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Ecology ME! > Chapter 2: Adaptations to Aquatic Environments > Flashcards

Chapter 2: Adaptations to Aquatic Environments Flashcards

1
Q

What gives water its important characteristics?

A

Its polarity

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2
Q

What property of water allows for the hydrologic cycle?

A

Its ability to exist in all three phases of matter on Earth

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3
Q

Why is the fact that ice floats important to biological life?

A

If water reached its higest density as ice, in shallow freshwater environments in temperate and subartic climates, ice freezing at the surface would sink an dthe water body would be more likely to freeze solid, killing species contained therein

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4
Q

When is water most dense?

A

At 4 degrees Celsius

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5
Q

What does water become a solid?

A

0 degrees Celsius

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6
Q

What happens to the freezing temperature of water when compounds are dissolved within it?

A

The temperature drops to below 0 degrees Celsius

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7
Q

What happens to the boiling point of water when substances are dissolved within it?

A

The boiling point increases above 100 degrees Celsius

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8
Q

Water remains liquid over a broad range of temperatures because of its _____________________, which is the amount of heat required to increase water’s temperature by 1 degree Celsius

A

High specific heat

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9
Q

As water cools to 4 degrees Celsius, its _____________ stays the same but its __________ decreases, resulting in its most dense form

A

Mass

Volume

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10
Q

When water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, its _________ stays the same, but its __________ increases, making it less dense

A

Mass

Increases or expands

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11
Q

What two things determine whether an organisms will sink or float in water?

A
  1. Body composition
  2. Presence of air pockets
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12
Q

What are three adaptations organisms have developed to reduce density and retard sinking?

A
  1. Many fish have air-filled bladders
  2. Some kelps have air-filled bulbs
  3. Whales release air slowly
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13
Q

Why do some microscopic unicellular algae float in great numbers?

A

They use oil as flotation devices because oils are less dense than water

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14
Q

What diatomic organism produces an oil droplet to help it float?

A

Cyclotella cryptica

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15
Q

__________________ refers to the thickness of a fluid that causes objects to encounter resistance as they move through water

A

Viscosity

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16
Q

What two adaptations were discussed in class to combat the high viscosity of water?

A
  1. Large animals developed streamlined shapes
  2. Small animals developed long, filamentous appendanges
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17
Q

Large animals, like fish, penguins, and whales, have evolved highly streamlined shapes that reduce _______________ caused by the high viscocsity of water

A

Drag

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18
Q

Many tiny marine animals have evolved long, filamentous appendances that cause greater _____________ in water, functioning like a parachut, slowly the fall of the body through water

A

Drag

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19
Q

What contributes to the ability of small snimals from sinkin?

A

Increased surface area

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20
Q

________________ are partial intermolecular bonding interactions between a lone pair on an electron rich donor atom, particularly the second-row elements nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine, and the antibonding molecular orbital of a bond between hydrogen and a more electronegative atom or group

A

Hydrogen bonds

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21
Q

___________________ is a type of chemical bond where a pair of electrons is unequally shared between two atoms. In a polar covalent bond, the electrons are not equally shared because one atom spends more time with the electrons than the other atom

A

Polar covalent bonding

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22
Q

_____________________ measures the tendency of an atom to attract a shared pair of electrons (or electron density)

A

Electronegativity

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23
Q

_______________ refers to the tendency of water molecules to be attracted, or ‘‘stick’’, to other substances. This is a result of the covalent bond between the two hydrogen atoms and the one oxygen atom in the water molecule

A

Adhesion

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24
Q

__________________ refers to the attraction of molecules for other molecules of the same kind, and water molecules have strong cohesive forces thanks to their ability to form hydrogen bonds with one another

A

Cohesion

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25
Q

Cohesive forces are responsible for _________________, a phenomenon that results in the tendency of a liquid’s surface to resist rupture when placed under tension or stress. Water molecules at the surface (at the water-air interface) will form hydrogen bonds with their neighbors, just like water molecules deeper within the liquid. However, because they are exposed to air on one side, they will have fewer neighboring water molecules to bond with, and will form stronger bonds with the neighbors they do have.

A

Surface tension

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26
Q

What causes water to form spherical droplets and allows it to support small objects, like a scrap of paper or a needle, if they are placed carefully on its surface?

A

Surface tension

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27
Q

Water is a powerful _____________________ because of its molecular structure and provides a medium in which substances can chemically react to form new compounds

A

Solvent

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28
Q

Why do ions dissolve in water?

A

Water is an asymmetric polar molecule that forms hydrogen bonds, allowing water molecules to be attracted to other polar molecules, like ions; the attraction of these ions to water molecules is stronger than to eat other

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29
Q

______________ are a type of algae that require minor nutrients like silica to build a hard, glassy shell called a ______________

A

Diatoms

Frustule

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30
Q

Some species of bacteria require _____________________, which makes up part of the enzyme ________________ that converts nitrogen to ammonia

A

Molybdenum

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31
Q

______________________ refers to the upper limit of a mineral’s solubility in water and generally increases with high temperatures

A

Saturation

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32
Q

What happens when saturation is reached?

A

Once a mineral achieves saturation, water cannot hold any more and the mineral precipitates out of solution

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33
Q

Calcium ions readily combine with dissolved _______________ to form ______________ _______________, which has a low solubility in water and precipitates out to form _______________ sediments

A

Carbon dioxide

Calcium carbonate

Limestone

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34
Q

There are many acquatic organisms that need calcium to build shells or other structures. When is calcium most available to them?

A

When its near the point of saturation in water

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35
Q

The solubility of calcium increases as the ____________ decreases

A

pH

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36
Q

As the ______________ of water increases, its ability to hold _________________ in solution increases, resulting in the mineral not reaching its point of saturation and remaining less available to organisms that require the nutrient

A

Acidity

Calcium

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37
Q

_________________________ are extremely reactive with other compounds and dissolve minerals from rocks and soils, enhancing the natural solvent properties of water and thereby ensuring certain nutrients are available for life processes

A

Hydrogen ions

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38
Q

What can cause heavy metals to dissolve in water?

A

High concentrations of hydrogen ions

39
Q

The concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution is referred to as its ____________, commonly measured as pH and defined as ______________

A

Acidity

pH = -log[H+]

40
Q

The pH scale is a ________________, meaning that a pH of 5 is 10X more acidic than a pH of 6

A

Negative logarithmn

41
Q

____________________ refers to a process wherein acids deposited as rain and snow or as gases and particulates attach to the surfaces of plants, soil, and water; this is often known as acid rain and includes nitric and sulfur oxides

A

Acid deposition

42
Q

What oxides are often found in acid rain?

A

Nitric and sulfur oxides

43
Q

A ______________is a substance that dissolves in a solvent

A

Solute

44
Q

A ____________________ is a membrane that allows only particular molecules to pass through

A

Semipermeable membrane

45
Q

___________________ is the movement of ions and small molecules through a membrane with a concentration gradient from a location with many solutes to a location with few solutes

A

Passive transport

46
Q

___________________ is the movement of molecules and ions through a membrane against a concentration gradient that requires energy to do so

A

Active transport

47
Q

_______________ is the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane

A

Osmosis

48
Q

____________________ refers to the force with which an aqueous solution attracts water by osmosis

A

Osmotic potential

49
Q

___________________ refers to the mechanisms that organisms use to maintain proper solute balance, which is an important part of homoeostasis

A

Osmoregulation

50
Q

___________________ refers to when an organism has a higher solute concentration in its tissues than the surrounding water

A

Hyperosmotic

51
Q

______________ fish are ______________, so they excrete a lot of water, and their gills and kidneys actively take back up ______________

A

Freshwater fish

Hyperosmotic

Solutes

52
Q

What type of fish are hypoosmotic?

A

Saltwater fish

53
Q

Saltwater fish are hypoosomtic and excrete a lot of water but their gills and kidneys actively _____________ solutes

A

Exclude

54
Q

What unique adaptation have sharks and rays developed in regards to the challenge of water balance?

A

Like terrestrial animals, they convert ammonia into urea but retain the urea in their bloodstreams, raising the osmotic potential of their blood to that of seawater without increase their sodium and chloride concentrations, freeing sharks andr ays from have to drink salt-laden water to replace water lost by osmosis

55
Q

What is the effect of salt concentration on amphibians?

A

Organisms without evolutionary adaptations to high salt concentrations, like amphibians, can die; road run off is high in salt and wood frogs and spotted salamanders, freshwater creatures, exposed to run off die

56
Q

How do mangrove trees prevent water loss in saltwater environments (i.e., high tide)?

A

They maintain high concentrations of organic solutes, like amino acids and sugar molecules, in their roots to increase their osmotic potential

57
Q

Besides increasing their organic solute potential, how else to mangrove trees deal with living in saltwater environments?

A

They’ve developed specialized salt glands in their leaves that secrete salt by active transport to the surface of the leaf

58
Q

What limits the uptake of gases from water?

A

Diffusion

59
Q

_______________ is an anion formed by the dissociation of carbonic acid and acts as a buffer

A

Bicarbonate ion

60
Q

_______________ is an anion formed by the dissociation of carbonic acid, too

A

Carbonate

61
Q

In what form do acquatic plants primarily use inorganic carbon?

A

Bicarnoate

62
Q

_____________________ is a region of unstirred air or water that surrounds the surface of an object

A

Boundary layer

63
Q

Why is photosynthesis still limited within the boundary layer?

A

A thin boundary layer of unstirred water along the surface of photosynthesizing organisms slows the rate of gas diffusion through the water, so despite the generally high concentration of bicarbonate ions in the water, photosynthesis may still be limited by carbon availability within the boundary layer

64
Q

Does oxygen have a high or low solubility in water?

A

Low

65
Q

What limits the metabolism of organisms in aquatic habitats?

A

Oxygen’s low solubility in water coupled with its slow diffusion in water

66
Q

What’s an adaptation aquatic organisms have developed to combat the limited availability of oxygen?

A

Countercurrent circulation

67
Q

The key to extracting the most oxygen from water lies in the use of __________________, where the movement of two fluids in opposite directions on either side of a barrier through which heat and nutrients can be exchanged

A

Countercurrent circulation

68
Q

When water and blood flow in opposite directions, the concentration of _________________ in the water _____________ that of the blood because even as capillaries begin to develop high concentrations, the adjacent water still has a higher concentration, allowing for the gas to diffuse down its concentration gradient continually

A

Oxygen

Exceeds

69
Q

The embryos of the spotted salamader contain the algae ______________, which live in the egg sac and the cells of the embryo

A

Oophila

70
Q

What benefit does Oophilia provide the spotted salamander?

A

Extra oxygen to the embryos

(Oophilia gets a place to live)

71
Q

_____________________ environments lack oxygen, posing problems for terrestrial plants in waterlogged soils, which require oxygen for respiration

A

Anaerobic or anoxic

72
Q

Some plants have evolved special air-filled tissues called _____________________ that extend from the roots and rise above the waterlogged soils and exchange gases directly with the atmosphere, thereby adapting to their anoxic environments

A

Aerenchyma

73
Q

Some microbes use _____________________, producing ______________ gas, which causes the rotten-egg smell of some anaerobic soils

A

Anaerobic respiration

Hydrogen sulfide

74
Q

__________________ also limits the occurence of acquatic life

A

Temperature

75
Q

Heat imparts ____________________ and _______________ chemical reactions

A

Kinetic energy

Accelerates

76
Q

___________________ is the ratio of the rate of a physiological process at one temperature to that of its rate at a temperature that is 10 degrees (Celsius) cooler

A

Q10

77
Q

Why is the Q10 value helpful?

A

By knowing the Q10 value of different physiological processes, we can better understand which processes are most sensitive to a change in temperature

78
Q

________________ consumption increases as temperature increases

A

Oxygen

79
Q

_____________________ organisms live at extremely high temperatures

A

Thermophilic

80
Q

_____________________________ refers to the discharging of water that is too hot to sustain aquatic species resulting in lower oxygen levels (lower partial pressure) and species death (anaerobic conditions

A

Thermal pollution

81
Q

What are the two consequences of thermal pollution?

A
  1. Oxygen decreases
  2. Species death
82
Q

How do organisms combat freezing?

A

Many organisms raise their blood and tissue concentrations of nonsalt compounds like glycerol, a chemical that prevents the hydrogen bonds of water from forming ice, or glycoproteins, which lower the freezing point of water

83
Q

Why do some organisms use glycerol or glycoproteins to combat freezing?

A

Dissolved substances lower the freezing point of water; increasing these organic molecules allows for them to lower the temperature at which their own bodies may freeze

84
Q

____________________ provides a physical process to combat freezing and refers to a process in which glycoproteins in the blood physically impede ice formation by coating ice crystals that begin to form

A

Supercooling

85
Q

__________________ refers to the range of environmental conditions to which an organism is best suited; more specifically, it is the organism’s enzymes that must be suited to the range

A

Optimum

86
Q

____________________ refers to the range of temperature in which organisms perform best

A

Thermal optimum

87
Q

Fish have adapted to colder temperatures by producing different __________________ depending upon the season

A

Isozymes

88
Q

________________ are a group of tiny animals that secrete hard exoskeletons made of limestone (calcium carbonate), and they survive in low nutrient waters by living in symbiosis with photosynthetic algae called __________________

A

Corals

Zooanthellae

89
Q

What happens when corals undergo stress?

A

They expel their zooxanthellae algae symbionts, resulting in coral bleaching

90
Q

What are three abiotic aquatic characteristics that can damage coral reef systems?

A

Temperature

pH

Salinity

91
Q

Why does decreasing the pH result in coral bleaching?

A

Coral exoskeletons are composed of calcium carbonate, which requires a basic environment; when the pH decreases, the solubility of carbonate increases, resulting in less carbonate available for corals

92
Q

How do high temperatures and salt concentrations relate to one another (regarding corals)?

A

HIgh temperatures evaporate water and thus increase ocean salt concentrations

93
Q

____________________ is the loss of color in corals as a result of the corals expelling their symbiotic algae

A

Corals

94
Q

________________ is a colloquial term for single-celled dinoflagellates that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates

A

Zooxanthellae

Ecology ME! (6 decks)

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