Quiz 2 Flashcards by Amy Wright

Microalgae that generates most of the primary production in the oceans

Phytoplankton

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

A prokaryotic photosynthetic organism shown to be an important component of phytoplankton.

Cyanobacteria

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Organisms that use light for their energy source and carbon dioxide (or one of its various forms in the water) to produce new organic matter.

Photoautotrophs

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The part of the photosynthetic reaction that converts light into metabolic energy and reducing power.

Light reaction

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The part of the photosynthetic equation that converts (fixes) carbon dioxide and forms inorganic material.

Dark reaction

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The mechanism that fixes carbon dioxide.

Calvin cycle

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The enzyme used to catalyze the reduction of CO2.

RUBISCO

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Maintains the required high levels of CO2 within the cells.

Carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

A group of microalgae that is a major contributor to the phytoplankton of marine and freshwater and have frustules (cases).

Diatoms

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

This enzyme converts bicarbonate ions to CO2 within and outside of some cells.

Carbonic anhydrase

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

These organisms produce oxygen as an end product.

Oxygenic photoautotrophs

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The reverse of photosynthesis; organic matter and oxygen are converted to carbon dioxide and water, generating energy for metabolic use.

Respiration

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The major chlorophyl of algae, it is green because it absorbs blue and red wavelengths and reflects green wavelengths.

Chlorophyll-a

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Carotenoids such as beta-carotin and fucoxanthin (absorb green); phycocyanins (absorb green-yellow); and allophycocyanins (absorb orange-red).

Accessory pigments

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The wavelengths of light that range from 400 to 700 nm; photosynthetic organisms adjust their light-harvesting pigments to absorb various components of this spectrum of light.

Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Organisms that use both phototrophic and heterotrophic means for assimilating energy

Mixotrophs

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Phytoplankton species that have been shown to be able to ingest particulate organic material to meet part of their nutritional requirements.

Phagotrophs

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The area below 1000 m in water depth where no light penetrates

Aphotic zone

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The are where of water that light penetrates; rarely extends below 200 m (in coastal waters rarely 50 m).

Photic/euphotic zone

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The exponential loss of light as it passes through water

Attenuation

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Describes the relationship between photosynthesis and irradiance

P/E curve

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The level of irradiance at which the photosynthetic rate is equal to the respiration rate.

Compensation irradiance

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The point at which the rate of photosynthesis is light saturated.

Saturation irradiance

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

A decrease in photosynthetic rates in some species due to high rates of irradiance; results from damage to components of the photosystems.

Photoinhibition

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Total photosynthesis

Gross photosynthesis

The gross photosynthesis minus respiration

Net photosynthesis

The ability of most photosynthetic organisms to acclimate to a given light regime by altering the concentration of chlorophyll and/or accessory pigments per cell or unit cell area.

Photoacclimation

A process by which chloroplasts move in reaction to changes in light conditions

Karyostrophy

The depth in a water column at which net photosynthesis is 0 (the bottom of the euphotic zone).

Compensation depth

The water depth where the integrated daily photosynthetic carbon assimilation is balance by the integrated daily respiratory carbon losses.

Critical depth

The principal additional macromolecule requirements for aquatic plants - nitrogen and phosphorus.

Inorganic nutrients

Waters that have low concentrations of essential nutrients for algal growth/low primary production

Oligotrophic

Waters that have high concentrations of nutrients/high primary production.

Eutrophic

Waters that sustain intermediate levels of primary production

Mesotrophic

An increase in the rate of supply of inorganic matter to an ecosystem.

Eutrophication

Surrounds each cell or surface in water; water movement and molecule diffusion are restricted.

Diffusive boundary layer (DBL)

Found in the subarctic Pacific, the Southern Ocean, and the equatorial Pacific.

High-nutrient, low-chlorophyll waters (HNLC).

The ratio of carbon : nitrogen : phosphorus in healthy, actively growing algal cells.

Redfield ratio (106 : 16 : 1)

The moles of O2 evolved per moles of CO2 assimilated.

Photosynthetic quotient (PQ)

Primary production based on nitrate

New production

Primary production based on non-nitrate nitrogen sources.

Recycled production

The ratio of new production to total production.

F-ration

Photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

Material and energy gains

Skeleton formation, production of energy storage compounds, and formation of reproductive material.

Material investments

Movement, buoyancy, excretion, osmoregulation, nutrient uptake, and respiration

Energy and material losses

Four major factors that govern primary production in marine systems

Light, nutrients, stability, mixing

Regions of low primary productivity due to nutrient replenishment not taking place.

Anticyclonic gyres

Regions that sustain higher rates of primary productivity, due to mixing nutrient rich water into surface water.

Cyclonic gyres

Found from the surface to 150 m

Epipelagic zone

Found from 150m to 1000m

Mesopelagic

Found from 1000 to 4000m

Bathypelagic zone

Found from 4000 to 6000m

Abyssopelagic zone

Found from 6000 to 10000m

Hadal zone

The overall gains and losses to the ocean (inputs through rivers, outputs through marine sediment)

Mass balance

A gas-filled bladder that ensures that blades of seaweeds are floating as high in the water as possible.

Pneumatocyst

Profiling devices that can measure "real time" primary production as they are lowered through the water.

Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometers (FRRF)

The rate of carbon fixation as the result of photosynthesis; measures in grams of carbon per meter squared per day.

Primary production

Have cellulose plates and two flagella and are the main organism creating harmful algal blooms in coastal waters.

Dinoflagellates

Enclosed in intricate calcium plates

Coccolithophores

Less common in the open ocean and occurs mostly in freshwater.

Green algae

The depth at which surface water is extended down into the water column by wind and mixes layers

Mixed layer depth

Gross primary product minus the respiration by ALL organisms in the ecosystem.

Net ecosystem production (NEP)

The growth of populations of phytoplankton levels off; photosynthesis continues but there is no net gain of cells.

Stationary period.

A sharp increase in phytoplankton chlorophyll where there is adequate light for photosynthesis and yet significant nutrient supply from below.

Deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM)