ESCI 204 final

diatoms

2 shapes, often form long chains, .1 mm

dinoflagellates

5 mm- largest phytoplankton, 2 flagella for movement

cyanobacteria

.00005 mm-.04 mm, photosynthetic

microflagellates

.01 mm, many other groups of flagellated phytoplankton

radiolarian

silica shells

foraminifera

calcium carbonate shells

copepods

phytoplankton grazers, “smell” chemical plumes

euphausiids

small crustaceans, zooplankton, krill- light sensitive

chaetognaths

predatory worms

ctenophores

engulf prey using their sticky cells

salps

tunicates- enclosed in a tunic with openings at either side, pump water thru gelatinous bodies

appendicularians (oikopleura)

mucus house builders

crab larvae

polychaete larvae

barnacle cyprid

last larval stage before adulthood, its role is to find a suitable place for settlement

ichtyoplankton

eggs and larvae of fish

riftia larvae

giant tubeworm larval stage

echinoderm larvae

bilaterally symmetrical

barnacles

mussels

sea stars

anemone

sea urchins

chitons

hydrothermal vent giant tubeworms

pompeii worms

hagfish

osedax

bone boring worm

brain coral

branching coral

salmon

flounder

sculpin

rocky intertidal type of fish

ratfish

shark

elasmobranch fish characterized by cartilaginous skeleton, 5-7 gill slits, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head

rockfish

cod fish of the Salish Sea

sea otter

exclusively marine

river otter

endemic to North america

blue whale

baleen- largest animal that exists

orca

largest oceanic dolphin

narwhal

small arctic whale, male has a horn

sea lion

pinnipeds- external ear flaps, ability to walk on all fours, short/thick hair, big chest/belly

harbor seal

pinniped species- no visible ears

walrus

large pinniped mammal

manatee

herbivorous sea cows

why is there so much phytoplankton diversity?

there is variation in the types of nutrients they require, preferred temp, different levels etc, different phytoplankton thrive in different areas

why are small phytoplankton better?

sink slower, more efficient photosynthesis, more rapid reproduction

why is Puget Sound so productive?

balance of mixing/stratification, nutrients from inflow of rivers, lots of upwelling

How can you estimate phytoplankton population and zooplankton grazing with the dilution method?

increasing dilution separates the phytoplankton, makes it harder for zooplankton to graze and makes it possible to calculate grazing rate per capita

Why do zooplankton perform diel vertical migration?

during the night they eat at the surface, during the day they avoid predation at the bottom

what causes vertical zonation patterns of benthos on rocky intertidal shorelines?

biological stress vs physical stress-higher on the shoreline means less water access, but the lower you go the more predators there are

How do whale falls serve as stepping stones for the dispersal of hydrothermal vent organisms?

large sources of nutrients- hydrothermal vent organisms use them as a temporary feeding place for larva to catapult the next generation closer to another hydrothermal vent

Why else are whale carcasses important to the deep sea?

they serve as nutrients and food sources in the deep sea

why is deep sea benthic species diversity so high?

long lived, stable habitat, large habitat area, intermediate predation, high level of food, highly complex habitat, heterogeneous food resources

what roles do microbes and viruses play in marine ecosystems?

they act as decomposers; they alter interactions within ecosystems/further natural selection

what is the microbial loop and how does it affect carbon transfer to higher trophic levels and the cycling of nutrients?

a trophic pathway where dissolved organic carbon is returned to higher trophic levels via its incorporation into bacterial biomass, and then coupled with the classic food chain formed by phytoplankton-zooplankton-nekton

explain how the processes of stratification and upwelling influence ocean productivity.

limits productivity, increases productivity

marine food webs structure

bottom up and top down processes

feeding patterns of seals

eats herring in the winter+spring, salmon in summer+fall

Identify sources and sinks of plastics in the open ocean and PCBs in the Salish Sea

causes and consequences of global warming and ocean acidification on marine ecosystems

fossil fuels release CO2, which is taken into the ocean and becomes carbonic acid that releases ions. ions cause the acidity of the ocean to increase which causes coral bleaching and lower aragonite levels. this negatively affects calcifiers who rely on CaCO3 to build shells, in environments without CaCO3 shells deteriorate.

feeding patterns of sea lions

eat everything from fish to octopi to bivalves, they will station themselves below dams at salmon output areas

feeding patterns of orcas

eat everything, but especially salmon, determined by location

feeding patterns of manatees

eat sea grass, completely herbivorous

feeding patterns of dugongs

eat eelgrass, completely herbivorous

bottom up food web

more dependent on the lowest trophic level to be sustained

top down food web

not as reliant on lower trophic levels to be sustained

why are fish and whale communities bottom up?

they rely heavily on phytoplankton communities to thrive

which top predatory animals exert top down control?

orcas, sea otters