Marine Eco Exam 1

Biodiversity

variety of all living things on earth and what sustains this

functional traits

diversity of a characteristic that effects survival/growth/production

response traits

affect how a species responds to environment

effect traits

influence what the species can do in the ecosystem

nekton

can actively swim against the water column

plankton

cannot actively swim against the water column

allometry

study of relationship of body size to shape, anatomy, and physiology

monophyletic group (clade)

common ancestor and all descendants

paraphyletic group

common ancestor and some, but not all, descendants

polyphyletic group

doesn’t all share a common anscestor

synapomorphy

shared and derived trait used to define a clade

speciation

origin of species over generations

dispersal

movement of organisms among site and regions

ecological drift

random fluctuations in species abundance

ecological selection

environmental tolerances and interactions that favor a species in particular conditions

alpha diversity

measure of diversity in species in a particular area

beta diversity

measure of difference in species diversity between areas

gamma diversity

measure of overall diversity of species for the different areas of a region

levels of biological organization

organism-population-community-ecosystem-biome

4 filters of communities

species pool-dispersal-environmental filtering-biological interactions

rarefraction curve

measures differences/simularities in DNA

gene flow

transfer of genetic material throughout populations

extrinsic factors

environmental factors: range/age

intrinsic factors

factors in relation to organisms: size/reproduction

allopatric

speciation due to a physical barrier

peripatric

one small group breaks away and speciates away from the original group

parapatric

species spreads out over a large area to form their own small groups and speciate

sympatric

gene flow is restricted by something other than a physical barrier

thermocline

temperature difference through the water column

halocline

salinity gradient through the water column

pycnocline

density gradient through the water column due to temp and salinity

coriolis effect

earths rotation impacts water movement away from the equator

ekman transport

each layer of water moves 45 degrees right of the wind = net movement of 90 degrees

center of gyres

little-no movement creating buildup of debris/trash

langmuir circulation

two cells circuling towards eachother creating downwelling and windrows

windrows

visual lines across ocean due to langmuir circulation and downwelling that leaves debris along the cells

reynolds number (Re)

describes the relative importance of inertial vs. viscous forces

inertial forces

tendancy to resist change in motion

high inertia

organisms can stop swiming and coast along with less energy use

viscous forces

fluids resistance to flow

high viscosity

coasting difficult through “thick” water so more energy is used

high Re

inertial forces dominate (larger organisms)

low Re

viscous forces dominate (smaller organisms)

boundary layer

thin layer of fluid on surface of organism where there is limited flow

no slip condition

velocity is zero at the surface of organisms body

laminar flow

smooth and orderly movement with thick and stable boundary layer

turbulent flow

chaotic and irregular movement with thin and unsteady boundary layer

form drag

resistance due to physical shape

skin friction drag

resistance due to surface texture

autotrophs

create their own energy

heterotrophs

obtain their energy from something else

photoautotroph

produce energy from light

chemoautotrophy

produce energy from carbon fixation (no light)

mixotrophy

can get energy from others or make their own

allometric scaling

describing how a variable of an organism changes in relation to their overall size

isometric allometry

variable increases in proportion to body size

positive allometry

variable increases faster than body size

negative allometry

variable increases slower than body size

basal metabolic rate

energy needed when an organism is at rest

active metabolic rate

energy needed when an organism is active

metabolic scaling theory

size related to metabolic rates specific to the size of the organisms

metabolic rate of small organisms

higher with faster growth, shorter generations and faster population responses

metabolic rate of bigger organisms

lower with slower growth, longer generations, and slower population turnover

Metabolic Scope for Growth (MSfG)

energy left over after paying for basic metabolism and movement

MSfG equation

food energy - (basal + metabolic rates)

ecological niche

theoretical rage of conditions a species can survive and reproduce

fundamental niche

full range of environmental conditions/resources an organism could be within

realized niche

realistic range of the environment an organism actually occupies after consideration of interactions with others

Regulators

maintain body aspect through internal processes

conformers

maintain body aspects through exchange with surroundings

ectotherms

regulate their own body temperature

ectotherm adaptations to loosing heat to environment

insulation/blood flow/large body sizes

ectotherms

body temperature conforms to seawater

heterothermy

uses both endo and ectothermy

osmoregulators

actively maintain constant internal salinity

stenohaline

tolerate narrow salinity ranges

euryhaline

tolerate wide salinity ranges

osmoconformers

internal salinity matches environment