Marine Biology 406

Deposit feeders

Organisms that consume organic matter that has settled on the seafloor, often ingesting sediment to extract nutrients.

Grabs

Sampling devices used to collect sediment and benthic organisms from the seafloor.

Benthic sleds

Towed equipment used to collect samples from the ocean floor, including organisms and substrate.

Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs)

Unmanned underwater robots controlled from the surface, used for deep-sea exploration and sampling.

Crinoids

Marine echinoderms with feathery arms, related to sea stars, often found on deep or rocky seafloors.

Pycnogonids

Also known as sea spiders, these are marine arthropods with long legs and small bodies, found in many ocean habitats.

Silica spicules

Structural elements made of silica, found in some sponges to support their bodies.

Marine snow

Organic material that falls from the upper layers of the ocean to the deep sea, serving as a food source.

Chemosynthesis

Process by which certain organisms produce energy from chemicals (like hydrogen sulfide) rather than sunlight, often found at hydrothermal vents.

Membrane fluidity

The flexibility of a cell membrane, important for function and affected by temperature and lipid composition.

Bioluminescence

The production and emission of light by living organisms, often used for communication, predation, or camouflage in the ocean.

Luciferin

The light-emitting molecule involved in bioluminescence.

Luciferase

The enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of luciferin, producing light.

Photophores

Light-producing organs found in many deep-sea organisms used for bioluminescence.

Hydrothermal vents

Openings in the seafloor that emit hot, mineral-rich water, supporting unique ecosystems through chemosynthesis.

Endemism

The ecological state of a species being unique to a specific geographic location, such as certain deep-sea or island ecosystems.

Hydrogenase

Enzyme involved in hydrogen metabolism, crucial in chemosynthetic processes.

Neritic

Refers to the coastal ocean zone, extending from the low tide mark to the edge of the continental shelf.

Oceanic

Pertaining to the open ocean beyond the continental shelf.

Littoral

The intertidal zone between high and low tide marks.

Sublittoral

Zone below the low tide line, usually extending to the edge of the continental shelf.

Macrofauna

A group of organisms found associated with sediments and falling above 500 µm in size.

Meiofauna

A groups of organisms found associated with sediments and falling between 56 µm and 500 µm in size.

Microfauna

A group of organisms found associated with sediments and falling below 56 µm in size.

Infauna

A group of organisms found associated with sediments and generally found buried within the sediments.

Epifauna

Benthic organisms that live on the surface of the seafloor.

Zonation

The process by which organisms become segregated to discrete regions of the intertidal shore.

Estuary

Semi-enclosed coastal body of water where freshwater from rivers meets and mixes with saltwater.

Salt marsh

Coastal wetlands flooded and drained by salt water, dominated by salt-tolerant plants.

Coastal plain estuary

Estuary formed by the flooding of low-lying river valleys due to sea-level rise.

Tectonic estuary

Estuary formed by the subsidence or faulting of the Earth's crust.

Lagoon

Shallow body of water separated from the ocean by a barrier such as a sandbar or coral reef.

Fjord

Deep, glacially carved valley now flooded by seawater, forming a steep-sided estuary.

Positive estuary

Estuary with net freshwater outflow and strong stratification.

Homogeneous estuary

Well-mixed estuary with uniform salinity from surface to bottom.

Negative estuary

Estuary with high evaporation and low freshwater input, leading to increased salinity.

Aerenchyma

Plant tissue with large air spaces that aid buoyancy and oxygen transport, common in salt marsh plants.

Autochthonous

Originating within the system, such as organic material produced by aquatic plants or algae.

Allochthonous

Originating outside the system, like leaves and debris from terrestrial environments.

Invasive species

Non-native organisms that spread and negatively impact native marine ecosystems.

Eutrophication

Nutrient enrichment of water bodies causing excessive algal growth and oxygen depletion.

Mangrove swamp

Coastal wetland dominated by salt-tolerant mangrove trees.

Mangal

slang word for mangrove

Scleractinian

Hard or stony corals that build calcium carbonate skeletons, forming coral reefs.

Hermatypic

Reef-building corals that host zooxanthellae and require sunlight.

Zooxanthellae

Symbiotic algae that live within coral tissues and provide them with energy via photosynthesis.

Pneumophores

Specialized aerial roots of mangroves that enable gas exchange in waterlogged soils.

Viviparity

Reproductive strategy where offspring develop inside the parent and are born live. (Mangroves)

Exploitative competition

Indirect competition where organisms compete for the same limited resource.

Interference competition

Direct competition where organisms actively prevent others from accessing resources.

Mesenterial filaments

Thread-like extensions of the gut in cnidarians, used for digestion and defense.

Adaptive bleaching hypothesis

Suggests that coral bleaching is a strategy to expel less efficient symbionts and potentially acquire better ones.

Continental ice

Ice sheets covering continental landmasses, like those in Antarctica.

Sea ice

Frozen seawater that forms, grows, and melts in the ocean.

Icebergs

Large floating masses of freshwater ice broken off from glaciers or ice shelves.

Pack ice

Floating sea ice that forms a continuous cover.

Anchor ice

Ice that forms on the seafloor in supercooled water, anchoring to objects.

Antifreeze glycoproteins

Proteins in some polar fish that prevent ice crystal growth in their blood.

Polynya

An area of open water surrounded by sea ice, important for marine life access.

Clupeiod

Fish belonging to the herring family, often schooling and commercially important.

Gadoid

Fish from the cod family, including species like cod and haddock.

Scomberoid

Fast-swimming, predatory fish such as mackerels and tunas.

By-catch

Non-target species unintentionally caught during commercial fishing.

Biofouling

Accumulation of organisms on submerged surfaces, such as ship hulls and pipes.

Mariculture

Cultivation of marine organisms in the ocean or controlled marine environments.

Aquaculture

Farming of aquatic organisms, including freshwater and marine species.

Capture fisheries

Harvesting of wild fish populations from natural environments.

Extensive mariculture

Low-input, large-area marine farming that relies on natural productivity.

Intensive mariculture

High-density marine farming requiring supplemental feeding and management.

Flotsam

Floating debris or wreckage from ships that was not deliberately thrown overboard.

Jetsam

Material deliberately thrown overboard to lighten a ship.

MARPOL 73/78

International convention aimed at preventing marine pollution from ships.

Biostimulant

Substances that enhance the growth and health of marine organisms or ecosystems.

Biotransformation

The chemical alteration of substances by organisms, often to detoxify pollutants.

Bioaccumulation

Buildup of substances, like toxins, in an organism over time.

Biomagnification

Increase in concentration of substances as they move up the food chain.

Persistent organic pollutant

Toxic chemicals that resist degradation and accumulate in the environment and organisms.

Half-life

Time required for half of a substance to break down or decay in the environment or body.