Studied by 8 people
Prokaryotic
groups such as Archaea and Bacteria, no organized nucleus, lack organelles (ex: mitochondria)
Eukarya
Organisms that have nuclei and organized structured cells (ex: animals, land plants, and fungi)
Genus
A classification grouping that consists of a number of similar, closely related species, always capitalized
Species
a group of organisms, never capitalized and always italicized
Linnaeus
developed the binomial system of naming organisms (species→ genus→family→ order→ class→ phylum→ kingdom)
Scientific names
always italicized because they are latin
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
largest animal to ever exist
Microbes
microscopic organisms, more of them in the ocean than stars in the sky
Biological Species Concept
organisms that can reproduce with each other If in the same species. There are 2 types: anagenesis and cladogenesis.
Anagenesis
evolving into something new
Cladogenesis
splitting off into different species (branching out)
reticulate evolution
Formed by the biological species concept, created by Darwin, "branching out" into different species/evolving.
Microevolution
change within a species or from one species to another
Macroevolution
speciation and higher-level change (ex: reptiles evolving into mammals over many generations)
Hybridization
can occur during the process of speciation before enough "genetic distance" is achieved
Hydrocoral
relative of the traditional reef-building corals
DNA Barcoding
specific genetic sequences that are unique to a particular species
4 types of DNA
A- Adenine, T- Thymine, G- Guanine, C- Cytosine
gene sequences
more sequences in common than there are differences
Smallest organisms
Bacteria, Phytoplankton, Fish (paedocypris), Cetacean (phocoena)
Largest Organisms
Bacteria (thiomargarita)- almost 1 meter, Fish (rhincodon)- whale shark, Cetacean (balaenoptera)
Bacteria populations
extremely difficult to measure because they are so many of them (wide variety)
Species richness
number of species accounted for
Species diversity
number of species, considers population of each one
1.35 sextillion
amount of bacteria in the ocean (hard to be exact)
Prochlorococcus
microbe that produces most of the air that we breathe, smallest known photosynthetic organism
Terrestrial Plants
produce 50% of the worlds oxygen
Phytoplankton & Macroalgae
produce the other 50% of the worlds oxygen
coral reefs
known as the rainforests of the seas due to their biodiversity, They take very long to grow.
method for identifying species
species→ genus→ family→ order→ class→ phylum→ kingdom (small to large)
Animalia
"animal" breathe or soul- mollusca: soft
Bivalvia
paired sides or folding doors (clams and oysters)
Euhetrodonta
unequal (hetero) teeth (donta) hinge the shells
Cardiidae
"cardiac" shaped clams- cockle family
Tridacna
greek/refers to something large, gigas=giant
why does appearance matter?
Get themselves noticed (warning predators to stay away) or to keep a low profile (blend into their habitat)
why do predators blend in?
want to avoid detection by prey so they can sneak up on them
why do prey blend in?
aim to blend in to avoid being spotted by the predator
predator spotting
lose their food
prey spotting
lose their life
camouflage
blending in through coloration, texture, body shape, and other traits that match the surrounding environment
Mimicry
blending in by resembling an inedible or unthreatening species (ex: coral, sea grass)
Countershading
Blending in by the tendency to be darker on the side of the body that receives strongest illumination (ex: penguins, seals, sharks)
habitat change
can occur through distrubance, problem blending in due to this change. (ex: a brightly coral habitat allows the brightly colored organisms to blend in with the habitat. if this changes, the organisms lose their main protection)
coral
"drama queens"- bleach when their is the slightest change in water temperature
Cephlapods
group of mollusks, change the pigment and/or texture of their skin to match their environment at any given time.
Chromatophores
pigment cells that change the color of an organism, allowing it to camouflage (most commonly used by cephalopods). Opens or closes within lightning speed.
False Eyespots
eye like marking on the body, make an animal look bigger than they actually are and distracts a predator for even a few crucial seconds
Ink Puffs
Cephalopods aim to startle and confuse their predators by ejecting a puff of ink that hangs in the water column just for the right amount of time
Lure
full of light-producing bacteria, luring in unexpected prey. This tool is useful in a habitat like the deep sea where food is scarce and spread out (deep sea anglerfish)
aposematic coloration
warning coloration: coloration that advertises to potential predators that an animal is not worth attacking or eating.
sea slugs
nudibranchs, carry poisonous chemicals from the food they eat (sponges)
Batesian mimicry
2 fish both look alike but they are not the same species, Predators cannot tell the difference between the two, therefore most predators do not take the risk of trying to eat them
Eye features
Animals can optimize the size or positioning of them to match their environment
Deep-sea barreleye
Uses long tubular eyes to detect prey in low light
Hammerhead Shark:
an odd-shaped head allows their eyes to be set wider than other shark species, giving them what is known as binocular vision that allows them to more effectively track fast-moving prey.
Elephant seals
uses nose for vocal threats, large inflatable noses called a proboscis that overhangs their lower lip
nose features
Develop unique noises for the purpose of sound production, enhancing their sense of smell and detecting electric signals
color change
Not changed by temperature, changed by habitat
Sunlight
contains all the visible colors in the color spectrum, all colors function at a different wavelength.
Diffraction
happens when sunlight hits the water
Low wavelength light
penetrates deepest (ex: blue)
High wavelength light
absorbed first (ex: red)
ambient conditions
conditions such as turbidity of the water, depth that the light penetrates depends on this
Turbidity
measures the amount of cloudiness in the water, measured with a Secchi Disk
refractometer
measures the salinity of the water
Mantis Shrimp
can see UV light. Humans cannot see UV light
Ocean color
color is not blue, it is what our eyes perceive to be blue.
Phytoplankton
absorbs blue color and reflects green, mass amounts of them in the ocean. Determines ocean color
Upwelling
cold, nutrient-filled water goes up to the top and replaces the warm water (murky color)
red light waves
do not reach below the surface level
red and black
most abundant color in the deep sea
Lateral line
present in fish, sense changes in the water line. (fish move simultaneously). series of sensitive hair cells that run along the side of their body, sending important signals to a fishes brain about the environment
sound
travels 4x faster in the ocean than in the air
echolocation
whales and dolphins use this to find and capture prey. The sounds they make come out of the blowhole from the melon. When they sense a fish, they sense the fish's swim bladder. Sense is picked up again through their lower jaw (fatty tissue). Communicated to the brain that they hear and see something.
whiskers
used by marine mammals to detect water flow changes in their environment (seals, sea lions, walruses)
Ampullae of lorenzini:
gel-filled pores on face (electroreceptors), common in sharks, concentration around snout and mouth of shark, can feel electrical pulses
magnetic field
marine mammals use this to detect their surroundings. example: loggerhead turtles use the magnetic signature of their birthplace to navigate back to their natal habitat when they are ready to spawn
seamounts
minute variations in the magnetic orientation of the seafloor
arctic terns
conduct the longest annual migration known for any animal, traveling 44,000 miles from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back every year.
satellite tag technology
research use this method to track movement patterns
shape movement correlation
shape reflects type of movement that an organism needs depending on their lifestyle
caudal fin
tail of fish/cartilaginous fish
flying fish
able to launch themselves out of the water and "fly" using their wing-like pectoral fins
Marine iguanas
Darwin called them the "Imps of Darkness"
Thermoregulation
the process to regulate body temperature, so can dedicate greater oxygen and energy to diving.
endothermic
Cold blooded animals such as the leatherback turtle are excellent divers because they have a slower metabolism
exothermic
warm blooded animals (mammals)
extreme diving
They have an extremely high tolerance for hypoxia, which means a high tolerance for a low oxygen condition, they develop ways to store oxygen more efficiently in their blood and muscles, They can slow their metabolic needs down to about 4 beats per minute and they prioritize vital organs such as the brain, the heart and muscles.
Daily Vertical Migration (DVM)
Every day, trillions of tiny fish migrate from the deep ocean to the shallows in search for food to produce their own energy.
Amiplods
specialize in hitchhiking on jellyfish
Remora Fish
ultimate hitchhikers, attach themselves by the suckers found on top of their heads. Remoras attach to sharks, whales and occasionally on ships.
Temporary Tags
Paints and dyes, adhesive tapes, hair/fur removal, radioscope marking
Semi-permanent
Tags, neck collars, bands, telemetry (satellite, radio, bio), Archival data recorders
Permanent
Chemical branding, tattooing, passive integrated transponders (PIT), tissue removal (ear notching, toe removal, disc clipping, web clippings) natural markers
Muscle difference
3 types of muscles (red, pink, white) red is meant for swimming, white is meant for diving down for extensive amount of time
Myoglobin
oxygenated blood, makes muscle red
vertical migration
up and down (24 hr)
horizontal migration
coast to coast
seasonal migration
mating season
Note 
Flashcard (20)