈsjuːm]
Потреблять                         

flow   n
[fləʊ]
течение, поток

raw   adj
[rɔː]
сырой

biomass   n
[ˈbʌɪə(ʊ)mas]
биомасса

 
Exercise 7. Read and translate the following word combinations from English  
into Russian. 
     Aquatic ecosystems, biotic communities, environmental factors, dissolved 
oxygen, anaerobic bacteria, water body, freshwater organisms, euryhaline 
organisms, volcanic vents, raw materials, organic compounds, autotrophic 
organisms, inorganic material, chemosynthetic bacteria, self-regulating, biomass, 
salinity, organic life, solar energy, carbon dioxide, marine ecosystem, harmful, 
stenohaline.  
 
Read the text and translate. Be ready to discuss. 
     An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem located in a body of water. 
Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their 
environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic 
ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. An ecosystem is 
composed of biotic communities and abiotic environmental factors, which form а 
self-regulating and self-sustaining unit.  
     Abiotic environmental factors of aquatic ecosystems include temperature, 
salinity and flow.  
     The amount of dissolved oxygen in а water body is frequently the key 
substance in determining the extent and kinds of organic life in the water body. 
Fish need dissolved oxygen to survive. Conversely, oxygen is fatal to many kinds 
of anaerobic bacteria.  
     The salinity of the water body is also а determining factor in the kinds of 
species found in the water body. Organisms in marine ecosystems tolerate salinity,  

while many freshwater organisms are intolerant of salt. Euryhaline organisms are  
salt tolerant and саn survive in marine ecosystems, while stenohaline or salt 
intolerant species саn only live in freshwater environments. Freshwater used for  
irrigаtiоn purposes often absorb levels of salt that are harmful to freshwater 
organisms.  
     The organisms (also called biota) found in aquatic ecosystems are either 
autotrophic or heterotrophic.  
     Autotrophic organisms аrе producers that generate organic compounds from  
inorganic material. Algae use solar energy to generate biomass from carbon 
dioxide and are the most important autotrophic organisms in aquatic 
environments.  
     Chemosynthetic bacteria are ablе to feed оn hydrogen sulphide in water that  
comes from volcanic vents.  
      Heterotrophic organisms consume autotrophic organisms and use the organic 
compounds in their bodies as energy sources and as raw materials to create their 
own biomass.  
 
Exercise 8. Read and translate the following word combinations from Russian 
into English.  
     Водная экосистема, углекислый газ, сернистый водород, вулканический 
кратер, эвригалинные организмы, толща воды, биотическое сообщество, 
сырьѐ, аутотрофный организм, эвригальный, стеногалинный, растворѐнный 
кислород, солѐность, обитающий на дне, орошение, сероводород, источник 
энергии, морская экосистема, ключевой компонент, хемосинтезирующий. 
  
Exercise 9. Make up collocations using words from both columns. 
 

aquatic 
oxygen

raw 
communities 

euryhaline 
materials

anaerobic 
ecosystems

dissolved 
bacteria

biotic 
vents

volcanic 
organisms

 
Exercise 10. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English. 
     1. Биотическое сообщество, также известное как биота или "биоценоз", - 
это группа организмов, которые живут вместе и взаимодействуют друг с 
другом в пределах окружающей среды или среды обитания. 
     2. Вулканические жерла - это отверстия в земной коре, из которых 
выбрасываются лавовые  потоки. 

3. Автотрофные организмы - это организмы, которые производят 
органические соединения из неорганического  материала. 
     4. Чрезмерный рост и распад растений и водорослей в результате 
увеличения количества питательных веществ в толще воды может 
значительно повлиять на количество доступного растворенного кислорода. 
     5. Эвригалинные организмы способны адаптироваться к широкому 
спектру солености. 
     6. Сероводород - это химическое соединение с формулой H2S, 
представляющее собой бесцветный халькоген-гидридный газ с характерным 
неприятным запахом. 

7. Солнечная энергия - это в основном энергия, получаемая от 

солнечного излучения. 

 
Exercise 11.  Test yourself by answering these questions and summarize given 
information.  

1. Where is an aquatic ecosystem located? 
2. What are the two main types of aquatic ecosystems? 
3. What does an aquatic ecosystem include? 
4. What are the abiotic environmental factors of aquatic ecosystems? 
5. What is the dissolved oxygen responsible for in а water body?  
6. What are the euryhaline organisms? 
7. Which species are salt intolerant? 
8. How can  you explain the term "biota"? 
9. What are the most important autotrophic organisms in aquatic 

environments? 

10.Do you know the difference between chemosynthetic bacteria and 
heterotrophic organisms? 

 

Text C   

It is interesting to know  
Types of water resource 

 

VOCABULARY LIST TO TEXT C 

abundant adj
[əˈbʌnd(ə)nt]
обильный

desalination   n
[ˌdiːsalɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n]
деминерализация

scarce   adj
[skɛːs]
редко встречающийся

staple  adj
[ˈsteɪp(ə)l]
основной

overfishing n
[əʊvəˈfɪʃ]
чрезмерный вылов рыбы

tidal  adj
[ˈtʌɪd(ə)l]
приливный

plentiful   adj
[ˈplɛntɪfʊl]
обильный

percolate   v
[ˈpəːkəleɪt]
проникать сквозь

clay  n
[kleɪ]
глина

adhere   v
[ədˈhɪə]
прилипать

unsaturated adj
[ʌnˈsatʃʊreɪtɪd]
ненасыщенный

vadose    adj
[ˈveɪdəʊs]
неглубокий

aquifer  n
[ˈakwɪfə]
водоносный слой

permeable   adj
[ˈpəːmɪəb(ə)l]
проницаемый

bedrock  n
[ˈbɛdrɒk]
основа 

limestone   n
[ˈlʌɪmstəʊn]
известняк

gravel n
[ˈɡrav(ə)l]
крупный песок

shale n
[ʃeɪl]
глинистый сланец

cone  n
[kəʊn]
раструб, сопло

subsidence   n
[səbˈsʌɪd(ə)ns]
спад

sediment   n
[ˈsɛdɪm(ə)nt]
осадок

utmost adj
[ˈʌtməʊst]
предельный

sinkhole n
[ˈsɪŋkhəʊl]
водосточный колодец

 
Exercise 12. Read and translate the following words and word combinations 
from English into Russian.  
     Water resources, desalination plants, saltwater fish, tidal waters, hydroelectric 
energy, groundwater resources, vadose zone, saturated zone, water table, leaky 
underground tanks, salt water intrusion, suspended sediment, natural filter, stream 
flow, potable water supply, measure of water quality, phosphorus levels, dissolved 
oxygen levels, surface water systems,  flooding problems,  cone of depression. 
Read the text and translate. Be ready to discuss. 
     Water resources come in many forms, but the three main categories are 
saltwater, groundwater and surface water. 
Saltwater Resources Saltwater is abundant in the surface of the planet. However, 
saltwater is currently not particularly useful when it comes to potable water 
supplies. Desalination plants, while they do exist, are scarce because the energy 
required for desalination makes the process extremely expensive. That said, there 
are saltwater resources from which humans benefit, aside from beautiful ocean 
views. Saltwater fish are a staple in much of the world's diet (although overfishing 
and pollution has put much of the marine life population at risk). Furthermore, 
tidal waters are being used as a source of hydroelectric energy. So, while saltwater 
is not helpful in dealing with scarce water supplies, it does provide resources that 
humans rely on. 

Groundwater Resources Groundwater is the most plentiful of all freshwater 
resources. As water percolates into the ground through layers of soil, clay, and 
rock, some of it adheres to the topmost layers to provide water to plants. This 
water is in what is called the unsaturated, or vadose zone. Most of the pores in the 
vadose zone are filled with air, rather than water. Gravity continues to move the 
water down through the ground. Eventually, the water reaches the saturated zone, 
where all the pores are filled with water. The separation between the saturated and 
unsaturated zone is called the water table. 
     Aquifers are areas of permeable rock that hold water. Typically, aquifers are 
made of bedrock that has many fractures and connected pores, such as limestone, 
sandstone and gravel. Shale and clay layers are impermeable, and therefore make 
poor aquifers. An aquifer is "recharged" through precipitation from above 
percolating through the layers of soil and rock. Therefore, there is significant 
interaction between surface water and ground water. 
     In turn, groundwater feeds surface water through springs, and surface water 
can also recharge groundwater supply. 

Most often, groundwater is accessed by humans via wells. To build a well, one 

must drill down past the water table. In most cases, a pump is placed in the 
bottom of the well, and it is pumped into homes, businesses and water treatment 
plants, where it is then dispersed. As water is pumped from the ground, a cone of 
depression forms around the well. The groundwater from the surrounding area 
moves towards the well. Wells can run dry during times of drought, or if 
surrounding wells are pumping too much water, causing the cone of depression to 
be large. 

Water pumped from wells is generally very clean. The layers of soil, clay and 

rock acts as a natural filter. However, contaminants from nearby contaminated 
soils, leaky underground tanks, and septic systems can pollute a well, rendering it 
unusable. Furthermore, salt water intrusion can occur when the rate of pumping 
near a shoreline exceeds the rate of recharge. Saltwater gets pulled from the ocean 
into the cone of depression, and enters the well. 

Subsidence, the gradual settling of the land due to continuous pumping and 

development, has also become an issue as groundwater is mined. This occurs 
when groundwater is pumped out faster than it can be replenished, and the 
sediment beneath becomes compacted. Subsidence is a permanent phenomenon. It 
can cause structural problems to foundations, an increased incidence of sinkholes 
and flooding problems. To top it off, subsidence is extremely costly. In some 
areas, such as the San Joaquin Valley in California, the land has subsided over 30 
feet due to groundwater withdraw. 

Surface Water Resources Surface water is the water that exists in streams 

and lakes. This water is primarily used for potable water supply, recreation, 
irrigation, industry, livestock, transportation and hydroelectric energy. Over 63 
percent of the public water supply is withdrawn from surface water. Irrigation gets 
58 percent of its water supply from surface water. Industry gets almost 98 percent