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Marine and Coastal Ecology > Marine and Coastal Ecology > Flashcards

Marine and Coastal Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

What is Ecology?

A

evidence based, sustainable management and development, require ecological knowledge on existing conditions and predictions based on ecological models of the consequences of environmental change

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2
Q

Describe Marine Ecology

A
  • majority of earths habitat is marine
  • 51% of earth surface
  • unobserved, particularly seabed
  • different zones, bathymetry, temperature
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3
Q

describe zonation

A

zonation patterns change with latitude, and disappear at high latitudes
- literoral zone has gradients of immersion, exposure, shade roughness, and topography

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4
Q

what is the euphotic zone

A

0-200m

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5
Q

What is climate?

A

long term or average ‘weather’ of a particular ergion

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6
Q

what do primary producers consist of?

A

true plants (seagrass, mangroves); macroalgae (kelp)’; phytoplankton

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7
Q

what are the 3 broad domains

A

Polar, Temperate, Tropical

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8
Q

What are the 4 primary biomes?

A

Trades, Westerly, Polar, and Coastal

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9
Q

Define Biodiversity

A

the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part

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10
Q

what is taxonomic diversity

A

the average path length between every pair of individual organisms identified from within a sample

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11
Q

what is taxonomic distinctness

A

the average path length between individuals of the same species

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12
Q

what is the redundancy hypothesis

A

an increasing number of species increases ecosystem functionality proportionally less to a point where no effect is measurable - some species can be removed without loss of ecosystem function

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13
Q

what is the rivet hypothesis

A

each species addition or subtraction changes the level of ecosystem function

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14
Q

What do keystone species do

A

they play a unique and crucial role in the way the ecosystem functions such that their absence or removal results in a dramatically different ecosystem
- promotes biodiversity

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15
Q

what occurs in a trophic cascade?

A

removal of a species, will completely change the environment

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16
Q

what are the main primary producers?

A

phytoplankton

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17
Q

what is Growth restricted by?

A

the supply of light, carbon dioxide, macronutrients (silicate, phosphate, and nitrates) and some trace elements

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18
Q

what are photoautotrophs?

A

organisms that use light as their energy source and carbon dioxide to produce new organic matter

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19
Q

what are oxygenic photoautotrophs?

A

produce oxygen as an end product of photosynthesis

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20
Q

what is attenuation?

A

light penetration affected by particulate matter and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the water

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21
Q

is there a max photosynthetic rate and can it be inhibited?

A

yes, through high radiances, higher temps, organisms with high growth rates, growth in conditions of high nutrients, along with physiological limits

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22
Q

what is the compensation depth?

A

bottom of the euphotic zone

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23
Q

describe the biologica lcycle

A

the energy of light, inorganic nutrients, CO2, water, and salts are converted to a complex mix of organic compounds and oxygen by photosynthetic organisms. Respiration releases CO2 and energy at the expense of oxygen and recycles nutrients to the inorganic state

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24
Q

what is eutrophication?

A

the increase in the rate of supply of organic matter to an ecosystem

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25
Q

How much organic carbon supply does each layer in the water hold? approx

A

oligotrophic: <100g
mesotrophic: 100-300g
eutrophic: 300-500g
hypertrophic: >500g

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26
Q

what is essential for algal growth?

A

macro and micro nutrients

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27
Q

generally what are the two limiting nutrients in the marine environment?

A

sulphur or phosphorus

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28
Q

what is the biological pump?

A

uptake of atmospheric CO2 and removal to deep waters

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29
Q

what element most frequently limits primary production?

A

Nitrogen

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30
Q

what is primary production like in polar regions?

A

high seasonal differences due to the amount of light available

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31
Q

what is primary production like in temperate regions?

A

seasonal, in some seasons there will be a good mixing and the depth in coastal regions, usually also critical depth tends to be deeper than the depth of the particular coastal region

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32
Q

what percentage of the ocean metabolism occurs in the epipelagic zone?

A

90%

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33
Q

What is secondary production?

A

reliance on other organisms for energy and ultimately growth; production of biomass by heterotrophic organisms

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34
Q

what are the 3 processes of secondary production?

A

respiration: recycling of energy
remineralization: organic matter recycled to the inorganic state
micro-organisms: decomposition

35
Q

what are the base of oceanic secondary produciton?

A

prokaryotic microbes

36
Q

Only _____ can take up DOM from seawater directly

A

osmotrophs

37
Q

what are the only organisms capable of converting DOM into particulate biomass - usable by other organisms

A

bacteria and archaea - microbial loop

38
Q

is biodiversity on the shore high

A

yes with all major groups represented

39
Q

rough definition of the shore

A
  • high and low water mark
  • physical variables and not on biological processes
  • wet/dry gradient
  • action of waves amplifies the shore, and so does tides
40
Q

what is zonation?

A

characterized by environmental gradients that interact to form specific environmental characteristics for shore environments
- particle size and salinity

41
Q

with zonatation: interacting gradients + biological responses to these interactions = ???

A

patterns of distribution of different types of fauna and flora (zonation)

42
Q

3 causes of zonation?

A
  • temperature variation, salinity variation, time exposed to air, competition etc
43
Q

Is a key stone species always playing that role?

A

no, in some environments they change, it is context specific

44
Q

list 3 shore organisms that coastal water movement impacts

A
  • inorganic/organic nutrients
  • sediment an its infauna
  • larvae
  • smaller fish
45
Q

Define estuary

A

an inlet of the sea reaching into a river valley as far as the upper limit of tidal rise
1 - lower, free connection with the open sea
2 - middle, subject to strong salt and fresh water mixing
3 - upper, characterized by freshwater but subject to daily tidal action

46
Q

what are coastal plains formed?

A

result from flooding of river valleys as a consequence of sea level ride

47
Q

how are fjords formed?

A

deep sided estuaries from glacial valleys, shallow sill from glacial deposits (at mouth) - limits circulation creating anoxic conditions

48
Q

how are tectonic estuaries formed?

A
  • movement of tectonic plates

- land sinks due to tectonic activity and is flooded

49
Q

how are bar-built estuaries formed

A
  • deposits of sediment form barriers, joined to the coast (longshore) or sea (offshore), restricting sea water flow
  • brackish water system inside
50
Q

list the tidal amplitude ranges

A
  • microtidal (<2m)
  • mesotidal (2-4m)
  • macrotidal (4-6m)
  • hypertidal (>6m)
51
Q

why hasnt renewable energy with the tides been expanded

A
  • noise in the marine environment ͢ habitat use is different
  • marine mammals being affected
52
Q

describe salinity profiles

A

salt wedge - barrier between fresh and salt water: a salinity cline is formed, limited mixing zone
two later flow - pronounced throughout, freshwater flowing over the salt
well mixed - salinity throughout water column

53
Q

is there temporal variation in water mixing?

A

because of river discharge and tidal flow vary, conditions within an estuary can also change, being well-mixed when river flow decreases relative to tidal mixing, to becoming a salt-wedge estuary at times of maximum river discharge

54
Q

Sediment in an estuary is deposited depending on current speed, describe it?

A
  • fast currents hold on to much of the sediment

- middle estuary – current meets and slows down, finest sediment is deposited

55
Q

describe Dissolved Oxygen (DO) in an estuary

A

reduced oxygen in mid-estuary due to high organic material promoting high activity of aerobic bacteria

56
Q

list the zones of the estuary

A

zone 1: head: dominated by river flow
zone 2: upper reaches: main area of mixing
zone 3: middle reaches: tidal currents dominate
zone 4: lower reaches: fast tidal currents
zone 5: mouth: estuary meets the sea

57
Q

Where does the dip in diversity occur in a diversity?

A
  • generally are low diversity systems

- occurs in the mid-estuary (Remane diagram)

58
Q

what is osmoregulation

A

process of maintaining constant osmotic pressure in fluids of an organism by the control of water and salt concentrations

59
Q

what are the 3 main responses of estuarine organisms

A
  • tolerance
  • migration or drift to avoid low salinity water
  • mortality
60
Q

what seems to be the most important determinant of distribution within the estuary?

A

water temperature

61
Q

describe salt marshes

A
  • flat, low lying areas at top end of mudflats
  • low plant diversity
  • important habitat for birds and juvenile fish
  • threatened by sea level rise
62
Q

what are hyposaline seas?

A

<34 salinity; large bodies of water with low salinity but populated by many organisms of marine origin; similar fauna to estuaries but can be tideless and stable salinity gradient, stagnant and deoxygenated water

63
Q

what are hyper saline waters?

A

> 35 salinity; distribution of organisms dictated by upper salinity tolerance

64
Q

what are lagoons?

A

small areas of sea that have been isolated by a barrier, very shallow, wide range of salinity
- similar to bar estuaries

65
Q

what is pelagic?

A

‘of the open sea’

  • largest habitat on earth
  • can be subdivided by depth and distance from shore
66
Q

what physical properties control patchiness?

A
  • temperature, salinity, turbidity, wind-driven mixing, biological production, biodiversity
67
Q

what is the epipelagic?

A
  • upper 200m

- as depth increases, physiological challenges increase too (increase in pressure, oxygen minima zones)

68
Q

what is the mesopelagic?

A
  • 200-1000m
  • not a lot of understanding of this environment
  • at these depths, layers of organisms scatter ͢ creates a false bottom
    >10 billion tonnes of fish in the mesopelagic
69
Q

what is the difference between holoplankton and meroplankton?

A 
holoplankton = entire life cycle as plankton
meroplankton = partial life cycle as plankton (fish larvae)
70
Q

describe continental shelf seabed?

A

low water to depth of ~200m out at the shelf break

  • influenced by physical processes like glaciation, waves, currents, and turbidity
  • input of nutrients, shallow waters within euphotic zone, well mixed waters contribute to high production
  • subject to human activities
71
Q

is the continental shelf 2D or 3D?

A
  • 3D - just at a smaller scale

sea bed habitat, body size, mobility all contribute to effects

72
Q

what is body size an indicator of on continental shelf?

A

indicator of environmental stress due to rapid response (high production rate)
- recolonization after disturbance is also quicker in smaller organisms

73
Q

describe grazers in the environment

A

can be a diverse group and contribute to maintaining diversity in the algal-dominated communities
- can be herbivores and carnivores

74
Q

describe filter feeders

A

feed on plankton and suspended matter

-bentho-pelagic coupling - feeding on organic matter from the water column and deposit faeces on the seabed

75
Q

describe bioturbators

A
  • perturb sediment structures
    create burrows within the seafloor, or just the bottom layer
  • key roles: enhanced oxygenation of sediment and effects on nutrient flow
76
Q

describe a trophic cascade - use an example

A
  • strong linkages between organisms, occur usually in simple systems (few interactions)
  • whales, otters, sea urchin, kelp
  • can also be triggered by human influence
77
Q

describe a hard habitat

A
  • most stable
  • species rich or poor – depending on physical processes or sheltered habitats
  • competition for space
  • more susceptible to disturbance
  • sensitive to ecological regime shifts
78
Q

describe a soft habitat

A
  • subject to physical disturbance
  • less physical disturbance - finer sediments- biological chemical processes
  • no competition for space
79
Q

describe a biogenic reef

A
  • created by aggregations of organisms forming a discrete. community
  • can have important role in transferring energy from pelagic to seabed (filter feeders)
80
Q

describe pack ice

A
  • covers ~13% of earth
  • extends from land calve to icebergs
  • freezing of sea water (-1.8C)
  • ## remains semi-solid with a network of channels and pores (sea ice)
81
Q

is there a difference between poles ice contents?

A

Arctic: landlocked, shallow, considerable freshwater inflow (more nutrients), melting in summer starts on surface
Antarctic: majority melts annually, deep, no river input, bottom and sides in contact with ocean for melting

82
Q

describe productivity in the Arctic?

A
  • can be nutrient limited
  • influence of nitrogen and hydrogen and other nutrients
  • high variation within habitats
83
Q

describe productivity in the Antarctic?

A
  • waters are rich in inorganic materials except for Fe

- low variation in habitats

84
Q

describe antarctic krill

A
  • plays crucial role
  • keystone species
  • feeds on phytoplankton and copepods
  • sustains self
  • tightly linked to the sea-ice conditions

Marine and Coastal Ecology (1 decks)

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