Biodiversity Flashcards
What is Marine ecosystem
Eco system has living things interacting with each other
Marina ecosystems which are affected by many abiotic factors.
Temperature – water near the equator is warmer than water closer to the poles
Water depth and sunlight – sunlight reaches up to 200 m depth and producer such as algae live in water less then 200m deep
What is phytoplankton
Are microscopic producers and large consumers such as whales feed on these.
What are the ocean zones
Ocean zones are determined by water depth.
The intertidal zone – ocean meets shore eg Rocky shores,mud flats
The neritic zone- water is deeper than deep ocean and they r further from shore
The oceanic zone – seafloor dropped off quickly and phytoplankton is near the surface and consumers live here
The benthic zone – is the ocean floor and does not get any sunlight and it’s very cold fishes and crabs live here and bacteria help
break down dead organisms
What are coral reef
They are built by millions of coral polyps that use excess carbon dioxide in the water to turn it into limestone
Benefits of coral reef
It provides shelter for many marine life, provide humans with recreation, create sand for beaches
Threats of Coral reef
Destructive fishing and mining of corals , Global threats caused by climate change
such as increased sea surface temperatures which stresses and kills corals through bleaching and increased carbon dioxide concentration in seawater which makes the water more acidic and causes coral diseases
And activities on land pose the greatest threat
What are hard corals
They are known as Stoney Carl’s and they produce a rigid rock like skeleton made up of calcium carbonate
They have multiples of 6 tentacles
What do hard coral rely on for nutrition
They rely on Zooxanthellae for nutrition to build a skeleton
What r soft corals
They have no calcium carbonate skeleton example sea fans and they produce smaller amounts of calcium carbonate and coral polyps always has 8 tentacles
What are mangroves and the benefits
Mangroves grow in intertidal salty environment and they can block absorption of salt at the roots benefits would be providing food provide a source of livelihood for many human and defends coast lines from flooding
Importance of Marine ecosystems on habitats
Rocky Shores Beaches mangroves
Importance of Marine ecosystem on tourist attractions
Tourism provides foreign exchange for the country, it generates income nationally, it creates jobs
Importance of Marine ecosystem on source of income
Employment services in the fishing industries and income for local fishermen and mined for minerals
Importance of Marine ecosystem on source of food
Ocean- tropical reef habitat
Fisheries – provide dietary protein, provides food, provides food for other organisms
