threats to aquatic ecosystems

Question 1

how are aquatic environments impacted by degradation and habitat loss

Answer 1

• coral bleaching
• trawler fishing boats
• ocean acidification

Question 2

• invasive species
• reaches maturity quickly
• has large numbers of offspring
• protected by venomous spines

Answer 2

lion fish

Question 3

how have human and population growth impacted aquatic systems

Answer 3

• increased pollution
• toxic mercury from coal-burning plants
• plastic pollution
• climate change
• rising sea level
• overfishing

Question 4

warmer temperatures may be uninhabitable for certain wildlife
-warmer ocean cannot absorb as much CO2

Answer 4

how climate change has affected ecosystems

Question 5

not giving species enough time to recover and increase their populations

Answer 5

over-fishing

Question 6

catch surface dwelling species such as tuna, mackerel, anchovies, and herring

Answer 6

pure-seine fishing

Question 7

lines with baited hooks, catches swordfish, tuna, sharks, halibut, cod

Answer 7

long-lining

Question 8

drifting nets that hang to catch fish

Answer 8

drift-net fishing

Question 9

the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely disbursed.

Answer 9

biomagnification

Question 10

as the net accumulation of a contaminant in or on an organism from all sources including water, air, and diet

Answer 10

bioaccumulation

Question 11

is the controlled cultivation (“farming”) of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants

Answer 11

aquaculture

Question 12

what are environmental impacts of aquaculture

Answer 12

• no food for farmed fish (can hurt higher up trophic levels in the wild)
• pollution from fish waste

Question 13

• vulnerable to extinction
• grow slowly
• mature late
• only a few offspring

Answer 13

sharks

Question 14

3 million were killed in 46 countries

-in the 70s the US banned all commercial killing of these species and imports of their products

Answer 14

whales

Question 15

• one of the most vulnerable species for extinction
• threatened by trawler fishing
• hunted for their skin and eggs
• beachgoers and vehicles can crush their eggs
• artificial lights hinder their way to the ocean
• can mistake discarded bags for jellyfish and choke

Answer 15

sea turtles

Question 16

ways we can maintain marine biodiversity

Answer 16

• endangered species act of 1973
• 1975 convention on international trade in endangered species
• the US marine mammal protection act of 1972

Question 17

community-based efforts to develop and use coastal resources more sustainably
-the national sea-grant programs do work that incorporates this

Answer 17

integrated coastal management

Question 18

maximum sustained yield
ecosystem management approach
precautionary principle

Answer 18

sustaining fisheries