Chp 12: The Marine Habitat

kingdom monera

single celled but lack a discrete nucleus. instead, their nuclear material is spread throughout the cell

protoctista

single and multicelled organisms that have a nucleus. includes protozoa and multicellular marine algae

neritic province

extends from teh shore seaward, including all water overlying an ocean bottom that is less than 200 meters in depth

oceanic province

200 meters or lower. further subdivided into four biozones: epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssopelagic

euphotic zone

rarely deep than 100 meters (330 feet)

disphotic zone

small but measuable quatities of light to a depth of about 1000 meters (3300 feet)

aphotic zone

no light, below 1000 meters

oxygen minimum layer

within the mesopelagic zone, depth fof about 700-1000 meters. the water masses that move horizontally at this depth often have the highest levels of nutrients in the ocean

bioluminescent light is produced by a chemical process involving the compound

luciferin

below the oxygen minimum layer, oxygen content ______ with depth

increases

two subdivisiuns of the benthic environment

subneritic province, suboceanic province

subneritic province

from the spring high tide shoreline until 200 meters in depth, the entirety of the continental shelf

suboceanic province

entire benthic environemnt below 200 meters

supralittoral zone

aka spray zone, transitional region from land to sea floor that is above the spring high tide line. only covered with water during periods of extremely high tides or storms

littoral zone

intertidal zone

plankton singular

plankter

most of earths biomass

plankton

picoplankton

measures from 0.2 to 2 microns (bacterioplankton)

meroplankton

spend their larval forms in the plankton area, either sinks or becomes a nekton in their adult stages

nekton

include all animals capable of moving independently of the ocean currents

benthos

organisms living on or in the ocean bottom

epifauns

animals that live on the surface of the sea floor

infauna

organisms that live buried in the sand, shells, or mud

nektobenthos

benthos that not only live on the bottom but also move with relative ease by swimming or crawling

the farther from shore, the ____ the benthic biomass

lower

first biocommunity at a hydrothermal vent

discovered in the Galapagos Rift

stenothermal

organisms that can withstand only very small temperature changes

eurythermal

able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures

euryhaline and stenohaline

able to withstand large fluctuation in salinity conditions, able to withstand only a small fluctuation in salinity

osmotic pressure

pressure that must be applied to the more concentrated solution to prevent passage of water molecules

countershading

dark on top, light on bottom

deep scattering layer

A sound reflecting layer made up of many organisms that migrate daily from mesopelagic to epipelagic

robert whittaker

first proposed the system of five kingdoms of life

giant kelp kingdom

chromista

only areas where seaweeds attached to the bottom are found

littoral and sublittoral zones because these are the only benthic zones to which sufficient light can penetrate

protoplasm

The substance that makes up the living parts of cells

water pressure increases ____ with depth

linearly