Marine Biology: Function, Biodiversity, Ecology

A collection of flashcards based on key concepts from the lecture on marine biology, focusing on productivity, food webs, biodiversity, and ecology.

What is the definition of biomass in marine biology?

The mass of living material present at a given time, expressed as grams per unit area or volume.

What is the difference between primary productivity and secondary productivity?

Primary productivity refers to the productivity due to photosynthesis, while secondary productivity refers to the productivity due to consumers of primary producers.

What is a food chain?

A linear sequence showing which organisms consume which other organisms, creating a series of trophic levels.

How does transfer between trophic levels occur?

Transfer from one trophic level to the next is incomplete due to factors like unconsumed material and metabolic losses.

What does the formula I = E + R + G represent in trophic level efficiency?

I is the amount ingested, E is the amount egested, R is the amount respired, and G is growth.

What is gross primary productivity (GPP)?

The total carbon fixed during photosynthesis.

What is net primary productivity (NPP)?

The total carbon fixed during photosynthesis minus the carbon that is respired; this is what is available to higher trophic levels.

What are the two main types of benthic lifestyles?

Burrowers and epibenthic organisms.

What is the significance of the microbial stripping hypothesis for deposit feeders?

It suggests that deposit feeders are most efficient at digesting and assimilating benthic microbes (diatoms, bacteria).

What type of organisms are included in the subphylum Urochordata?

Benthic sea squirts, which are suspension feeders that have a barrel-shaped body.

What is precipitation?

Precipitation is any form of water that falls from clouds to the Earth's surface, including rain, snow, sleet, and hail.

What is condensation?

Condensation is the process by which water vapor cools and changes into liquid water, forming clouds.

What is collection in the water cycle?

Collection refers to the accumulation of water in bodies such as rivers, lakes, and oceans after precipitation.

What role do plants play in the water cycle?

Plants contribute to the water cycle through transpiration, where they release water vapor into the atmosphere.

How does the sun influence the water cycle?

The sun provides energy that drives evaporation, heating water to turn into vapor, thus initiating the water cycle.

What is a food chain?

A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

What does an omnivore do in a food chain?

An omnivore is an organism that eats both plants and animals, playing a role in multiple levels of a food chain.

What is the role of producers in a food chain?

Producers are organisms, usually plants or phytoplankton, that create energy through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food chain.

What is a consumer in a food chain?

Consumers are organisms that depend on others for food; they are divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers based on their feeding levels.

What is the top predator in a food chain?

The top predator is an organism at the highest level of the food chain, which has no natural enemies and often regulates the populations of other species.

What is the significance of decomposers in a food chain?

Decomposers break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem, thus supporting the growth of producers.