OCEAN CHAP 9

• What is ecology?

  study of how organisms adapt to and alter their environment.
• what are the two major marine provinces?

  benthic (seabed)

  pelagic (water column)
• The pelagic: water column

  neritic zone (continental shelves)

  oceanic zone (beyond the shelves)

  Epipelagic zone: illuminated

  mesopelagic light zone: no lightf sunlight; NO PHOTOSYNTHESIS

  Bathypelagic zone: no light

  Abyssalpelagic zone: most of the ocean water column

  Hadal pelagic
• Benthic: seabed

  Intertidal(littoral) zone: shore between high and low tides

  Sublittoral zone: from beach to shelf break; continental shelf

  Bathyal zone: seaward of the shelf break to 2000m

  Abyssal zone: 2000-6000m

  Hadal zone: > 6000m
• The basis of light is divided into a three-part division

  photic zone -where light is sufficient for photosynthesis

  dysphotic zone - is where illumination weak for photosynthesis

  aphotic zone - receives no light from the surface
• the five major kingdoms are:

  eubacteria - important for decomposition

  protista - single celled

  fungi - important for decomposition

  chromista - plants, free flowing

  metazoa - all multicellular animals in the ocean
• what makes up a very large portion of the living mass?

  forams
• what floats in water and have no ability to propel against a current?

  plankton
• nekton are active swimmers and include?

  fish, reptiles, mammals, and birds
• where do benthic organisms live?

  within the bottom sediments
• an ecosystem is the total environment, including:

  the biota (all living organisms)

  nonliving physical and chemical aspects
• why do ecologists study ecosystems?

  to determine interrelationships and connections with the ecosystems.
• what controls aspects of an organism's life?

  temperature
• many organisms are not able to regulate their what?

  body temperatures, which vary with the temperature of the water
• what can affect marine organisms?

  salinity
• nearshore animals need to be tolerant to what?

  salinity, due to changes in river discharge.
• what type of animals have high tolerances for changing salinity since they have limited movement.


  Bethnic animals
• what organisms can tolerate changes better than mesopelagic organisms?

  epipelagic organisms
• what is diffusion?

  the movement of substances from points of high concentration to points of low concentration.
• what is diffusion through a semipermeable membrane?

  osmosis
• what is the pressure of the water columns above an organism?

  Hydrostatic pressure
• on average hydrostatic pressure increases with water depth at a rate of what?

  1 atm per 10 meters
• can life be found in the deepest ocean trenches?

  yes
• what type of plants are large, multicellular and rooted?

  plants on land
• what type of plants are microscopic, unicellular, and free floating?

  marine plants
• how are nutrients transferred?

  vascular systems
• what includes plants and animals?

  plankton and zooplankton
• why must plants remain within the photic zone?

  to photosynthesize
• Why can smaller phytoplankton live in nutrient-poor regions?

  they have large surface area to volume ratio, which allows them to absorb more nutrients.
• what are diatoms?

  a single-celled plants enclosed in siliceous shells.
• what are dinoflagellates?

  single-celled plants with two whip-like tails

  
• what are considered small herbivores?

  copepods (plant-eating organisms)
• a fish's body must overcome three types of drag resistance:

  surface drag (friction with water)

  form drag (water that needs to move)

  turbulent drag (friction that reduces speed)
• what is the ratio of the square caudal fin?

  AR = (Caudal fin height squared/caudal fin area)
• what is the speed of fish dependent on?

  body length (L)

  beat frequency (F)

  speed = L/4 times (3f-4)
• what does zonation reflect?

  amount of time the area is submerged

  ability of the organism to survive the stress of exposure
• what are animals that burrow into soft substrates like sand and mud?

  infauna
• environmental factors that regulate organisms

  Temperature: most importantSalinityPressure