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Ecological techniques > Plankton > Flashcards

Plankton Flashcards

1
Q

Define planktonic

A

Wandering, that which is caused to wander.

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2
Q

Define plankton

A

Living organisms which drift in the pelagic zones of oceans and bodies of freshwater.

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3
Q

Why are plankton diverse?

A

There are a wide range of sizes and taxonomic groups.

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4
Q

What are the two broad functional groups of plankton?

A

Phytoplankton
Zooplankton

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5
Q

What are the features of phytoplankton?

A

-Predominantly autotrophic (photosynthetic)
-Prokaryotic or eukaryotic algae
-Base of aquatic food chains

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6
Q

What are the features of zooplankton?

A

-heterotrophic unicellular/multicellular organisms
-transfer energy from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels

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7
Q

What are holoplankton?

A

Organisms that spend their entire life cycles in the plankton

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8
Q

What are mecroplankton?

A

Organisms that only spend part of their life cycles in the plankton

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9
Q

What are examples of Megaplankton?

A

Jellyfish, Ctenophores
Plankton that are >20mm - 2m

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10
Q

What are examples of Macroplankton?

A

Fish larvae, krill
2-20 mm

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11
Q

What are examples of Mesoplankton?

A

Copepods, fish eggs
0.2-2mm

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12
Q

What are examples of Microplankton?

A

Rotifera
20-200um

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13
Q

What are examples of Nanoplankton?

A

Diatoms, dinoflagellates
2-20um

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14
Q

What are examples of pictoplankton?

A

Cyanobacteria
0.2-2um

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15
Q

What is an example of Femtoplankton?

A

Marine viruses
<0.2um

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16
Q

What are the plankton collection methods?

A

-Bottles
-Pumps
-Nets

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17
Q

Describe the bottle collection method?

A

In shallow waters, simple weighted bottles or tubes can be used to collect water (and plankton).
Van Dorn design allows sampling at specific depths.

18
Q

What are the benefits of bottle sampling?

A

-Easy to operate
-Sampling depths are accurately known
-Sediment or filtration can be used to concentrate plankton from fixed water samples

19
Q

What are the negatives about bottle sampling?

A

-Rare plankton are not usually collected
-Does not concentrate plankton

20
Q

What is the process of net sampling?

A

Water is pumped on to boat or pier through a filtration net.

21
Q

What is the benefit of net sampling? (V)

A

Volume of water filtered can be accurately quantified.

22
Q

What are the negatives about net sampling?

A

-Larger zooplankton can be damaged by pumping.
-Not suitable for sampling deeper waters.

23
Q

What are the benefits of net sampling?

A
  • Quick way of obtaining the sample
  • Range of designs from simple to complex
24
Q

What are the negatives about net sampling?

A
  • Quantification is difficult
  • Fishing depth can be hard to control
  • Selectivity- net mesh too large
25
Q

What are the three directions a plankton net tow may be?

A

Horizontal, oblique and vertical

26
Q

What is the speed required for horizontal or oblique tows with standard nets?

A

1.5 to 2.0 knots.
Filtration is less effective and risk of net damage at higher speeds.

27
Q

When is the best time for horizontal net sampling?

A

Before dawn, after dusk or at night.
Zooplankton move to deeper layers during daylight hours.

28
Q

What are depressors used for in net sampling?

A

Stabilising the net in strong currents.

29
Q

Why is washing the net after every hauling important?

A

-Prevents clogging of the net.
- Prevents contamination

30
Q

What are the closing mechanisms used on nets?

A
  • messengers
  • electric
  • acoustic
    -time
    -pressure release mechanisms
31
Q

What is the benefit of having a closing mechanisms on a net?

A

It allows to sample at selected depth.

32
Q

What is a Nansen net?

A

Single closing net

33
Q

What is a MOCNESS?

A

Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System.

34
Q

What is a CUFES?

A

Continuous underway fish egg sampler

35
Q

What does a CUFES consist of?

A

A machine that pumps a sample of water from the top 3 meters of the water continuously while the ship is moving.
A filtration system traps all of the floating fish eggs which are collected and identified on board.

36
Q

How are fish eggs identified after collection by CUFES?

A

They can be identified manually or by a camera and image recognition system which also counts the eggs.

37
Q

What are the types of fixatives for plankton?

A

-Formaldehyde
-Lugol’s Iodine

38
Q

What are the methods for quantifying plankton in sample?

A
  • volumetric method
  • gravimetric method
  • sedimentation chambers
39
Q

Name the methods used for species identification of plankton samples

A
  • sub-sampling
    -using keys
    -importance of taxonomic skills
  • technological aids: automated ID
40
Q

What are the more specialised design plankton sampling methods?

A

-Nansen net
- MOCNESS
- Gulf VII sampler
- Bongo net
- Continous underway fish egg sampler

Ecological techniques (7 decks)

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