honors marine biology

blub blub

what are the different ways we can observe the ocean?

SCUBA, submersibles, ROV, AUV, and Eye in the Sea

what does the term salinity mean?

the the total amount of salt dissolved in water

what is the average salinity of the ocean?

about 35 parts per thousand

how would a dramatic increase or decrease in salinity effect ocean life?

it forces organisms to use more energy for osmoregulation

what factors affect the density of water in the ocean?

temperature

hydrogenous

formed from dissolved minerals in seawater

cosmogenous

formed by particles from outer space

biogenous

made from the remains of once living organisms

terrigenous

produced from continental rocks

when light penetrates the ocean, which color is absorbed first?

red light

when light penetrates the ocean, which color is absorbed last?

blue light

the basic structure of water

molecule

the types of atoms water consists of

hydrogen and oxygen atoms

the type of bonds that hold water together

hydrogen bonds

the different properties of water

solid, liquid, and gas

characteristics of the Coriolis Effect, wind patterns, and surface currents

the Coriolis Effect is when movement of air masses in the Northern Hemisphere go to the right, and in the Southern Hemisphere go to the left, it deflects wind patterns from the equator to the poles at 30° and 60° south, and surface ocean currents in each hemisphere are generated mostly by trade winds

thermoclines

zones of rapid temperature change

haloclines

regions where salinity increases rapidly

pycnoclines

regions where density increases rapidly

upwelling

either equatorial which is when surface water is carried by currents towards the poles; nutrient rich water from the depths replaces the water or coastal which is when water moves offshore due to Ekman transport, and nutrient-rich water from greater depths replaces the water

downwelling

when winds force oxygen-rich surface waters downward and along the continental shelf

how waves are created and affected by wind speed and fetch

waves are the result of a generating force and higher wind speeds create larger, more frequent, and more powerful waves

what are limiting factors and how do these limiting factors affect populations in an ecosystem?

limiting factors are environmental constraints that restrict how large a population can grow, preventing infinite growth and determining the ecosystem’s carrying capacity and they affect populations by slowing growth as resources dwindle, increasing competition, disease, or predation, and ultimately stabilizing the population size, forcing it to stay near the sustainable limit the environment offers

mutualism

when both benefit

commensalism

one benefits and the other is unaffected

parsitism

when one benefits and the other is harmed

the energy pyramid and different trophic levels

energy flows through trophic levels in an ecosystem, but only 10% of energy is transferred to the next level, with most lost as heat, meaning higher levels have less energy, fewer organisms, and typically only 4-5 levels exist

how the different organisms in the Ecosphere relate to each other to keep the system alive

organisms in an ecosphere maintain the system’s life through interconnected roles as producers, consumers, and decomposers, driven by energy flow and nutrient cycling, forming food webs through interactions like predation, competition, and symbiosis that regulate populations and recycle vital materials, creating a balanced, self-sustaining system where everything depends on something else for survival

bacteria

made of a cell wall, a cell membrane, and cytoplasm, have a simple structure consisting of a plasma membrane, cytoplasm, and ribosomes, often enclosed by a protective cell wall made of peptidoglycan, decompose organic matter to help digest food, found virtually everywhere on Earth, eat carbohydrates, organic compounds, and even some inorganic materials like methane or hydrogen, consume food by absorbing it through their cell membranes using mechanisms like transport proteins or by engulfing food particles through phagocytosis

archaea

made of cells with cytoplasm, a cell membrane, and a cell wall, features a unique cell membrane with ether-linked lipids, often an outermost S-layer of glycoproteins, and diverse cell shapes, perform unique functions like producing methane and ammonia oxidation, found almost everywhere on Earth, eat a wide variety of substances, including inorganic compounds like hydrogen and carbon dioxide, organic molecules such as proteins and carbohydrates, and even sunlight for a few species, can be autotrophic, heterotrophs, or mixotrophic

coccolithophores

made of tiny, star-shaped plates of calcium carbonate called coccoliths, perform phagocytosis, inhabit the upper layers of all the world’s oceans, get energy by photosynthesizing like plants and by consuming other organisms, consists of a single-celled organism enclosed by a protective shell called a coccosphere

diatoms

made of silica, have a rigid glassy cell wall made of silica called a frustule, which is made of two overlapping halves, produce a significant portion of the world’s oxygen through photosynthesis and serve as a foundational food source for marine life, found in nearly every aquatic habitat, eat through photosynthesis, where they create their own food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients like nitrates and phosphates

dinoflagellates

primarily made of cellulose, feature two dissimilar flagella in perpendicular grooves that create a spinning motion, function as primary producers, contribute to marine food webs, form symbiotic relationships, and are responsible for bioluminescence found in all aquatic environments worldwide, eat through photosynthesis or by predation, consume small organisms like other plankton, diatoms, and bacteria

foraminifera

made of a shell called a test, act as a key part of the marine food web while also serving as valuable bioindicators for environmental studies, found in all marine environments, eat a variety of food particles, such as algae, bacteria, and detritus, by using their pseudopodia

radiolarians

made of silica, includes a siliceous skeleton, often intricate and made of silica, with a central capsule that divides the cell into inner and outer region, feed on bacteria and other plankton, participate in biogeochemical cycles, and form the basis of a food source for larger marine animals, found in all the world’s oceans, consume a wide variety of plankton, feed by extending their sticky, ray-like appendages, from their skeletons to trap and immobilize prey, which is then moved to a central cavity for digestion

phytoplankton

microscopic, plant-like organisms that perform photosynthesis to produce their own food, form the base of the food chain, and produce oxygen (coccolithophores, diatoms, dinoflagellates)

zooplankton

microscopic, animal-like organisms that consume phytoplankton and other zooplankton for energy, are primary or secondary consumers, and do not produce their own food

holoplankton

live their entire lives as plankton

meroplankton

only spend part of their life cycle as plankton

why are plankton so important?

they are the foundation of marine food webs and produce up to half of the world’s oxygen through photosynthesis

why are algae not considered to be plants?

they do not have leaves, stems, or roots

a

stipe

b

pneumatocyst

c

blade

d

holdfast

the entire thing

thallus

green algae

a vital food source, produce a significant portion of the world’s oxygen, and are closely related to plants

brown algae

have a unique pigment called fucoxanthin, which gives them their color and aids in photosynthesis

red algae

have the ability to thrive in deep water thanks to pigments like phycoerythrin, their lack of flagella, and unique cellular features like pit connections

human uses for green algae

taken as nutritional supplements and is in bio-fuels

human uses for brown algae

produces alginic acid, which is used as a stiffening agent for pastry fillings, instant puddings, salad dressing, milk shakes, whipped cream, ice cream, adhesives, explosives, and lotions

human uses for red algae

sushi “seaweed”, cheese, yogurt, laxatives, and has many uses in medicine

in what general type of environment are seagrasses found?

shallow, coastal marine environments

what likes to eat seagrass?

manatees, green sea turtles, and dugongs

where are mangroves found?

along tropical shores with limited wave action, subtle slope, and high rate of sedimentation

what ecological roles do mangrove forests play?

protect the coast from storms, provide a nursery for juvenile marine life, help filter sediment which keeps water near coral reefs clear, and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

how do mangroves maintain proper salt balance?

black mangroves have salt glands and salt is concentrated in old leaves that are shed in others

how would an increase in ocean temperature affect ocean and wind currents

it makes surface waters lighter, potentially slowing deep ocean currents, while also providing more energy, which can strengthen winds and intensify storms, shifting jet streams poleward and altering wind-driven currents

how would an increase in ocean temperature affect salinity levels

it makes surface waters saltier by boosting evaporation, leaving salt behind

how would an increase in ocean temperature affect ecosystem

it disrupts ecosystems by causing coral bleaching, forcing species migrations, increasing harmful algal blooms, reducing oxygen, altering food webs, and impacting marine mammals and birds, threatening biodiversity, fisheries, and human livelihoods through habitat loss and food security issues

what are the different characteristics that all (mostly all) animals share

multicellular, cells are eukaryotic and lack cell walls, heterotrophs, can actively move

how do sponges reproduce asexually

budding, when the new sponge grows off the side of the old sponge, or fragmentation, which occurs by physically breaking off

how do hermaphrodite sponges reproduce

they produce both male gametes but not at the same time, water temperature changes stimulate gamete production, which is controlled by seasonal changes

how do sponges reproduce sexually

when sperm enters the sponge the same way food particles do, fertilizes egg, zygote is formed, develops into larva, floats until it finds a solid landing place, anchors and develops into adult sponge

classification taxa in order

domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

the 3 main parts of the sponge

how to write a scientific name

in italics and the genus name is capitalized