Study Guide -- Marine Biology

Terminology and Key Concpe

Plate tectonics

the process of the entire planets surface drifting

mid ocean ridges

The continuous chain of volcanic submarine mountains that extends around Earth

oceanic crust vs continental crust

oceanic is younger and continental is older, thicker, and less dense

subduction

The downward movement of a tectonic plate into the mantle that occurs in trenches, which are also known as subduction zones.

biogenous sediments

composed of the mineral calcium carbon ate (CaCO3 )

calcareous ooze

Types of oozes

calcareous ooze (foraminiferan)

siliceous ooze (diatomaceous, radiolarian)

Sea water solutes

sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) are the most abundant, making up roughly 85% of the dissolved ions.

Waves: causes and types

Waves are caused by a disturbance that transfers energy, most commonly by wind, gravity (tides), or geological events (tsunamis). They are categorized into two main types: mechanical waves, which require a medium like water or sound, and electromagnetic waves, which can travel through a vacuum, such as light

Pressure

changes dramatically with depth in the ocean because the amount of water above gets greater

Winds: causes

Density

the mass of a given volume of a substance

if two substances are mixed the denser materials tends to sink and the less dense to float

Gyres

Under the influence of the Coriolis effect, the wind-driven surface currents combine into huge, more or less circular systems

Light and water, turbidity

Turbidity is the measure of how clear water is, and it directly impacts how deeply light can penetrate the water column

Secchi disk

a simple, cost-effective tool used in marine biology to measure water transparency and clarity

Physical and energetic properties of water

polarity, high specific heat, high heat of vaporization, and unique density pattern

Where do the solids that are dissolved in seawater come from?

the weathering of rocks on land, which transports minerals to the ocean via rivers and runoff, and underwater volcanic activity and hydrothermal vents, which release dissolved minerals directly from the Earth's crust

Coriolis effect/ the Ekman spiral.

a rotating column of water that forms when water moves at an angle to the wind direction due to the Coriolis Effect

Rising and falling air: where on earth

Air rises most prominently at the equator due to intense solar heating, and sinks at about the 30° latitude (both north and south) where cooler air descends

Upwelling

the process where deep, cold, nutrient-rich ocean water rises to the surface, replacing warmer, surface water

Tides: types, reason for spring vs neap, causes.

depend on the alignment of the sun, Earth, and Moon. Spring tides occur during the new and full moon, when the sun, Earth, and Moon are in a straight line, and the combined gravitational forces create higher high tides and lower low tides. Neap tides occur during the first and third quarter moons, when the sun and Moon are at right angles to each other, and their gravitational forces partially cancel out, resulting in lower high tides and higher low tides

Salinity

the measure of the dissolved salt content in water or soil

Diffusion

the net movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration down a concentration gradient

osmosis

the net movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from an area of high water concentration to an area of low water concentration, or from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated one

osmoregulation vs osmoconformers

Osmoregulatory actively maintain a constant internal osmotic pressure different from their environment, a process that requires significant energy. In contrast, osmoconformers lack active regulation and allow their internal osmotic pressure to match that of their surroundings, which saves energy but limits them to stable environments

Surface to volume relationships

govern fundamental physiological processes for organisms of all sizes, from microscopic plankton to giant whales

This principle explains how marine life manages essential functions like nutrient absorption, waste removal, gas exchange, and temperature regulation, all of which depend on the surface area available to the organism's internal volume

Basic taxonomy

the scientific method of organizing ocean-dwelling organisms into hierarchical groups based on evolutionary relationships and shared characteristics, such as Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species

Foundational evolutionary theory

built on the principles of variation within populations, inheritance of traits, and a "struggle for existence" where individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits on to their offspring

General Marine ecology-population

the study of how populations of marine organisms change over time and the factors that drive those changes

community and ecosystems

a community is a group of different populations of marine organisms, while an ecosystem is that community plus the non-living (abiotic) factors of their environment, like water, sunlight, and temperature

3 basic lifestyle groups

plankton, nekton, and benthos

Fig. 10.11

plankton

tiny organisms that drift in the ocean and are essential to marine ecosystems as they form the base of the food chain

nekton

strong-swimming aquatic animals that can propel themselves independently of ocean currents, such as fish, whales, sharks, and squid.

neuston

small aquatic organisms inhabiting the surface layer or moving on the surface film of water.

benthos

the organisms living on, in, or near the bottom of a body of water, such as the ocean, rivers, or lakes

neritic

the shallow, biologically rich part of the ocean that overlies the world's continental shelves, from the low tide mark to the edge of the shelf

Marine biotic zones

intertidal zone (between high and low tides), pelagic zone (open ocean water column), benthic zone (ocean floor)

Fig. 10.12

Endothermy

the ability of an organism to regulate its body temperature from within, primarily through internal metabolic processes like increasing metabolic rate

ectothermy

a biological trait where an organism relies on external sources like the environment to regulate its body temperature

heterothermy

a physiological strategy where an animal's body temperature fluctuates significantly over time or across different body regions

poikilothermy

thermoregulatory process; internal temperature varies/fluctuates with respect to variation in ambient environmental temperature

Table 4.2 - Response to Changes in External Temperature

calcareous ooze 

a type of biogenous sediment that is made of the calcium carbonate shells and skeletons of marine organisms