Protist and the Environment Flashcards
Is CO2 a greenhouse gas?
Yes
What do greenhouse gases contribute to?
Global warming
How much CO2 was produced in 2020?
34 billion tonnes
What do phytoplankton absorb?
CO2
Why do phytoplankton absorb CO2?
Photosynthesis
What is phytoplankton important?
Creating food and sequestering carbon into deep ocean
What group is coccolithophores?
Haptophyta
What is the structure of coccolithophores?
- Enclosed by calcareous plates called coccoliths
- Each cell contains two brown chloroplasts surround nucleus
How is calcium carbonate coccolith?
- Calcium and bicarbonate
- Sequestering carbon
- Make coccolith
What are the possible functions of coccolithophores?
- Protection
- Energy production
- Added weight
How can coccolithophores be used for protection?
From predators, osmotic changes, chemical or mechanical shock and short-wavelength light
How can coccolithophores be used for energy production?
Precipitation of calcium carbonate from bicarbonate solution produces free carbon dioxide directly within the cellular body of the alga
How can coccolithophores be used for added weight?
Allows the organism to sink to lower, more nutrient rich layers of water and add buoyancy stopping the cell from sinking to dangerous depths
What does not inhibit the growth of algal blooms?
By high UV light
What does the water turn when algal blooms?
Opaque turquoise which reflect light
How much does CaCO3 produce from sediments?
30-50%
What is sediments important role for?
Sequestration of carbon into deeper ocean via formation of marine snow
What is sediments a major component of?
Calcareous ooze
How much does calcareous cover of the ocean floor?
35/5
What are the main component of Chalk Cliffs of Dover?
Coccoliths
What is an ecological important of coccolithophores?
- Distribution
- Associated with very low levels of nutrients
- Light and temperature are strongest predicators pf coccolithophores diversity
What does am increase in CO2 do to the acidity of the ocean?
Increase
How do ocean acidification occur?
CO2 produces carbonic acid with interaction with ocean
How does ocean acidification and climate change effect coccolithophores?
- High CO2 reduces CaCO3 skeleton and deformation
- Ocean acidity increases, coccoliths become carbon sink
- CO2 increase population of coccolithophores
What is diatoms made of ?
Silica
How does diatoms reproduce?
- Cell increase in volume and slightly separate both thecae
- Protoplast undergoes mitotic dision and gets separated along longitudinal through median line
- One half of protoplast remains epithelia and other hypotheca
Where do you find diatoms?
Oceans, waterways and soils of the world
How much does diatoms contribute to the Toal oceanic primary production of organic material found in oceans?
45%
How much oxygen does diatoms produce on the planet each year?
20-50%
How far can shells of dead diatoms reach?
Hall mile deep on ocean floor
How are diatoms distributed?
- Dominant nutrient rich coastal waters
- Silica frustules require less energy to synthesise that other cell walls
What was found in an experiment to determine diatom dominance?
Diatome dominate mesocosm communities when silicate concentrations were greater than 2
How much do diatoms typically represent of phytoplankton when silicate is available?
70%
How does ocean acidification effect diatoms?
- Increase CO2 sustain relational resilience over a longer timeframe
- Decreased Fe bioavailability in acidified ocean could have an opposite effect by increasing stress and inhibition growth
What are the ecological important of diatoms?
Fertilise huge areas of amazon by winds that take dust from Africa to Amazon
What are features of dinoflagellates?
- Posses two flagella
- Mostly marine or freshwater
- Photosynthetic but large fraction of these are mixotrophic and parasitic
What do dinoflagellates causes?
Red tides
What do red-tides causes?
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
What are dinoflagellates in symbiotic with?
Coral reefs
What the genus of dinoflagellates symbiodinium?
- Endoderm of cnidarians (coral, sea anemones and jellyfish) in tropical oligotrophic
- Marine environment
What occurs on the host in terms of symbiodinium?
Symbionts rapidly proliferate and dominate cytoplasm of host celll
What do symbiodinium provide for coral energy?
80% energy needs via photosynthesis and takes up nutrients released by coral metabolism
What is coral reef bleaching?
Symbionts expelled from coral
What causes coral reef bleaching?
Sustained elevation of sea surface temperatures
What are the 3 times of global scale pan-tropical bleaching events?
- 1998
- 2010
- 2015/2016
How much more is methane more potent as a heat-trapping gas than CO2?
30
How much are terminate responsible for global methane emissions?
1 to 3%
What is a major component in wood?
Cellulose
How is cellulose broken down?
- Hindgut of the termite by microbes into molecules short-chain fatty acids
- Breakdown by hydrogenosomes in protests
- Produces H2
- Methanogens used H2 and produce methane
How much methane does ruminant produce a day?
250-500 litres
What is rumen?
- First chamber in alimentary canal of ruminant animals
- Primary site for microbial fermentation of ingested feeds
What does rumen ciliates produce?
H2
How does rumen ciliates produce H2?
Hydorgenosomes
What are Hydorgenosomes?
Mitochondrion-derived organelles
What do experiments that climate ciliated from cows report?
Reduction of methane form 13% to 35%
Can we rear cows without ciliates?
No, not safe
