Marine Plants Test Flashcards
Marine plants that have true stems, roots, and leaves, are classified in this kingdom?
Plantae
What is the strand line, and how is it formed?
- composed of seaweed and debris
- washed up on beach by tide
How are marine alga classified?
According to the color of pigment in their cells
What are the common names of the three main groups of marine algae?
Green algae
Brown algae
Red algae
Marine green algae which lack the typical roots, stems, and leaves of land plants are found in which phylum?
Chlorophyta
What’s the difference between vascular and nonvascular plants?
Vascular: have water conducting cells
Nonvascular: don’t have water conducting cells
Are marine algae vascular or Nonvascular?
Nonvascular
How do marine algae get water into their cells for nourishment, without roots, stems, and leaves?
Directly from their surroundings
Brown algae are found in which phylum?
Phaeophyta
What are two important things that brown algae provide to marine organisms?
Shelter
Nutrients
Largest seaweed in the ocean are
Kelp
What is the purpose of the holdfast?
Attaches kelp to rock
What is the purpose of the stipe?
Connects to the lead blade
What is the purpose of the air bladders?
Keep leaf blades floating toward surface to receive maximum sunlight
What is the length of a giant kelp?
30 m (100 ft)
How did the Sargasso Sea found in North Atlantic get its name?
The alga sargassum grows in such abundance
The blue green bacteria is found in what kingdom and phylum?
Kingdom: monera
Phylum: Cyanobacteria
How is the pigment phycoerythrin influential in the naming of the Red Sea?
Causes the red color of the Red Sea
Diatoms are found in what kingdom?
Protista
What phylum are diatoms found in and what does it mean?
Chrysophyta, “golden algae”
What are the cell walls of diatoms called, and what are they made of?
Frustules, silica
Simple diffusion allows what two gases to pass in and out of the diatom through tiny pores?
Carbon dioxide
Oxygen
What are some uses for diatomaceous earth?
Filtering material, purify drinking water
What type of organisms can be harmed by algal blooms of diatoms, called a brown tide?
Scallops
Dinoflagellates are found in what phylum?
Pyrophyta
What are two of the features found on dinoflagellates which aren’t present on diatoms?
2 flagella
Cellulose wall
The ability of an organism, like “Noctiluca”, to produce light is called?
Bioluminescence
Why are salt marshes sometimes called tidal marshes?
They occur between low and high tide
Where else do salt marshes grow?
Estuaries
Where are needle rushes found in Florida?
Where tides reach higher levels
Where is smooth cordgrass found in Florida?
Lower areas that are inundated daily
What are two reasons that many animals inhabit salt marshes?
Protection from predators
Food for young fishes
Gulf coast salt marshes occur along shorelines and what other 4 areas?
- mouths of rivers
- bays
- bayous
- sounds
The roots of salt marshes allow them to
Withstand storm surges
Salt marshes act as a
Filter
Salt marshes trap sediments which
Improves water quality
What did the ‘Warren B. Henderson Wetlands Act of 1984’ establish regarding dredge and fill activities in Florida?
Clear guidelines for defining wetlands under state jurisdiction
Macroscopic multicellular marine algae, which doesn’t have true stems, roots, or leaves, are classified in which kingdom?
Kingdom Protista
Hat might happen to estuarine dependent marine life if the balance of fresh and salt water is not maintained?
The marine life may die
When fishes and crustaceans migrate offshore to spawn and breed, how are the larvae transported back into the estuary?
Tides/currents
As rivers and streams drain into estuaries, what do the bring from the uplands?
Nutrients
List four important plants (microscopic and macroalgae) that contributes to the estuaries?
Phytoplankton
Marsh grasses
Mangroves
Sea grasses
For estuaries to remain productive fisheries, what must continue to flow into them?
Nutrient rich, pollutant free, fresh water
What % of Florida’s residents live in coastal areas?
78%
What human activities involved with coastal development have done the most damage to estuarine habitat components?
Dredge and fill operations for waterfront homes and sea wall construction
What are three things you can do to protect our estuaries?
- properly dispose of all trash
- take your car to a pro car wash
- test soil to determine what nutrients are present before you add more
Do red mangroves have prop roots?
Yes
The depth at which seagrasses are found is limited by what major factor?
Water clarity
List 4 significant functions of sea grasses
- maintain water clarity
- stabilize bottom with roots
- provide shelter for fishes, etc.
- are foods for many marine animals
How many different species of marine sea grasses are found in Florida?
52
List the common names of the 7 types of seagrasses which inhabit the coastal waters of Florida
- widgeon grass
- shoal grass
- turtle grass
- manatee grass
- paddle grass
- star grass
- johnsons seagrass
3 main reasons responsible for the decline in seagrass beds throughout Florida waters?
- dredge and fill activities
- degraded water quality
- propeller scarring
How are red mangroves identified?
By tangled, arching roots called ‘prop roots’
How are black mangroves identified?
By numerous, finger-like projections, called pneumatophores
How are white mangroves identified?
Leaves
What are the reproductive seedlings of mangroves called?
Propagules
The button mangrove is related to what thee mangrove species?
White mangroves
