BIOL1A - marine environment Flashcards
What are the 3 modes of transportation of marine life?
free floating, free swimming, attaching/burrying into substrate.
Describe free floating.
Transportation is determined by the water current.
Describe free swimming.
Active swimming is needed to travel.
What are the 6 discrete regions of zonation?
Intertidal, Neritic, Oceanic, Benthic, Photic, Aphotic.
Describe intertidal zonation.
Area between land and sea.
Describe neritic zonation.
Coastline area or on shelf.
Describe oceanic zonation.
Area of open sea.
Describe benthic zonation.
Area on the sea floor.
What are the 2 main categories of plankton?
Phytoplankton and Zooplankton.
What are nektons?
Marine life that can move independently.
Name a few marine life that reside in the benthis zonation.
Starfish, coral, kelp, worms, surf grass.
What are the physical features of the ocean’s liquid medium?
High density, affects light penetration, high viscosity, O2 vs. CO2 content, solute concentration, high heat capacity.
Which one is more soluble in water: carbon dioxide or water?
carbon dioxide
Which contains more oxygen per unit volume: water or air?
air.
What are the 4 seasonal effects on bodies of water turnover?
during winter and summer stratification, there is a high concentration of O2 closer to the surface and nutrients closer to the floor. In spring and fall turnover, there is a mixing of nutrients and O2.
Name 3 physical features of the ocean.
liquid medium, daily/seasonal rhythms, physical stress from wave action.
Describe counter shading.
The top and bottom of the animal looks similar to it’s background depending on where the animal is being looked at. Example, the sharks ventral area looks like the same color or the ocean’s surface.
Describe disruptive coloration.
The color patterns on an animal does not reveal the real shape of the animal’s body.
Why is counter current more efficient at oxygen extraction?
Difussion of oxygen is greater in counter current. As blood flows against water flow, more oxygen can be extracted over a given surface area.
Describe how a fish’s body is designed. Why is this body type adapted for surviving in water?
Most fish’s bodies are designed to be a sphere inside a housing. This shape decreases the amount of drag while moving through a fluid.
