OCEANS Ch 11 &12

bioluminescence

light generated by organisms themselves

autotrophs

able to make their own organic matter from sunlight or chemical energy

heterotrophs

must consume preexisting organic matter

factors that influence salinity of surface water

circulation patterns, climate, seasonal changes, temperature

poikilotherms

have no means of metabolically regulating their body temperature; most invertebrates and fish

endotherms

maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding environment but do not have a fine degree of temperature control; tunas and sharks

homeotherms

maintain a nearly constant body temperature, often well above the surrounding environment; seabirds and mammals

zones (from shallow to deep)

littoral, bathyal, abyssal, hadal

diversity of life in the oceans

The oceans contain representatives from each of life's domains. The oceans contain a representative from each kingdom.

Psychrophiles are organisms that are well-adapted for living in

very cold environments

The ______ environment represents the single largest habitat on Earth.

marine

biomechanics

research into factors such as how size and shape affect an organism's transportation of mass

biological oceanographers

study ocean life

mechanisms that allow nutrients to enter the surface water

upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters, nutrient runoff from land

Since autotrophic organisms require inorganic carbon for growth and heterotrophic organisms require organic carbon for growth, we can say that

life is based on carbon

osmosis

type of diffusion where water moves across a membrane from an area of lower salinity to an area of higher salinity

prokaryotes

bacteria and archaea belong to the group, possess a simple cell architecture, fossil examples date back 3.5 billion years

nucleus

houses the majority of a cell's DNA

mitochondria

used to derive energy from food

chloroplasts

used to harvest sunlight by photosynthesis

countershading

a fish with a dark back and light underside

moving organisms between freshwater and salt water

Most saltwater and freshwater organisms will die when subjected to the opposite conditions.

The idea of a common ancestor in the theory of evolution explains that

all life on Earth evolved from one organism

difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes

eukaryotes have a more complex cell structure, prokaryotes likely evolved first and have an older fossil record

Biodiversity is a good measure of ecosystem health.

TRUE

diffusive

mass

conductive

heat

viscous

momentum

substrate

different materials of the sea floor

Photoautotrophs harness light energy to generate organic matter by the process of

photosynthesis

marine organisms use color for

sexual selection, hiding from prey, predatory avoidance

euphotic zone

area where there is enough light for the growth of photosynthetic organisms

aphotic zone

area where no light penetrates

disphotic zone

there is sufficient light to see but not enough to support photosynthesis

Microbes are the most abundant organisms in the sea.

TRUE

domains of life

eukarya, archaea, bacteria

average temperature for 90% of ocean

-1°C to 4°C (30°F to 40°F)

biological diversity refers to the

richness and variety of life found on our planet

pelagic

major zone covers the water environment

benthic

major zone covers seafloor environment

neritic

subdivision of major zone; ocean above continental shelf

oceanic

subdivision of major zone; open ocean away from the direct influence of land

epifauna

organisms move across the sea floor (mobile)

infauna

animals that live within the sea floor

sessile

organisms that stay in one place

depth to which light penetrates the ocean is determined by

amount of particulate and dissolved matter in the water, angle of the sun's rays, wavelength of the light

phytoplankton

photosynthesize and are photoautrophic, can be prokaryotic or eukaryotic

zooplankton

eukaryotic and consume organic matter

bacterioplankton

heterotrophic prokaryotes

hypoxia

when oxygen levels drop below 2 mg/L, most animals die

anoxia

when oxygen levels drop below 0 mg/L

Linnaean classification system

naming scheme that moves from the least specific to the most specific group, arranging related organisms into hierarchical set of groups

flow of energy between autotrophs and heterotrophs

autotrophs take in carbon dioxide and water and produce oxygen and organic carbon, heterotrophs use organic carbon and oxygen and produce carbon dioxide and water

biological pump

process of pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the ocean through the activity of biological processes

Phytoplankton must be able to adapt to a wide range of conditions because they

are moved by currents and via ocean mixing, both vertically and horizontally over short time frames

molecular transport works best across

shorter distances

nekton

organisms living in pelagic zone that can move faster than the currents

plankton

organisms that are unable to move faster than the currents

Plankton reduce the difference of gravity and density by

having spines and other appendages that increase drag and slow sinking, storing internal oil droplets

An organism with an average density greater than surrounding seawater

will tend to sink

marine ecosystems have fewer species than terrestrial

there are fewer habitats and greater stability in the oceans, ocean conditions can limit the movement of organisms, it does so less than terrestrial systems do

ways oxygen enters the ocean

as a by-product of photosynthesis by marine photoautotrophs, through equilibration of the surface waters with the atmosphere

very small organisms have a large surface to volume ratio because

they are strongly affected by viscous forces but not by momentum

mixotrophic

phytoplankton that can photosynthesize or consume organic matter depending on environmental conditions

marine biologists

study life in the oceans

nutrients for growth of phytoplankton and seaweed

nitrate and phosphate

valuable drugs and other marine products come from

the most diverse marine ecosystems

heterotrophic

whales

photoautotrophic

cyanobacteria

chemoautrophic

bacteria generating energy from the oxidation of hydrogen sulfide

nitrogen

source of nitrate and ammonium

Alfred Wallace

proposed natural selection with Charles Darwin

natural selection

process in which organisms best suited for their environment are more likely to reproduce successfully

inorganic nutrients are at their lowest levels because

phytoplankton deplete them as they grow

anaerobes

organisms that can survive anoxic conditions

large single-celled organisms tend to be flat rather than round because

this increases the efficiency of diffusion

respiration

oxidizing organic matter to derive energy

phytoplankton abundance is generally high in coastal waters and upwelling zones because

the supply of nutrients is greatest there

phylogeny

determines the evolutionary relationships between organisms and their descendants

bottom-dwelling sea cucumbers and sponges

have the same salinity levels

classification

the process of grouping similar types of organisms together by using theory of evolution