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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
How much organic carbon supply does each layer in the water hold? approx
oligotrophic: <100g mesotrophic: 100-300g eutrophic: 300-500g hypertrophic: >500g
26
what is essential for algal growth?
macro and micro nutrients
27
generally what are the two limiting nutrients in the marine environment?
sulphur or phosphorus
28
what is the biological pump?
uptake of atmospheric CO2 and removal to deep waters
29
what element most frequently limits primary production?
Nitrogen
30
what is primary production like in polar regions?
high seasonal differences due to the amount of light available
31
what is primary production like in temperate regions?
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
32
what percentage of the ocean metabolism occurs in the epipelagic zone?
90%
33
What is secondary production?
reliance on other organisms for energy and ultimately growth; production of biomass by heterotrophic organisms
34
what are the 3 processes of secondary production?
respiration: recycling of energy remineralization: organic matter recycled to the inorganic state micro-organisms: decomposition
35
what are the base of oceanic secondary produciton?
prokaryotic microbes
36
Only _____ can take up DOM from seawater directly
osmotrophs
37
what are the only organisms capable of converting DOM into particulate biomass - usable by other organisms
bacteria and archaea - microbial loop
38
is biodiversity on the shore high
yes with all major groups represented
39
rough definition of the shore
- 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
what is zonation?
characterized by environmental gradients that interact to form specific environmental characteristics for shore environments - particle size and salinity
41
with zonatation: interacting gradients + biological responses to these interactions = ???
patterns of distribution of different types of fauna and flora (zonation)
42
3 causes of zonation?
- temperature variation, salinity variation, time exposed to air, competition etc
43
Is a key stone species always playing that role?
no, in some environments they change, it is context specific
44
list 3 shore organisms that coastal water movement impacts
- inorganic/organic nutrients - sediment an its infauna - larvae - smaller fish
45
Define estuary
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
what are coastal plains formed?
result from flooding of river valleys as a consequence of sea level ride
47
how are fjords formed?
deep sided estuaries from glacial valleys, shallow sill from glacial deposits (at mouth) - limits circulation creating anoxic conditions
48
how are tectonic estuaries formed?
- movement of tectonic plates | - land sinks due to tectonic activity and is flooded
49
how are bar-built estuaries formed
- deposits of sediment form barriers, joined to the coast (longshore) or sea (offshore), restricting sea water flow - brackish water system inside
50
list the tidal amplitude ranges
- microtidal (<2m) - mesotidal (2-4m) - macrotidal (4-6m) - hypertidal (>6m)
51
why hasnt renewable energy with the tides been expanded
- noise in the marine environment ͢ habitat use is different - marine mammals being affected
52
describe salinity profiles
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
is there temporal variation in water mixing?
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
Sediment in an estuary is deposited depending on current speed, describe it?
- fast currents hold on to much of the sediment | - middle estuary -- current meets and slows down, finest sediment is deposited
55
describe Dissolved Oxygen (DO) in an estuary
reduced oxygen in mid-estuary due to high organic material promoting high activity of aerobic bacteria
56
list the zones of the estuary
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
Where does the dip in diversity occur in a diversity?
- generally are low diversity systems | - occurs in the mid-estuary (Remane diagram)
58
what is osmoregulation
process of maintaining constant osmotic pressure in fluids of an organism by the control of water and salt concentrations
59
what are the 3 main responses of estuarine organisms
- tolerance - migration or drift to avoid low salinity water - mortality
60
what seems to be the most important determinant of distribution within the estuary?
water temperature
61
describe salt marshes
- 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
what are hyposaline seas?
<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
what are hyper saline waters?
>35 salinity; distribution of organisms dictated by upper salinity tolerance
64
what are lagoons?
small areas of sea that have been isolated by a barrier, very shallow, wide range of salinity - similar to bar estuaries
65
what is pelagic?
'of the open sea' - largest habitat on earth - can be subdivided by depth and distance from shore
66
what physical properties control patchiness?
- temperature, salinity, turbidity, wind-driven mixing, biological production, biodiversity
67
what is the epipelagic?
- upper 200m | - as depth increases, physiological challenges increase too (increase in pressure, oxygen minima zones)
68
what is the mesopelagic?
- 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
what is the difference between holoplankton and meroplankton?
``` holoplankton = entire life cycle as plankton meroplankton = partial life cycle as plankton (fish larvae) ```
70
describe continental shelf seabed?
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
is the continental shelf 2D or 3D?
- 3D - just at a smaller scale | sea bed habitat, body size, mobility all contribute to effects
72
what is body size an indicator of on continental shelf?
indicator of environmental stress due to rapid response (high production rate) - recolonization after disturbance is also quicker in smaller organisms
73
describe grazers in the environment
can be a diverse group and contribute to maintaining diversity in the algal-dominated communities - can be herbivores and carnivores
74
describe filter feeders
feed on plankton and suspended matter | -bentho-pelagic coupling - feeding on organic matter from the water column and deposit faeces on the seabed
75
describe bioturbators
- 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
describe a trophic cascade - use an example
- strong linkages between organisms, occur usually in simple systems (few interactions) - whales, otters, sea urchin, kelp - can also be triggered by human influence
77
describe a hard habitat
- 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
describe a soft habitat
- subject to physical disturbance - less physical disturbance - finer sediments- biological chemical processes - no competition for space
79
describe a biogenic reef
- created by aggregations of organisms forming a discrete. community - can have important role in transferring energy from pelagic to seabed (filter feeders)
80
describe pack ice
- 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
is there a difference between poles ice contents?
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
describe productivity in the Arctic?
- can be nutrient limited - influence of nitrogen and hydrogen and other nutrients - high variation within habitats
83
describe productivity in the Antarctic?
- waters are rich in inorganic materials except for Fe | - low variation in habitats
84
describe antarctic krill
- 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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