ch 14 deep sea

Question 1

abiotic characteristics of photic environment

Answer 1

• warm
  -sunlight
  -photosynthesis
• habitats are found
  -salinity varies on rainfall, river inputs

Question 2

abiotic characteristics of deep sea environment

Answer 2

-cold
-dark
-empty space
-constant salinity
-pressure is extreme

Question 3

epipelagic

Answer 3

0-200m depth

Question 4

mesopelagic

Answer 4

200-1000m depth

Question 5

“Deep Sea”

Answer 5

1000-4000m

Question 6

what does a mesopelagic food web look like

Answer 6

most animals are scavengers

Question 7

what does a deep sea food web look like

Answer 7

hydrothermal vents (“primary producers”)

Question 8

environment of the mesopelagic zone

Answer 8

-no photosynthesis
-20% of food sinks down (marine snow)
-scarcity of food
-some fish are vertical migrators

Question 9

environment of the deep sea

Answer 9

-no photosynthesis
-5% of food sinks to the deep sea (marine snow)
-few other organisms to feed on

Question 10

functional adaptations of mesopelagic fish that vertically migrates

Answer 10

-difference in tail structure
-muscular difference
-presence of a swim bladder
-can adapt to temperature changes

Question 11

physiological adaptations for conserving energy

Answer 11

-reduced muscle mass
-slow growing
-small body
-limit movement/swimming
-less dense/weaker bones (helps prevent sinking)
-reduced circulatory and respiratory systems

Question 12

adaptations for feeding

Answer 12

-benthic organisms are detritivores
-pelagic organisms are either predators or filter/suspension feeders
-less specialized diet
-large, protrusible jaws
-mechanisms to lure food

Question 13

adaptations to avoid predation

Answer 13

-body armor- spines
-red coloration
-translucence
-bioluminescence
-“eat or be eaten” approach

Question 14

how to deep sea organisms produce light

Answer 14

symbiotic bacteria, special cells special fluids

Question 15

purposes of bioluminescence

Answer 15

defense, predation, mating, communication

Question 16

photophores

Answer 16

specialized light organs

Question 17

how do deep sea organisms locate a mate

Answer 17

-smell: pheromones
-chemical cues: bioluminescence

Question 18

reproduction below the photic zone

Answer 18

-spawning aggregations are more common
-most organisms are hermaphroditic
-broadcast spawning is not very common
-sperm/egg gigantism

Question 19

extreme sexual adaptations

Answer 19

-sexual dwarfism
-sexual parasitism

Question 20

enhanced sensory systems in deep sea organisms

Answer 20

-hearing
-lateral line
-vision
-olfactory

Question 21

characteristics of deep sea benthic organisms

Answer 21

-detritivores and deposit feeders
-life in soft-bottom communities
-high biological diversity
-have good sense of smell
-grow slowly, live a long time