L2-ocean environments, factors that influence distribution

Question 1

What is the thermocline?

Answer 1

warm water layer that prevents nutrient transport?

Question 2

What does upwelling cause?

Answer 2

increased supply of nutrients

Question 3

WHat are causes of upwelling?

Answer 3

oceanic currents (gulf stream)
equatorial upwelling
coastal upwelling

Question 4

What causes coastal upwelling?

Answer 4

Ekman transport due to winds blowing parallel to coastlines

Question 5

Where in continents do you typically get upwelling

Answer 5

west side

Question 6

What does upwelling stimulate?

Answer 6

primary producativity

Question 7

Rocky shores features?

Answer 7

rare-new or lots of waterflow
dominated by macroalgae
goes from intertidal to 100m

Question 8

What stresses are associated with rock pools ?

Answer 8

high pH, high salinity, low
nutrient concentrations

Question 9

Where are phytoplankton found?

Answer 9

Open waters

Question 10

What lives in soft sediments?

Answer 10

sea grass
benthic microalgae

Question 11

What are Mangels?

Answer 11

Mangels are communities dominated by mangroves

Question 12

What is the primary limiter on algae growth?

Answer 12

light

Question 13

Why might alage want to be in the harsh conditions of intertidal?

Answer 13

light is available

Question 14

What happens when intertidal algae is exposed?

Answer 14

lose water
can’t take in nutrients
exposed to much higher temperatures

Question 15

What have many algae evolved to avoid desiccation?

Answer 15

decreased surface area to volume ratio
production of sulphated polysaccharides(agar)

Question 16

What is the boundary layer?

Answer 16

layer of water on the surface that don’t move. stops nutrient spread as nutrients can only move via diffusion

Question 17

What do waves do?

Answer 17

decreasing the thickness of the boundary layer

Question 18

How can waves damage plants?

Answer 18

abrasion
drag
pressure

Question 19

features of shallow edges?

Answer 19

high productivity environments
1% of ocean floor
well lit
lots of described species
examples-beaches,mangrooves

Question 20

features of open ocean?

Answer 20

200-250m
most of productivity
lots of light
lots of blue animals as that is what is best for camouflage

Question 21

features of mesopelagic?

Answer 21

midwater 200m-2km
little studied
sunlight absent
narrow thermocline

Question 22

features of Abyssal bottom?

Answer 22

no light
•High pressure
•Low temperature
•Few currents

Question 23

Factors that influence the distribution and abundance of animals in the oceans?

Answer 23

1. Physical properties of water
2. Light
3. Temperature (water is a good heat conductor)
4. Pressure
5. Oxygen availability
6. Salinity
7. Nutrients (food)

Question 24

Why can many organism only see blue?

Answer 24

only light that penetrates water deep

Question 25

What effects does pressure have on animals?

Answer 25

Structural problem for gas filled spaces e.g. buoyancy and swim bladders Could collapse/expand depending on depth - need to change gas contents with depth

Question 26

What is o2 content for water breathers in water influenced by?

Answer 26

slow diffusion Temperature Biological Salinity

Question 27

How does O2 change with temp?

Answer 27

low temp has more water

Question 28

Where is oxygen lowest?

Answer 28

middle depth of ocean(oxygen minimum zone) due to bacteria eating sinking debris

Question 29

Why are bioturbators important?

Answer 29

the aerate the sediments

Question 30

WHere is salinity reduced?

Answer 30

estuaries

Question 31

WHere is salinity increased?

Answer 31

rockpools, salt marsh, lagoons etc, with restricted access to tidal flow