Lecture Notes on Marine Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Flashcards about Sea Ice Microbes, Hydrothermal Vent Ecosystems, and Biodiversity Patterns

Sea ice microbes contribute __ of total carbon output in polar ice environments.

2-24%

Sea ice microbes are considered __ living in highly variable, seasonal, and physically extreme environments.

Extremophiles

Compared to 35 ppt in surrounding water, sea ice salinity is __.

300 ppt

Due to scattering from sea ice and snow, less than __ of PAR reaches 66cm depth.

0.1%

---------- serves many functions to help microbes cope with harsh sea ice conditions.

Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS)

__ found in microbe membranes help to maintain fluidity and prevent freezing.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)

__ absorb UV light, protecting sea ice microbes.

MAAs (micosporine-like amino acids)

and act as a sunscreen for sea ice microbes.

Diadinoxanthin, Diatoxanthin

Sea ice habitats favor __ over long-term specialization due to their highly variable, extreme conditions.

Extreme plasticity

A __ is an area where heated, chemical-rich fluid escapes through cracks in the ocean floor.

Hydrothermal vent

__ is the process where energy from inorganic compounds converts organic carbon into usable compounds.

Chemosynthesis

__ are organisms that use energy from inorganic compounds to convert organic carbon into usable compounds."

Chemoautotrophs

In source-sink dynamics, a __ is where births exceed deaths and supplies larvae to surrounding vents.

Source population

__ is necessary for successful recovery/succession and connectivity in hydrothermal vent ecosystems.

Larval supply

__ thrive at new or recently disturbed vent sites due to their fast growth and adaptability.

Opportunists

__ species, such as tubeworms, outcompete opportunistic species in mature vent systems.

Specialist

__ proposed that more energy equals more productivity which equals higher biodiversity.

Species-energy hypothesis

Harsh environments exclude species, only tolerant ones can persist. That is known as __.

Environmental filtering

The __ gradient refers to the trend of highest diversity in the tropics decreasing towards the poles.

Latitudinal

The __ gradient refers to the trend of the Indo-Pacific having the highest diversity decreasing both East and West.

Longitudinal

The __ gradient shows a hump-shaped distribution with the highest biodiversity between 1000-2500m.

Bathymetric