Marine Ecosystems Exam Review

These flashcards cover essential information and concepts related to marine ecosystems, particularly focusing on coral polyps, mangroves, rocky shores, and various environmental factors relevant for an exam.

What is the mutualistic relationship between coral polyps and zooxanthellae?

Zooxanthellae live inside coral polyps, gaining shelter while providing the coral with nutrients via photosynthesis.

How are red mangroves adapted to their environment?

Red mangroves have prop roots for stability, membranes to keep salt out, and excrete salt through their leaves. They also have viviparous reproduction.

What factors affect the distribution and abundance of organisms on rocky shores?

Exposure time in air, dissolved oxygen concentration, and competition influence where organisms can survive and thrive.

List three features of a typical coral polyp and their functions.

Tentacles (capture prey, house zooxanthellae), nematocysts (stinging cells that release toxins), mouth (ingests prey, expels waste).

What causes coral reef erosion?

Coral reef erosion can be caused by predators, ocean acidification, hurricanes, exposure to air, disease, tourism, and destructive fishing practices.

Describe the factors that contribute to the growth of tropical reef-building corals.

Warm water, clear water for light, rocky substrate for attachment, shallow depth for light, average salinity around 35 ppt, non-acidic water.

What distinguishes a rocky shore ecosystem from a sandy shore ecosystem?

A rocky shore has more substrate for attachment, higher productivity, and greater biodiversity due to its stable environment compared to the constantly moving substrate of a sandy shore.

Name one disadvantage of genetically engineering coral.

Lowered genetic diversity makes coral more susceptible to diseases.

What is a key characteristic of the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane?

The cell membrane is bilayered with phospholipids, proteins, and cholesterol, allowing for selective permeability.

What are two properties that make reef balls suitable for artificial reefs?

Reef balls have holes for habitat and substrate for attachment, and they are heavy and non-corrosive, preventing wash-away and toxin introduction.

What adaptations do organisms in sandy shore habitats have for survival?

They can burrow to avoid desiccation, have wide ecological niches, and utilize camouflage for feeding and migration.

List the five oceans from largest to smallest.

Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Arctic.

Explain the Darwin-Dana-Daly theory of atoll formation.

This theory describes how a volcanic island first allows coral polyps to form a fringing reef, then subsides to form a barrier reef, eventually leaving a lagoon.