Term 1 2023 Definitions Flashcards
functional biology
an organism’s basic function
ecology
interactions between organisms and their environments
anoxic
environment with a lack of oxygen
oceanic vents
likely starting points for life forms in the deep sea
“The Great Oxidation”
period 2.4bn years ago the rapidly increased the sea’s oxygen levels
sea mounts
ocean-floor volcanos below sea level eg.Mauno Loa
Guyots
flat-topped sea mounts via erosion
lithosphere
earth’s crust
divergent plate
constructie plate moving away eg. Iceland
transform plate
conservative plate that rubs against each other eg. Mid Atlantic Ridge
convergent plate
destructive plate that moves towards each other eg. Mariana Trench/ NW Pacific
Isostacy
gravity + buoyancy acting on earth’s outer layers to bring them closer
Bathymetry
study of the sea floor
surface zone
first zone of the oceans temperature, mixed layer 25-500m
thermocline
2nd layer of ocean temp, 200-1000m, rapid decrease in temp + advection of cool water
deep zone
3rd layer of oceans temp, below 1000m, stable temps of 1C
stratified ocean
where temp (+salinity) determines waters’s density, splitting ocean in density levels
CTD
Conductivity Temperature Depth Rosette, measure temp + conductivity, pressure + depth to work out salinity
Ekman transport
net movements of water due to Coriolis and wind forces, brings deep water upwards due to displacemtn
surface currents
global ocean current driven by wind
global overturning circulation
global ocean current driven by density
gyres
large system of circular ocean currents formed by global wind patterns and forces created by Earth’s rotation
the Gulf stream
the northerly loop of the N Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, bringing warm water to the Uk
Antarctic Circumpolar current
circumscribes whole earths, connecting all other ocean basics and driven by powerful westerly wind belt (stormiest ocean)
Pacific Ocean Circulation
driven by 2 huge subtropical greys with dominant equatorial countercurrent
‘The plastic vortex”
collection of plastic into the N.Pacific gyre’s convergent flow (and now N.Atlantic)
eddies
small-scale gyres + flows
pelagic zones
ocean area
Benthic zones
sediment/ substrate section of the ocean
neurotic zone
sea on the continental shelf
oceanic zone
sea off the continental shelf
epipelagic
photic zone 0-200m in water column
Mesopelagic
dysphotic zone 200-1000m in the water columun
Bathypelagic
1000-2000m in the aphotic zone of the water column
Abyssalpelagic
2000-6000m in the photic zone of the water column
Hadalpelagic
deepest oceanic layer 6000m+ in the aphotic zone of the water column
nekton
pelagic organisms that can maintain position against water currents (swimmers(
plankton
pelagic organisms that can’t maintain their position against water currents (wanderer)
phytoplankton
plant-like + able to photosynthesise
zooplankton
animal-like + heterotrophic
ciliates
organisms that have somatic cillic (can move to create feeding currents)
cyanobacteria
smallest phytoplankton (1-5μm) that fix N gas, dominant primary producer
coccolithophorids
single-celled phytoplankton with a calcium carbonate coccolith, from white blooms + major contributor of CaCO3
Diatoms
5-200μm + fast growing phytoplankton that create a silica box with 2 valves
Dinoflagellates
phytoplankton with 2 whip flagella armoured with cellulose plates
food web
pathway of consumption and energy flows from one trophic level to another
detritus
debris found in oceanic vents
autotroph
primary producer
ontogenetic shifts
where an organism changes its diet during development
trophic cascade
ecological phenomenon triggered by the +/- of predators + changes pops causing changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling
mesopredator release
removal of top predator leads to dominance of medium-sized predator eg. fur seals and large predatory fish
Redfield ratio
the ratio of N:P as 16:1 creating “generalist” plankton
blue carbon
carbon stored in oceanic sinks eg. mangroves
salt glands
allow mangrove roots to build negative hydrostatic pressure (counteract salinity)
seagrass
monocotyledonous + not true grasses found intertidal+subtidally
irradiance
radiant energy
lacunae
large oxygen-filled tubes in seagrass leaves (like aerenchyma)
functional group
A set of species, or collection of organisms, that share
alike characteristics within a community
lamniformes
mackerel sharks that are found worldwide but in the Indian
nekton
organisms capable of swimming against the current
Reynolds number
another way to define nekton (length with velocity over viscosity)
semelparous
reproduce once in life
iteroparous
have multiple reproductive cycles
chondrichthyes
cartilaginous fish eg. elasmobranchs
osteichthyes
bony fish
fusiform
tapered at both ends (hooked)
poikilothermic
cold blooded
homeothermic
warm blooded eg. tuna
ectothermic
cold blooded
carnivora
sea otters, polar bears + pinnipeds
cetaceas
whales, dolphins + porpoises
Sirenia
manatees and dugons
catch
what fish gets caught
landings
what caught fish stays
discard
the caught fish that is thrown out of catch
bycatch
unintentional catch
stocks/population
current number of organisms
tragedy of the commons
idea that if everyone does it, it becomes normalised
fishing down the foodweb
idea that fishers go for the biggest then when depleted, move down to smaller fish until the population is gone
shifting baselines
idea that fish stocks have become smaller and become the norm, so must set conservation targets to original not current numbers
Hope spots
idea that areas can be protected and must be optimistic
natal philpatry
come back to the beach where they were birthed
oviparous
lay eggs
Phocidae
true seals found in the N.hemisphereMo
Monochinae
true seals found in S.hemisphere (monk seal+ elephant)
sexually dimorphic
where each sex has different morphologies
demersal
fish that live on or near to the bottom
zoonotic
infectious disease transmitted between species from animals to humans
seabird
bird entirely dependant on the marine environment for at least part of their lives
guano
hard bird poo that can be made into rock-like structures + used as fertiliser
BRT
bycatch reduction technology
synergistic effects
When the combined effect is greater than that predicted by their individual potencies
biomagnification
increase in biological concentration f a chemical with increasing trophic position
bioaccumulation
corresponds to process which chemical increases via diet/environmental exposure and is carried up the food chain
POPs
Persistent Organic Pollutants (pesticides)
PAHs
Oil and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
carcinomas
cancer of the epithelial tissue
MPA
a clearly defined geographical space recognised and managed through legal and other means to achieve long term conservation of nature
EEZ
exclusive economic zone
BRUVS
baited remote underwater video systems
paper park
a set up MPA that actually provides no evidence on conservation. occurs due to poor management and policing and poor set-up/design
