4.2 - Definition 1st Flashcards
Microscopic free floating marine organisms
Plankton
Planktonic consumers that are either floating or weakly swimming animals
Zooplankton
A marine invertebrate group with pentaradial symmetry and tube feet
Echinoderms
A marine invertebrate group with a hard exoskeleton, ten jointed legs and a nauplius larval stage
Crustaceans
Fish that have a bony skeleton and belong to the class Osteichthyes
Bony Fish
Fish that have jaws and skeletons made only of cartilage and belong to class Chondrichthyes
Cartilaginous Fish
Marine producers such as kelp and seaweeds
Macroalgae
Aquatic flowering plants that are often found in estuarine and coastal environments
Marine Grasses
An organism that plays a unique and crucial role in the way an ecosystem functions; without keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether
Keystone Species
A planktonic stage of development which occur between the egg and juveniles; found in nearly all species of fish and invertebrates
Larvae
Five arms (or fans) radiating from a central body cavity
Pentaradial Symmetry
Tubular projections that assist in locomotion, feeding, and respiration
Tube Feet
Distinctive larval stage of crustaceans
Nauplius
The part of the exoskeleton that protects the dorsal side of the cephalothorax
Carapace
The gaseous exchange surfaces of fish
Gills
A thin body flap of skin covering and protecting the gills
Operculum
A canal on the head and the side of the fish that contains sense organs; it is externally visible in bony fish but in cartilaginous fish it is under the skin
Lateral line
Overlapping segments of bone covered by skin and mucus found on the outside of the fish
Scales
Protrude from the body surface and assist in movement, stabilizing position, reproduction and protection
Fins
A buoyancy organ found in bony fish
Swim Bladder
A type of overlapping scales that provides protection and improved hydrodynamic efficiency in sharks
Denticles
External openings from the gills through which water taken in at the mouth can pass back to the ocean
Gill Slits
Strong, root-like structure that anchors the macroalgae to the seabed
Holdfast
Long, tough, vertical stalk similar to the stem of plants
Stipe
Leaf-like structures that ‘hang’ in the water and absorb light and minerals
Blades
A gas-containing structure that provides buoyancy for some species of seaweed
Gas Bladder
Structure at the base of plant that anchors it to the substrate and absorbs nutrients from the sediment
Root
A horizontal underground structure that enables seagrasses to reproduce asexually
Rhizomes
Photosynthetic organ of plants
Leaf
Sexual reproductive organ of plants
Flower
