Midterm Flashcards
(253 cards)
plankton
drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zones of oceans, seas, or freshwater bodies of water
function (metabolic) difference in plankton
zooplankton and phytoplankton
zooplankton
heterotrophic, use oxygen, produce carbon dioxide
phytoplankton
autotrophic, use carbon dioxide, produce oxygen
alternate metabolic needs of plankton means
zooplankton and phytoplankton may inhabit different areas
life history differences in plankton
holoplankton and meroplankton
holoplankton
whole life cycle as plankton, eg. copepods, dinoflagellates
meroplankton
part of life cycle as plankton, eg. trochophores, tadpoles
meroplankton life cycle
biphasic (metamorphic) life cycle
biphasic (metamorphic) life cycle
larval stage (plankton) metamorphoses to a juvenile stage (benthic)
alternative life stages in biphasic (metamorphic) life cycles
many metamorphic life cycles have alternative life stages (even so much as direct) which provides evidence of the transition between life cycles evolutionarily
C. elegans have what life cycle
non-metamorphic (direct)
sand dollars and sea biscuits have what life cycle
biphasic (metamorphic)
biphasic life cycles are subject to unique selective pressures
at the planktonic and benthic stages
each life stage in the biphasic life cycle becomes
more divergent in response to unique selective pressures at each life stage
biphasic life cycles life stages
planktonic and benthic
possible selective pressures in the planktonic life stage
currents, swimming, predation, biotic and abiotic pressures requiring sensory structures (like rapid changes in temperature dependent on position in water column)
possible selective pressures in the benthic life stage
competition (more-so than plankton because environment is very selective), predation, biotic and abiotic pressures requiring sensory structures (less-so temperature but increased potential for turbulence)
possible advantage for being planktonic
dispersal potential to colonize new habitats, competition avoidance (massive space availability), large array of factors contribute to diversity
possible disadvantages for being planktonic
susceptibility to predation (little shelter), buoyancy (must hold position in the water column using air chambers), swimming considering Reynold’s number
possible planktonic predator avoidance strategies
transparency, bioluminescence, mechanical (spines), chemical (toxins), migrations (diurnal vertical migrations – photosynthetic need, evasion of predators), predator detection
transparency is common across how many major taxa, including
10 major taxa, including chaetognatha, ctenophora, and cubozoa
mapping functional characteristics on top of a phylogeny
allows you to make a hypothesis (on top of the phylogeny hypothesis)
there is an association (co-occurrence) between what 2 lifestyles
transparency and pelagic lifestyles