Patterns in the Marine Environment

Question 1

Define ecological niche.

Answer 1

A range of environments over which a species lives.

Question 2

Define abiotic factors.

Answer 2

Factors which affect the physiology of the organism. E.g. temperature, salinity, tides (immersion, emmersion), waves, depth&pressure, viscosity etc.

Question 3

Define biotic factors.

Answer 3

Predation, parasitism, competition, territoriality, commensalism & mutualism.

Question 4

Define commensalism.

Answer 4

A relationship between two organisms where one benefits from it without affecting the other.

Question 5

Define mutualism.

Answer 5

The way two organisms of different species exist in a relationship in which each individual benefits from the activity of the other.

Question 6

Define predation.

Answer 6

An interaction where a predator feeds on its prey.

Question 7

Define parasitism.

Answer 7

A non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species where one benefits at the expense of the other.

Question 8

Define competition.

Answer 8

A contest between organisms for territory, a niche, resources or mates.

Question 9

Define territoriality.

Answer 9

Nonverbal communication referring to how organisms use space to communicate ownership.

Question 10

What affects population levels?

Answer 10

Population change results from things like history, growth, survival & emigration/immigration.

Question 11

What affects population growth?

Answer 11

Limiting resources limit growth, genetic characteristics of species affect their ability to adapt to new and changing environments.

Question 12

What affects community level interactions?

Answer 12

Dispersal of larvae & adults to appropriate habitats, interspecific competition, grazing/predation, parasitism/disease, disturbance, facilitation&succession.

Question 13

Define disturbance (physical & biological).

Answer 13

A temporary change in environmental conditions, producing a pronounced change in an ecosystem.

Question 14

Define facilitation.

Answer 14

Species interactions which benefit at least one of the participants and cause harm to neither.

Question 15

What are some abiotic factors in the marine environment?

Answer 15

Water depth (pressure), tides (immersion/emersion), waves, currents (velocity), viscosity, density, substratum, pH, oxygen.

Question 16

What is the photic zone?

Answer 16

The first ~200m of the surface ocean, where enough light penetrates for photosynthesis to occur. Also called the neritic/epipelagic zone.

Question 17

What is the aphotic zone?

Answer 17

The parts of the ocean where no/little light penetrates (less than 1% of sunlight). Between 200m and 10000m.

Question 18

What does the bathyal zone contain?

Answer 18

Mesopelagic & bathypelagic.

Question 19

What does the abyssal zone contain?

Answer 19

The abyssopelagic zone.

Question 20

What is the mesopelagic zone?

Answer 20

200-1000m, ‘twilight zone’, contains thermocline.

Question 21

What is the bathypelagic zone?

Answer 21

1000-4000m, ‘midnight zone’.

Question 22

What is the abyssopelagic zone?

Answer 22

4000-6000m, high pressure, no daylight.

Question 23

What is the hadopelagic or hadal zone?

Answer 23

6000m and deeper, ‘trench zone’. Deepest trench: 10911m.

Question 24

What is a neustonic organism?

Answer 24

An organism that floats on top of the water?

Question 25

What is a nektonic organism?

Answer 25

Organisms that live within the water column but can move independent of water currents.

Question 26

What is a planktonic organism?

Answer 26

An organism that lives within the water column but cannot move independent of water currents.

Question 27

What is a benthic organism?

Answer 27

An organism that lives on or within the seabed/benthic zone.

Question 28

What are the three types of benthic organism?

Answer 28

+Epifaunal - lives on top of seabed.
+Semi-infaunal - lives slightly out of the seabed.
+Infaunal - lives fully burrowed within the seabed.

Question 29

Where is zonation most apparent?

Answer 29

The littoral zone.

Question 30

What are the causes of zonation?

Answer 30

Physical, chemical, biological (plant/animal) unpredictability.

Question 31

What is the vertical light structure of the ocean?

Answer 31

Euphotic, twilight and midnight zones.

Question 32

What is the salinity gradient of the ocean?

Answer 32

Halocline.

Question 33

What is the oxygen & nutrients (NO3) gradient of the ocean?

Answer 33

Oxycline & nitracline.

Question 34

What is biogeography?

Answer 34

The geographic distribution of plants & animalss.

Question 35

What is macroecology?

Answer 35

Studies the relationship between organisms and their environment at large spatial scales.

Question 36

What is the relationship between local vs. regional patterns?

Answer 36

Strong relationship between local and regional diversity, however, small areas can have high diversity and this can skew relationships.

Question 37

What is a biogeographic province?

Answer 37

An area of plant and animal distribution having similar/shared characteristics.

Question 38

Define biodiversity.

Answer 38

The diversity among living organisms, & all those that have ever lived, including diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.
+Ecological: biomes/provinces, ecosystems, habitats.
+Organism: kingdoms, phyla, species.
+Genetic: populations, individual.

Question 39

What is species richness?

Answer 39

The most common method of quantifying diversity.

Question 40

What is a morpho-species?

Answer 40

A species defined by morphology (common in fossil record).

Question 41

What is a cryptic-species?

Answer 41

Morphologically indistinguishable species incapable of producing fertile young.

Question 42

What are the theories about increased biodiversity in the tropics?

Answer 42

The cradle hypothesis and museum hypothesis.

Question 43

What are the groups that species inhabiting ecosystems can be assigned to?

Answer 43

+Deposit/suspension feeders.
+Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, detritivores.
+Pioneer encrusting suspension feeders.
+Completely dominating encrusting suspension feeders.

Question 44

What increases functional diversity?

Answer 44

If there are higher numbers of functional groups/higher numbers of each member in group.

Question 45

What is a keystone species?

Answer 45

A species which if removed would have major ecological consequences for other species.

Question 46

Define Marine Ecology.

Answer 46

The branch of marine science that studies [the interactions between organisms and their biotic and abiotic environments], and the effects that these interactions have on patterns of distribution and abundance of organisms.