OCN-Final Exam

bacteria

simple, life forms without nuclei

archaea

simple, microscopic creatures

eukarya

complex, multicellular organisms

eubacteria

single celled organisms that lack nuclei

(includes cyanobacteria)

archaebacteria

microscopic, bacteria-like organisms

(includes methane producers & sulfur oxidizers of deep sea vents)

plantae

multicelled, photosynthesis plants

(surf grass, eelgrass, mangrove, & marsh grasses)

animalia

multicelled organisms, range from simple sponges to complex vertebrates

protista

singlecelled and multicelled with nucleus

*algae & protozoa fall under this category

fungi

mold & lichen

taxonomy

systematic classification of organisms

taxonomy order

kingdom—>phylum—>class—>order—>family—>genus—>species

plankton

floaters (there’s literally 8 types I’m not abt to make a flashcard for each of them)

nekton

• independent swimmers

• most adult fish & squid

• marine mammals

• marine reptiles

benthos

bottom dwellers

• live in perpetual darkness, coldness, and stillness

*most abundant in shallower water

epifauna

live on the surface of the sea floor

infauna

live buried in sediments

nektobenthos

swim or crawl through water above seafloor

broadcast spawning

eggs & sperm directly released into seawater

isotonic

organism’s body fluid salinity same as ocean

hypertonic

organism’s fluids have higher salinity than ocean

hypotonic

organism’s fluids have lower salinity than ocean

camouflage

through color patterns

countershading

dark on top, light on bottom

epi

= surface, full light

meso

= middle, twilight light

aphotic

= no light/ everything deeper

gills

animals extract dissolved oxygen from seawater through these

stenothermal

organisms withstand small variation in temp

*driven by heat capacity

• typically live in open ocean

eurythermal

organisms withstand large variation in temperature

*driven by heat capacity

• typically live in coastal waters

stenohaline

organisms withstand only small variation in salinity

• typically live in open ocean

euryhaline

organisms withstand large variation in salinity

• typically live in coastal waters, like estuaries

cube a

greater resistance to sinking per unit of mass than cube c

adaptations of marine organisms

• high surface area to volume ratio

• as size goes down, surface area goes up

• a smaller organism has an easier time getting the nutrients they need

Deep Scattering Layer (DSL)

daily migration of many organisms to deeper, darker, parts of the ocean (can protect some species from predators)

neritic province

from shore seaward, all waters <200m deep

oceanic province

depth increases beyond 200m

Pelagic

open sea

Benthic

sea floor

epipelagic

• only zone to support photosynthesis

• dissolved oxygen decreases around 200m

mesopelagic

• organisms capable of bioluminescence are common

• contain dissolved oxygen minimum layer (OML)

supralittoral (Benthic Environments)

transition from land to sea floor above spring high tide line; spray zone

subneritic (Benthic Environments)

spring high tides shoreline to zoom about ½ the continental shelf

littoral (Benthic Environments)

intertidal zone

sublittoral (Benthic Environments)

shallow subtidal zone

bathyal

continental slope

abyssal

• more than 80% of benthic environment

• animal tracks in abyssal clay

hadal

• below 600m

• only deep trenches on continental margins

Euphotic

surface to where enough light exists to support photosynthesis

*ocean zones based on light availability

Disphotic

small but measurable quantities of light

Aphotic

no light

primary productivity

rate at which energy is stored in organic matter

photosynthesis

uses solar radiation

chemosynthesis

uses chemical reactions

plankton nets

used to capture plankton

satellites

used to monitor ocean color

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiatiometer (MODIS)

measures 36 spectral wavelengths

factor affecting primary productivity

nutrient availability

eutrophication

enrichment of ecosystem with chemical nutrients

compensation depth

net productivity becomes zero

(productivity - respiration = compensation depth)

anthophyta

sea-beaming plants

• only in shallow coastal waters

• primarily grasses & mangroves

• important source of food &n protection for near shore animals

macroscopic algae

(large) algae

• green, red, & brown algae

microscopic algae

(small) algae

• produce food for 99% of marine animals

• mostly planktonic (drifters)

• golden algae

diatoms

tests (shells) made of silica, accumulated shells produce diatomaceous earth

coccolithophores

plates of calcium carbonate

red tides

• harmful algae blooms (HABs)

• humans who eat affected fish may get paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP)

cultural eutrophication

speeding up natural eutrophication through human activities

dead zones

hypoxic (oxygen-poor) water or anoxia (no O2)

• mouths of major rivers

• spring runoffs

• suffocates bottom dwellers

how dead zones form

1. nutrient over enrichment

2. phytoplankton bloom

3. eutrophication

4. decay

what do phytoplankton need to thrive?

sunlight & nutrients

winter low

many nutrients & little sunlight

spring high

spring bloom

summer low

few nutrients & abundant sunlight

fall high

fall bloom

producers

autotrophic

consumers

heterotrophic

decomposers

heterotrophic

feeding strategies

suspension feeding or filter feeding

trophic levels

about 10% of energy transferred to the next trophic level

standing dock

the mass present in the ecosystem at any given time

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)

max amount of fish biomass that can be removed yearly & still allow sustainable population

bycatch

non-commercial species are taken incidentally by commercial fishers

distribution of benthic organisms

more than 98% of approximately 230,000 known marine species live in or on ocean floor

Epifauna

• attached to substrate

• move over sea floor

spray zone

above spring tide zone

high tide zone

relatively dry

middle tide zone

covered by all high tides/ exposed by all low tides

low tide zones

usually wet

infauna

burrowing animals

subtidal zone

rocky bottom

sessile

refer to those that are permanently attached to substrate, such as rocks & move freely

polyps

individual corals animals

zooxanthellae

symbiotic photosynthesis microscopic algae in coral tissues

hermatypic coral

mutualistic relationship with algae

fringing reef

• develop along margin of landmasses

• ideal temp, salinity, & turbidity conditions

barrier reefs

• follows fringing reef stage

• grows upward as landmass subsides

atoll

• follows barrier reef stage

• volcano submerges completely after millions of years, circular reef that grows upwards is left behind

coral bleaching

symbiotic zooxanthellae (what give coral color) die, leave, or become toxic

swim bladders

• change in depth, expands or contracts

• slow moving fish

copepods

*most of ocean’s zooplankton biomass

• microscopic

• shrimp-like crustaceans

cnidarians

soft bodies, stinging tentacles