Functional marine biology Flashcards
What is functional biology?
Function refers to the way organisms solve problems and how physical and chemical factors constrain and select solutions.
What is the law of tolerance?
Each individual has a range of tolerance for every physical variable. The distribution of a species is controlled by that environmental factor for which the organisms have the narrowest range of tolerance.
What is homeostasis?
The tendency towards a relatively stable equilibrium among interdependent elements
What is stress?
A state produced by an environmental or other factor which extends the adaptive responses of an animal beyond the normal range
What are different sources of stress?
*age
*disease
*parasitism
*water quality
What are thermodynamics?
The relationship between temperature and a reaction. Q10 describes this relationship in biological processes
What is Q10?
The temperature coefficient. It represents the factor by which the rate of a reaction (R) increases for every 10°C rise in temperature (T).
Why does Q10 contradict the Arrhenius equation?
The Arrhenius equation describes the relationship between temperature and a reaction rate in a chemical state. It shows there should only be a 2% rise in rate of reaction for a 10°C rise. Q10 contradicts this because biological systems represent the summation of many individual reactions, which are catalysed by enzymes
What is the role of enzymes on thermal tolerance?
Enzymes increase the efficiency of biological reactions. Increasing temperature means there is more kinetic energy so more collisions but after a certain point enzymes begin to denature.
What is a eurytherm?
A species with a wide temperature range - this means they may have a wide geographical distribution
What is a stenotherm?
A species with a narrow temperature range
What is a poikilotherm / ectotherm?
A species with body temperature equal to the seawater temperature
What is a homeotherm / endotherm?
A species who’s body temperature is constant and controlled
What is the difference between a regulator and conformer?
Conformers don’t regulate their body temperatures whereas regulators do. Regulators have a zone of stability where homeostasis is maintained
What are poikilothermic eurytherms?
They have a wide temperature range but don’t regulate their own temperature so match outside temperature conditions. They are found in lots of different geographical temperature areas.
What are poikilothermic stenotherms?
They don’t regulate their own body temperature and have a narrow temperature range. Found in a small geographical temperature range.
Stenothermy can often give rise to striking separations of species’ ranges, even on very small spatial scales.
What is adaption?
The genetic process by which a population changes to accommodate environmental factors
What is acclimation?
The physiological changes an individual makes to minimize the effects of stressors. Does not require genetic modification, only physiological changes.
What is acclimatisation?
A coordinated response to several simultaneous stressors (e.g. temperature, humidity and photoperiod). , perhaps due to moving to a new geographical area
What are different poikilothermic adaptions?
*Intertidal polychaetes burrow into sediments to avoid over-heating
*Purple sea stars pump themselves up with cold seawater prior to being exposed at low tide
*Some antarctic fish have clear blood because instead of synthesizing blood hemoglobin, they produce antifreeze glycoproteins allowing them to swim in polar regions up to -1.8 degrees
How is heat conserved in fish?
Most fish are true poikilotherms but a number of large fish maintain above-ambient core temperatures using counter-current heat flow exchange.
What are examples of insulation in aquatic vertebrates
*Dolphins have heat exchangers in their finns
*Whales have heat exchangers in their tongue
*Aquatic birds have heat exchangers in their legs
What is osmoregulation?
The active regulation of osmotic pressure of body fluids
What is excretion?
The process of removing metabolic waste