Chapter 15: Aquatic Ecosystems Flashcards
What quality describes the marine aquatic growth conditions?
Oligotrophic
What percent of the ocean’s biomass is microbial?
~98%
What term means low nutrient growth conditions?
Oligotrophic
What can high nutrient concentration in marine aquatic ecosystems cause?
Dead-zones
What can result from microbes “blooming” and using up available oxygen in marine aquatic ecosystems?
Anoxic water states
What does anoxic water states lead to?
Eukaryotic death
What results in marine ecosystems from high nutrients?
Rapid microbial growth
What results in marine ecosystems from rapid microbial growth?
Oxygen depletion
What results in marine ecosystems from oxygen depletion?
Eukaryotic death
Which marine aquatic zone is where primary production via phytoplankton in top levels occurs?
Photic zone
Which marine aquatic zone is a place where carbon and energy are distributed through deeper levels by zooplankton (consumers) that feed on phytoplankton and viral-mediated lysis?
Dark mid-water zone
What organism in a marine aquatic ecosystem can take up dissolved organic carbon and can be consumed by zooplankton and/or lysed by viruses?
Bacteria
Which marine aquatic zone can light penetrate?
Photic zone
Which marine aquatic zone has 2-3 degree C temperatures?
Dark mid-water zone
Which marine aquatic zone has high pressure?
Deep sea zone
What organism in marine aquatic ecosystems acts as the decomposers?
Viruses
What is the surface zone (photic zone) dominantly populated by?
Phytoplankton
What depth can light not penetrate past in marine environments?
200 meters
What helps release nutrients for heterotrophic microbes in the dark mid-water zone?
Viral lysis
What is the average depth at the deep sea zone?
3500 meters
What depth do deep sea zones extend to?
11,000 meters
What type of organisms are prolific at the deepest sea zones?
Piezophiles
What are the environmental conditions of a deep sea zone?
Cold, anoxic
What percent of primary production reaches the seafloor?
~1%
