Marine Organisms

Question 1

Why are there fewer marine species than land species?

Answer 1

The oceans conditions stay relatively the same so there is less of a need to adapt and make new adaptations. This causes there to be less species.

Question 2

Benthic vs Pelagic percentage distribution?

Answer 2

98% benthic and 2% pelagic

Question 3

How are living things classified?

Answer 3

o By whom they are?
o By where they live?
o By size?
o By what they do?
o By trophic level?

Question 4

What are the taxonomic units/groups?

Answer 4

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

Question 5

Benefit of scientific names

Answer 5

A universal name so no confusion

Question 6

What is plankton?

Answer 6

Organisms that float around and make up most of the Earths biomass

Question 7

Nekton

Answer 7

Organisms that can independently swim

Question 8

Benthos

Answer 8

Organisms that live on the ocean floor

Question 9

4 major types of plankton

Answer 9

Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, Holoplankton, Meroplankton

Question 10

What type of organisms are responsible for Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB)?

Answer 10

Dinoflagellates (a microscopic algae) by making toxins or growing too dense.

Question 11

What type of plankton is thought to produce ~50% of marine photo synthesizers?

Answer 11

Phytoplankton

Question 12

Epifauna

Answer 12

Live on the surface of the seafloor; generally attached to a rock

Question 13

Infauna

Answer 13

Live in buried sediments

Question 14

Nektobenthos

Answer 14

Crawl or swim on the seafloor

Question 15

Which environment is more stable, land or ocean?

Answer 15

Ocean, because it experiences less change

Question 16

What is an example of how phytoplankton have adapted to cold vs warm waters?

Answer 16

Phytoplankton in warm waters have grown feathery appendages to stay afloat.
Phytoplankton in cold waters don’t need as many appendages

Question 17

What is the purpose of streamlining?

Answer 17

Less pressure on the body, easier to move in water. Better for smaller organisms. Harmful to larger organisms

Question 18

Stenothermal

Answer 18

Organisms that can only handle a small variation in temperature - better suited for open ocean

Question 19

Eurythermal

Answer 19

Organisms that can handle a large variation in temperature - better suited for coastal ocean

Question 20

Stenohaline

Answer 20

Organisms that can only handle a small variation in salinity - better suited for open ocean

Question 21

Euryhaline

Answer 21

Organisms that can handle a large variation in salinity - better suited for coastal ocean

Question 22

Describe why oceans have smaller temperature changes than land.

Answer 22

Because of the high heat capacity of water which makes it take time to change temperature thus slowing the changes

Question 23

What is osmosis?

Answer 23

When water molecules move from low salinity to high salinity

Question 24

Isotonic

Answer 24

Organisms have the same salinity than the water around them

Question 25

Hypertonic

Answer 25

Organisms have higher salinity levels than the water around them

Question 26

Hypotonic

Answer 26

Organisms have lower salinity than the water around them

Question 27

Do marine fish or freshwater fish drink water?

Answer 27

Marine fish need to constantly drink water because the water keeps flowing out of their gills due to the high salt content. Freshwater fish don't drink water because their bodies are saltier than the water around them.

Question 28

Do colder waters have more or less dissolved gas?

Answer 28

They have more dissolved gas in cold water because its molecules move slower allowing gas to settle.

Question 29

Name an adaptation of marine organisms as a result of the high transparency of water.

Answer 29

Many organisms become transparent to avoid to predation

Question 30

What is the Deep Scattering Layer?

Answer 30

A layer in the ocean in which there is vertical migration of organisms that want to feed but want to avoid predation

Question 31

When do the following predators feed: daytime, crepuscular, nocturnal predators

Answer 31

Daytime - during the day Crepuscular - day and night Nocturnal - only at night

Question 32

How have marine organisms adapted to the extreme pressure of the deep ocean?

Answer 32

Collapsible rib cage No inner air pockets, meaning they don’t feel the pressure.

Question 33

Whats the difference between pelagic and benthic

Answer 33

Pelagic is the upper layers of the ocean and benthic is the lower layers of the ocean.

Question 34

Depth ranges of Epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, and abyssopelagic.

Answer 34

Epipelagic - 0-200m Mesopelagic - 200-1000 Bathypelagic - 1000-4000 Abyssopelagic - >4000

Question 35

Depth ranges of euphotic, disphotic, aphotic.

Answer 35

Euphotic - 0-100m, enough for photosynthesis Disphotic - 100-1000m, twilight zone Aphotic - >1000m, no light at all