Energetics of marine ecosystems [JM] Flashcards
Autotroph (autotrophic)
an organism that can capture energy in light or chemicals and use it to produce carbohydrates from simple molecules such as carbon dioxide.
Photosynthesis (photosynthetic)
the process of using light energy to synthesise glucose from carbon dioxide and water
Chemosynthesis (chemosynthetic)
the production of organic compounds by bacteria or other living organisms using the energy derived from reactions with inorganic chemicals
Heterotroph (hetorotrophic)
an organism that cannot make its won food and instead relies on consuming other organisms
Primary Productivity
the rate of production of new biomass through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis
Carbohydrate
organic compounds occurring in living tissues that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Phytoplankton
microscopic photosynthetic organisms that live in the upper & sunlit layers of water
Chlorophyll
a pigment found in plants and algae that is used to absorb sunlight for photosynthesis
Thermocline
a boundary between two layers of water with different temperatures
Pynocline
a boundary between two different layers of water with different densities
Deep chlorophyll maximum
the maximum concentration of chlorophyll below the surface of a body of water
Extremophile
an organisms adapted to survive extreme temperature, pressure, salinity or pH
Respiration
the process by which all living things relase energy from their food by oxidizing glucose
Algae Bloom
a rapid increase in population of algae
Hypoxic
an area of water with a low concentration of dissolved oxygen
