Scenario 3

Question 1

Define plankton as a group

Answer 1

organisms found generally floating in the water column- some types can swim but not strong enough to oppose currents
functional group, not taxonomic

Question 2

phytoplankton

Answer 2

photosynthesizing plankton

Question 3

Explain how and why seasonality drives phytoplankton abundance, and how this differs in shallow water vs deeper water environments.

Answer 3

Seasons change as a result of changes in sun angle + exposure- photosynthesizing plankton likely increase metabolism + reproduction in areas of high sun exposure + vice versa

Question 4

Analyze the connections between abiotic factors, phytoplankton blooms and zooplankton dynamics, and explain their role in carbon sequestration in the world’s oceans.

Answer 4

water motion + mixing depth- mixing depth lower in winter bc density gradient is less extreme- summer surface water is MUCH hotter than deep water

Question 5

Explain how nutrients like Nitrogen and Phosphorus influence phytoplankton dynamics.

Answer 5

P is a limiting factor for phytoplankton photosynthesis

Question 6

Describe the major drivers of patchiness in plankton distribution

Answer 6

horiz. changes in physical/chem conditions
depth gradients
grazing - zooplankton feeding or phytoplankton, for ex.
reproductive behaviors
feeding behaviors
swimming capabilities (eg. flagella in dinoflagellates, jellyfish, pteropods)

Question 7

Connect vertical migration of zooplankton with the food web in the deep sea.

Answer 7

dying phytoplankton, small zooplankton, embedded microbes, zooplankton fecal pellets all sink–> “marine snow”- important carbon transport to the deep sea

Question 8

List the major forms of nitrogen and phosphorus in the oceans.

Answer 8

N2 gas from the atmosphere- made into bio usable forms thru fixation (like bc of cyanobacteria?)
P- weathering of minerals, runoff from human activity