Ocean Marine Ecosystems Flashcards

1
Q

What are two ocean ecosystems?

A

-Open ocean
-Vertical zones

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2
Q

What is the most productive ecosystem?

A

The open ocean

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3
Q

How much of the world’s oxygen is produced by the ocean?

A

70%

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4
Q

How many tonnes of phytoplankton are produced a year?

A

20 billion tonnes a year

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5
Q

How deep can light penetrate clear ocean water?

A

Approx. 100 m

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6
Q

Is ocean productivity uniform around the globe?

A

No, there is uneven latitudinal distribution

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7
Q

What does photosynthesis depend on?

A

Depends on the availability of light

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8
Q

What is the formula for compensation depth?

A

P = R
Production is equal to respiration

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9
Q

When does productivity occur?

A

Only when rates of photosynthesis exceed rates of respiration

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10
Q

Is growth and production greatest at the surface?

A

No, due to photo-inhibition
-Phytoplankton do not continue to increase growth with increased radiation

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11
Q

What factors regulate production?

A

Macronutrients
Micronutrients

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12
Q

What are examples of macronutrients?

A

C Carbon
H Hydrogen
O Oxygen
Ca Calcium
Mg Magnesium
Na Sodium
, K,
S Sulfer
, Cl
P, N,
Si Silicon

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13
Q

What are examples of micronutrients?

A

Fe,
Mn (Manganese)
Cu, Zn,
B (Boron)
Mo (Molybdenum (N fixation), V, Co, (B12)

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14
Q

What nutrients are abundant?

A

C, H, O

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15
Q

What nutrients are in limited supply?

A

P, N, Si

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16
Q

What are intermediate productivity waters called?

A

Mesotrophic waters

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17
Q

What are high productivity waters called?

A

Eutrophic

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18
Q

What are waters of low productivity called?

A

Oligotrophic

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19
Q

How much carbon does oligotrophic have?

A

<100 gC-2 year-1

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20
Q

How much carbon does mesotrophic have?

A

100 - 300gC-2 year -1

21
Q

How much carbon does eutrophic have?

A

300 - 500 gC-2 year -1

22
Q

How much carbon does hypertrophic have?

A

> 500 gC-2 year -1

23
Q

What further restricts the productive zone?

A

Nutrient limitation

Transport is downward, depleting the surface layers

24
Q

What effects the rate of sinking of organic matter?

A
24
Q

What effects the rate of sinking of organic matter?

A

-Rate of sinking decreases as it encounters the cold, dense water of the thermocline

25
Q

What happens in the thermocline?

A

-Material decays (oxidises) at the thermocline, which strips O2, out of the water and returns nutrients to the sea
-Cold, nutrient-rich water of the thermocline is returned to sunlit surface waters by way of upwelling

26
Q

What is Liebig’s Law of the Minimum?

A

-Growth is not controlled by the total of all resources available
-Growth is controlled by the most scarce resource (limiting factor)

27
Q

What are the major control mechanisms of primary production?

A

-The photosynthetic light limitation
-Amt. of dissolved inorganic nutrients
-Marine bacteria and nutrient recycling
-Zooplankton grazing
-Vertical mixing issues

28
Q

What does HNLC stand for?

A

High Nutrients areas with Lower than expected Chlorophyll is produced

29
Q

What are HNLC regions?

A

High nutrient areas (eg. Nitrogen N and Phosphorous P) however there is lower than expected chlorophyll is produced there

30
Q

What are examples of HNLC areas?

A

Santa Cruz, CA
Big Sur, CA,

31
Q

What depths is the pelagic and epipelagic zones?

A

Up to 200 m (includes photic zone)

32
Q

What depths are the mesopelagic zone?

A

200m - 1000m

33
Q

What depths are the bathypelagic zone?

A

1000m - 4000m

34
Q

What depths are the abyss alpelagic zone?

A

4000m downwards,

35
Q

What are neritic zooplankton?

A

Spend most of time in coastal areas

36
Q

How are zooplankton classified?

A

According to where they live

37
Q

What are the areas where zooplankton live?

A

-Euphotic (Epiplanktonic, Pleuston, Neuston)
-Disphotic (Meroplanktonic)
-Aphotic (Infra and Bathyplanktonic)

38
Q

Describe Physalia (plustonic organism)

A

-Colonial cnidarian with gas filled siphon
-Feeds on zooplankton and small fish using trailing tentacles

39
Q

Describe valella (plustonic organism)

A

-Colonial cnidarian with air siphon in its upright sail
-Gas filled structure to keep it buoyant

40
Q

Describe neustonic organisms

A

-Nudibranch swims upside down
-Ingest air into digestive tract
-Ingests nematocysts- passes to papillae on upper surface (inflicts painful stinging)
(Gaucus and Janthina)

41
Q

What is another way to classify zooplankton?

A

On how long they live in plankton

42
Q

How long holoplanktonic stay as plankton?

A

Entire lifetime

43
Q

How long do meroplanktonic plankton live as plankton?

A

Only for a period of time

44
Q

How long do tchoplanktonic plankton live as plankton?

A

Accidental members

45
Q

Describe holoplankton

A

-Spend all their life in plankton
-Arrow-worms, jellyfish, sea-gooseberries, crustacea

46
Q

Describe meroplankton

A

-Larval stages of organisms
-Marine worms, molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans and fish
-Buoyant fish eggs
Important source of food for oceanic birds

47
Q

What are halobates?

A

-Only insect, a water strider int he sea
-Cannot tolerate immersion
-Uses surface water tension to stay afloat
-Feeds on organisms on surface , cnidarians and copepods

48
Q

What other organisms live in ocean environments?

A

-Bacteria and Heterotrophic protozoa
-Detritivores feeding on organic material
-Occur in thousands much greater than in underlying waters