Return to the Ocean I

Question 1

What are amphibians?

Answer 1

Tetrapods with aquatic legs

Question 2

What is true of the amphibian respiratory system?

Answer 2

– Permeable skin and gills
– Lungs (?) (simple sacs divided by ridges, may simply supplement cutaneous respiration)
– positive pressure breathing: buccal pump + elastic recoil

Question 3

When were marine reptiles succcessful?

Answer 3

In the mesozoic (75-250 mya)

Question 4

What are examples of marine reptiles?

Answer 4

– Sauropterygians (plesiosaur)
– Ichthyopterygians
– Mosasaurs
– Sea turtles

Question 5

How many species of marine reptile are there?

Answer 5

<70 extant spp.
– tropical/subtropical
– from 3 orders

Question 6

What are 2 families in the order Squamata?

Answer 6

– Snakes
– Iguana – 1 sp. (Galapagos)

Question 7

What is true of snakes of Squamata?

Answer 7

– true sea snakes (~50 spp. – fully marine – ovoviviparity
– sea kraits (~5 spp.) – some terrestrial needs - digestion on land - oviparity
– Highly venomous
– Coastal tropical, Indian & pacific oceans
– Excellent swimmers & divers

Question 8

How many species are in the order Testudines and what are they?

Answer 8

8
Green, Black, Flatback, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback

Question 9

What is true of testudines?

Answer 9

– Circumglobal, tropical
– Mainly coastal (except leatherback)
– Good swimmers: foreleg paddles
– Come ashore to lay eggs
– Distinguish spp. by head & shell

Question 10

What are the 2 species in the Order Crocodylia?

Answer 10

– Crocodylus acutus (American Crocodile)
– Crocodylus porosus (Saltwater Crocodile)

Question 11

What is true of the Reptilian respiratory system?

Answer 11

– Skin nearly impermeable to O2 (exc. cutaneous respiration in sea snakes)
– Increased reliance on lung as respiratory surface
– Lung volume constant
– Subdivision increases
– Negative pressure breathing (aspiration pump)

Question 12

What is true of negative pressure breathing (aspiration pump)?

Answer 12

– Uncouples feeding and breathing
– Requires thoracic cavity

Question 13

What are some marine reptile adaptations?

Answer 13

– usually very good swimmers
– Good divers (esp. turtles)
– Cutaneous respiration (seasnakes)

Question 14

What is true of cutaneous respiration in seansakes?

Answer 14

– Do not become anaerobic despite up to 2h long dives
– Lung extends full length of body
– Posterior portion oxygen store
– Small, thin scales and flattened body

Question 15

What is true of salt glands in marine lizards?

Answer 15

– On head
– Empties into nasal cavity
– Ridge prevents re-swallowing
– Sudden exhalation to expel

Question 16

What is true of salt glands in seasnakes?

Answer 16

– Base of tongie
– Empties into the oral cavity

Question 17

What is true of salt glands in turtles?

Answer 17

– in orbit of eye
– Empties into posterior corner of orbit

Question 18

What is true of salt glands in Crocodiles?

Answer 18

Distributed over the surface of the tongue

Question 19

How many species in the order Sphenisciformes ?

Answer 19

17

Question 20

What is true of the order Sphenisciformes?

Answer 20

• all seabirds
• southern hemisphere
• flightless
• feet –> rudder
• wings –> fins

Question 21

How many species in the order Procellariiformes ?

Answer 21

125 spp

Question 22

What is true of the order Procellariiformes?

Answer 22

– All seabirds
– Tubular nostrils
– good sense of smell

Question 23

How many species in the order Pelecaniformes ?

Answer 23

65

Question 24

What is true of the order Pelecaniformes?

Answer 24

– All waterbirds
– All seabirds, except anhingas, some pelicans and some cormorants
– All four toes are webbed
– Salt gland enclosed within orbit
– Nostrils are slit like, nearly closed or absent

Question 25

What are examples of the order pelicaniformes?

Answer 25

Pelicans, frigatebirds, gannets, boobies, cormorants, anhingas

Question 26

What are examples of the order Procellariiformes?

Answer 26

Albatrosses, petrels, storm-petrels, fulmars and shearwaters

Question 27

What are examples of the order Sphenisciformes?

Answer 27

Penguins

Question 28

What is true of the order Charadriiformes?

Answer 28

– Mostly seabirds except shore birds

Question 29

How many species in the order Charadriiformes ?

Answer 29

128 spp. +~200 shorebirds

Question 30

What are examples of the order Charadriiformes ?

Answer 30

Skuas, jaegers, gulls, terns, auks, guillemots, puffins, shorebirds & skimmers

Question 31

What are examples of the order Ciconiiformes?

Answer 31

herons, egrets, storks, ibis, spoonbills

Question 32

What is true of the order Ciconiiformes?

Answer 32

May feed along the shoreline, but not ‘seabirds’

Question 33

Why are lungs the key to endothermy?

Answer 33

– To be endothermic you must generate heat and keep it in – e.g. NEED insulation
– Insulated skin prevents gas exchange
– Can’t be bimodal: lungs need to be efficient at CO2 elimination and O2 uptake
– Having efficient lungs is vital for evolution of endotherms

Question 34

What does flight and endothermy mean for birds?

Answer 34

– HIGH metabolic demands
– insulation

Question 35

What are some adaptions to life at sea for birds?

Answer 35

– Energy management
– Salt management
– locomotion and feeding
– Colouration
Life history

Question 36

Why is energy management key in seabirds?

Answer 36

• Weight reducing adaptations
  – High MR and endothermy
  – Specialised lungs

Question 37

Why is salt management key in seabirds?

Answer 37

• Feed in salt water
  – May avoid saltwater ingestion
  – Nasal salt hands (above eye) – connects to nasal cavity
  – Preening gland/waterproofing

Question 38

Why is locomotion and feeding key in seabirds?

Answer 38

– Wings for: Underwater swimming (penguins, cormorants), Flying vast distances (albatrosses), flying fast&agile, close to shore (auks & puffins)
– Bodies can be streamlined for swimming underwater
– Webbed feet
– Bills adapted to prey type and feeding mechanism

Question 39

Why is life history key in seabirds?

Answer 39

– Form large colonies
– Large, long life, deferred maturity, small clutch size, extended chick period…due to energy limitation?