Marine Biology Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards of key vocabulary words and definitions from the lecture notes.

Watershed

Area of land that drains into a common body of water.

Estuary

Partially enclosed coastal body of water where freshwater mixes with saltwater.

Coastal Plain Estuary

Formed when sea levels rise and flood existing river valleys; typically shallow and wide.

Fjord Estuary

Deep, narrow estuaries formed by glacial erosion, with steep sides and a sill near the mouth.

Bar Built Estuary

Formed when a barrier island or sandbar develops parallel to the coastline, partially enclosing a body of water.

Tectonic Estuary

Formed by the sinking or faulting of land due to tectonic activity, creating a basin that fills with seawater.

Highly Stratified Estuary

Estuary with strong separation between freshwater and saltwater layers due to limited mixing.

Slightly Stratified Estuary

Estuary with some mixing between freshwater and saltwater layers, but a salinity gradient still exists.

Vertically Stratified Estuary

Estuary with strong tidal mixing that eliminates any vertical salinity gradient.

Salt Wedge

Wedge-shaped intrusion of saltwater in the lower reaches of a river, with denser saltwater flowing along the bottom.

Euryhaline Organisms

Organisms found in the upper reaches of an estuary where salinity fluctuates.

Stenohaline Organisms

Organisms found in the lower reaches of an estuary where salinity is more stable.

Submergent Marine Plants

Plants that live entirely underwater; examples include eelgrass and turtle grass.

Emergent Marine Plants

Plants rooted underwater but have leaves and stems extending above the water surface; examples include cordgrass and mangroves.

Pneumatophores

Aerial roots that facilitate respiration in plants that grow where the ground is waterlogged (e.g., mangroves).

Rhizophores

Prop roots, such as those found on red mangroves.

Suspension Feeding

Capture of food particles suspended in the water column.

Deposit Feeding

Consumption of organic matter found in sediments.

Filter Feeder

Straining of food particles from the water.

Detritus

Serves as a primary food source for many organisms, especially deposit feeders and decomposers, supporting the base of the food web.

Dredging

Can disrupt habitats, increase turbidity, and release pollutants in estuaries.

Urbanization

Can lead to increased runoff, pollution, and habitat destruction in estuaries.

Eutrophication

Causes nutrient overload in estuaries, leading to algal blooms that block sunlight and deplete oxygen when they decay.

Chlorophyta

Green algae; contains chlorophylls a and b, predominantly found in freshwater but some in marine environments.

Rhodophyta

Red algae; contains phycoerythrin, allowing them to absorb blue light; most are marine.

Phaeophyta

Brown algae; contains fucoxanthin, allowing them to thrive in colder, nutrient-rich waters and predominantly marine.

Frustules

Unique silica cell walls of diatoms that persist in sediments as a valuable indicator of past environmental conditions.

Meroplankton

Temporary plankton; planktonic only during larval stage; examples include crab larvae, lobster larvae, starfish larvae, and sea urchin larvae.

Holoplankton

Permanent plankton; planktonic for entire life cycle; examples include copepods, krill, and dinoflagellates.

Phytoplankton

Plant plankton; photosynthetic; examples include diatoms, dinoflagellates, green algae, and cyanobacteria.

Zooplankton

Animal plankton; heterotrophic; examples include jellyfish, copepods, krill, and larval fish.

Plankton

Organisms that drift in the water column and are unable to swim against currents; include phytoplankton, zooplankton, and bacteria.

Nekton

Organisms that can swim freely and move independently of currents; examples include fish, marine mammals, and squid.

Benthos

Organisms that live on or in the bottom substrate; examples include crabs, sea stars, and sea anemones.

Nematocysts

Stinging cells used for protection and capturing prey by members of the Phylum Cnidaria

Radula

Feeding structure found in mollusks.

Byssal Threads

A strong, silky fiber that is made from protein and secreted from a gland in the foot of certain bivalve mollusks to attach it to rocks and other objects.

Heterocercal Tail

A tail fin in which the upper lobe is longer than the lower lobe, characteristic of sharks and other primitive fishes

Oviparity

Laying eggs that hatch outside the mother’s body; reproductive strategy of fish.

Viviparity

Giving birth to live young that develop inside the mother’s body; reproductive strategy of fish.

Ovoviviparity

Retaining eggs inside the mother’s body until they hatch, then giving birth to live young; reproductive strategy of fish.

Echolocation

Used by toothed whales for navigation, locating prey, and understanding their environment.

Sirenia

Fully aquatic herbivores with paddle-like tails; examples include manatees and dugongs.

Chlorinated Hydrocarbons

Persistent pollutants that bioaccumulate in the food chain, leading to toxic effects in marine organisms; examples include DDT, PCBs, and dioxins.

Biomagnification

The increasing concentration of a substance in the tissues of organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain.

Bioaccumulation

The accumulation of substances in an organism, occurring when a substance is absorbed at a rate faster than it is lost.

Mariculture

The farming of marine organisms in their natural environment, typically for food or other products; examples include fish, shellfish, and seaweed.

Overfishing

Harvesting fish at a rate faster than they can reproduce, leading to a decline in fish populations.

Renewable Resource

One that replenishes naturally over time; examples include tidal energy, wave energy, and sustainable fish stocks.

Nonrenewable Resource

Natural resource that can’t be readily replaced at a pace quick enough to keep up with consumption.

Tragedy of the Commons

Situation where individuals acting independently and rationally act contrary to the best interests of the whole group by depleting some common resource.

Invasive Species

Nonnative species that causes ecological or economic harm in its new environment; examples include lionfish, zebra mussel, and green crab.

Bycatch

The incidental capture of non-target species during fishing.

Marine Protected Area

A designated area in the ocean where human activities are restricted to protect marine resources and ecosystems.