AICE Marine - Chapter 3: Interactions in Marine Ecosystems

chlorophyll

chlorophyll

a pigment found in plants and algae that is used to absorb sunlight for photosynthesis

photosynthesis (photosynthetic, photosynthesize)

the process of using light energy to synthesize glucose from carbon dioxide and water to produce chemical energy

carbohydrates

organic compounds occurring in living tissues that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (e.g. starch, cellulose, and sugars); carbohydrates can be broken down in the process of respiration to release energy

consumer

an animal that feeds on other organisms to gain energy from food

algal bloom

a rapid increase in a population of algae

community

all the different populations interacting in one habitat at the same time

mutualism (mutualistic)

a relationship between two different organisms where both organisms benefit

predation

a relationship between two organisms where a predator hunts, kills and eats a prey animal

parasitism

a relationship between two organisms where the parasite obtains benefit at the expense of the host

competition

a relationship between two organisms where both species are negatively affected as they are trying to use the same resources

symbiosis

a relationship between two or more organisms of different species that live physically close to each other

commensalism

a relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefitted

ectoparasite

a parasite, such as a flea or a louse, which lives on the outside of its host

endoparasite

a parasite, such as a tapeworm, which lives inside the body of its host

phoresis

a commensal relationship where one organism attaches itself to another in order to travel

autotroph (autotrophic)

an organism that can capture the energy in light or in chemicals and use it to produce carbohydrates from simple molecules such as carbon dioxide

chemosynthesis (chemosynthetic)

the production of organic compounds by bacteria or other living organisms using the energy derived from reactions with inorganic chemicals

heterotroph (heterotrophic)

an organism that cannot make its own food and instead relies on consuming other organisms; all animals, fungi, and protozoans are heterotrophic, as well as most bacteria

primary productivity

the rate of production of new biomass through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

food chain

a way to describe the feeding relationships between organisms

herbivore

an animal which feeds only on producers (plants or phytoplankton)

carnivore

an animal that feeds on other animals

predator

an animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals

prey

an animal that is eaten by predators

omnivore

an animal that feeds on other animals and on producers

decomposers

bacteria and fungi that break down dead organic matter and release the nutrients back into the environment

food web

a way to show all the different feeding relationships in an ecosystem

biomass

the mass of living material in an area; it can be measured as dry mass (without the water) or wet mass (with the water)

trophic level

the position an organism occupies in the food chain or food web

apex predator

an organism at the end of the food chain which has no natural predators

photoautotroph

an organism that is able to use light energy to synthesize organic compounds

photic zone

the surface layer of the ocean that receives sunlight

chemoautotroph

an organism that is able to use chemical energy to synthesize organic materials

extremophile

an organism that is adapted to survive extreme temperature, pressure, salinity, or pH

respiration

the process by which all living things release energy from their food by oxidizing glucose

compensation point

the light intensity at which the rate of photosynthesis and the rate of respiration are equal

eutrophication

the process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients (such as nitrates and phosphates) that stimulate the growth of producers, usually resulting in the depletion of dissolved oxygen

pyramid of numbers

a diagram that shows the number of organisms in each trophic level of a food chain

pyramid of biomass

a diagram that shows the biomass present in each trophic level of a food chain

pyramid of energy

a diagram that shows the amount of energy in each trophic level of a food chain

nutrient cycles

the movement and exchange of elements that are essential to life, from inorganic molecules, through fixation and then into living organisms, before being decomposed back into inorganic molecules

nutrient

a chemical that provides what is needed for organisms to grow, repair damaged cells or tissues, release energy, or for their metabolism

assimilation

the conversion of a nutrient into a useable form that can be incorporated into the tissues of an organism

primary producers

organisms that produce biomass from inorganic compounds; in almost all cases these are photosynthetically active organisms

polymer

a large molecules made from many repeating sub-units

monomer

the smallest unit of a polymer; monomers are able to join chemically to form longer molecules

starch

a carbohydrate made from chains of glucose molecules joined together

cellulose

an important component of plant cell walls which is made from many straight chains of glucose molecules held together by hydrogen bonds

triglyceride

a type of lipid that is made from a glycerol molecule joined to three fatty acid chains

fatty acid

lipid molecules that are a major constituent of triglycerides and phospholipids

hydrophobic

a molecule without a charge that repels water molecules

residence time

the average time that a particle spends in a particular system

excretion

the process of eliminating the waste formed from the chemical reactions within living cells

sink

an area where there is a net loss of material (e.g. where more gas dissolves into the ocean than diffuses into the atmosphere)

source

an area where there is a net gain of material (e.g. where more gas diffuses into the atmosphere than dissolves into the ocean)

marine snow

particles of organic material that fall from surface layers to the deeper ocean

carbonic acid formation

a weak acid made of carbon dioxide dissolved in water

sedimentary rock

rock formed by the deposition of particles on the ocean floor

marine uplift

a process by which the floor of the ocean rises, possibly to the extent that it is no longer beneath the water

fossil fuels

buried organic materials from dead plants and animals that have been converted into oil, coal, or natural gas by exposure to heat and pressure in the Earth’s crust