Marine Ecology Final Exam Review

Bathymetry

Measurement of the depth of water

Bathypelagic ocean zone

“The midnight zone” ( 3,281ft - 13,124ft)

Abyssal pelagic ocean zone

“ The Abyss” (13,124 ft- 19,686 ft)

Mesopelagic ocean zone

“Twilight zone” ( 656ft- 3281 ft)

Epipelagic ocean zone

Surface layer of the ocean (Surface to 656 feet)

Nuesten net

Used to sample organisms and fish near the surface

Niskin/ NiO Bottle

Used to collect water samples from specific depths

Polarity

Charge of water

Cohesion

Attraction between water molecules (surface tension)

Adhesion

attraction between water molecules and other molecules (capillary action)

Specific Heat Capacity

Ability to absorb/ release heat

Longshore Currents

Runs parallel to shore, agent of beach erosion

Rip Currents

Two opposing longshore currents, swim parallel to shore

Phytoplankton (plant)

photosynthetic

Major Phytoplankton groups

Diatoms and dinoflagellates

Diatoms

complex shapes and made of glass

Dinoflagellates

responsible for algae blooms

Zooplankton (animal)

made up of larval starfish, crabs, shrimp, fish fry etc,as they mature and develop, they will no longer be considered “plankton.”

Copepods (zooplankton)

(most abundant in the ocean, huge food source for krill), Krill (backbone for the Antarctic food web

Continental Shelf

Gently sloping part of the continent that is underwater

Seamount

Underwater mountains (usually volcanic)

Trench

Long, narrow, deep depressions caused by subduction

Abyssal plain

Flat area on ocean floor, covered by thick layer of sediment

Jacques Cousteau

Invention of the aqualung

Sylvia Erle

Deepest walk on sea floor

James Cook

Detailed vision of the Pacific Ocean and its continents

Matthew Henson

Became the first human beings to set foot on the North Pole

Charles Darwin

Natural selection

Speciation occurs when…

populations become reproductively separated leading to unique characteristics (must be separated by habitat, time, and geography)

Describe energy pyramid (levels, x percent rule)

What percent of the earth is covered by ocean?

70%

How does temperature and salinity affect the density of water?

Colder water is more dense, salty water is more dense

What forces create tides?

Gravitation forces exerted by the moon and a tiny bit by the sun

What part of the electromagnetic spectrum can humans see

The visual light spectrum- 380 to 700 nanometers

Refraction

Change in speed of light waves as they pass from one medium to another

Absorption

Visible light is converted to thermal energy and absorbed by water (converted to heat)

Attenuation

loss of light w/ increased depth due to scattering, absorption, and refraction

Scattering

When light bounces of water particles

Why is red absorbed first in water?

it has the longest wavelength and lowest energy within the visible light spectrum

Why is phytoplankton important?

It is the foundation of the marine food chain and primary producers

How much carbon is absorbed by the ocean?

1/3 of the carbon from the atmosphere

Why is carbon being absorbed by the ocean bad?

Increase in carbonic acid leads to the break down of hardshells (coral)

What causes the release of carbon?

Burning fossil fuels, combustion of fossil fuels, and respiration.

What can cause harmful algal blooms?

Fertilizer pollution, agricultural runoff, and sewage

Compensation depth

Where photosynthesis occurs/ the lowest point it can occur

Turbidity

the opposite of clarity/ how unclear the water is

Compensation depth in coastal water

The water is more turbid so the compensation depth is higher (the light travels less deep)

Compensation depth in open water

The water is less turbid so the compensation depth is deeper (light travels deeper)

Organisms that are in the phyla Arthropoda

Lobsters, crabs, shrimp, barnacles, and copepods

Organisms that are in the phyla Cnidaria

corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish

Organisms that are in the phyla Poriferae

Sponges

Organisms that are in Echinodermata

corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish

Organisms that are in the phyla Mollusca

clams, snails, slugs, and squid

Adaptations of the phyla Arthropoda

Exoskeleton, joined appendages, segmentation, bilateral symmetry

Adaptions of the phyla cnidaria

Radial symmetry, cnidocytes (stinging cells)

Adaptations of the phyla porifera

Spicules (structural support), Asymmetrical, sometimes radial

Adaptions of the phyla echinodermata

Water Vascular System: A hydraulic system used for locomotion, feeding, and gas exchange., radial symmetry

Adaptions of the phyla mollusca

bilateral symmetry

Intertidal zones

Alternately exposed and submerged by tides

Different parts of intertidal zones

Supralittoral zone, Midlittoral zone, and Subtidal zone

Supralittoral Zone

Very dry, snails and chitton

Midlittoral Zone

Alternately exposed, yellow and green algae.

Subtidal Zone

More stabley submerged, variety of organisms

Characteristics of chordates

Dorsal stiffening rod called notochord, Dorsal nerve chord, Pharyngeal gill slits, a tall that extends beyond the anus

Fins

Viviparous Reproduction

embryos develop internally, and nutrients are received via tissues or blood from the

female.

Ovoviviparity

fertilized eggs develop internally using yolk sacs within the female fish. Live young

are then expelled.

Oviparity

: fertilization occurs internally and then the female releases the recently fertilized eggs

(zygotes) into the water.

Conformers

Changes to match that of its environment

Osmoregulator

controls the osmotic concentration of its body fluids, keeping them constant in spite of external alterations

Why does sound travel farther in water?

Water has a higher density (sound waves bounce through the molecules)

Agnatha

Jawless fish (hagfish and lampreys)

Chondrichthyes

Cartilaginous fish (sharks, rays)

Osteichthyes

Bony fish

Ostraciiform Locomotion

Slow back and forth movement of a small tail

Ballistaform Locomotion

Undulation of anal and dorsal fin

Labriform Locomotion

Pectoral fins push water

Batoid Rajiform

Undulation of pectoral fins seen in skates and rays

Swim Bladder

air filled organ to control depth

Lateral line

A line on a fish with sense organs which detect pressure and vibration.

Operculum

a bony covering over the gills, protecting them

Gill filaments

feathery structures that are attached to the gill arch, uptake oxygen, release co2

Gill rakers

bony or cartilaginous projections located on the gill arches of fish, filter food

Otariidae

Eared seals (Sea lions)

Mysticeti

Baleen whales (blue whales, humpback whales, and grey whales)

Odontoceti

Toothed whales (sperm whales, bottlenose dolphins, orcas/ killer whales)

Odobenidae

the WALRUS

Phocidae

Earless seals (harbor seal, elephant seal, and leopard seal)

R Selected Species

fast reproduction and die early

K selected species

slow reproduction and live longer

Transect Sampling

Sampling along a line and counting manually

Mark and recapture

Mark animals come back later and compare marked to unmarked

Complete count

counting every organism in an area

Quadrant

a square/ area that they count organisms in

What are the two suborders of Cetaceans?

Mysticeti (baleen whales) and Odontoceti (toothed whales)

Three ways that (Mysticeti) baleen whales feed

Gulp feeding, skim feeding, and bottom feeding

How do (odontoceti) toothed whales feed?

They are aggressive hunters

Niche

the role an organism has in its environment

Density- dependent factors

predation, disease, competition

Density-independent factors

hurricane, fires