Zooplankton

Question 1

What are the three main categories of organisms in terms of their habitat in the water?

Answer 1

Benthos (live on/in the seafloor), Nekton (actively swimming organisms), Plankton (cannot move against currents).

Question 2

What are holoplankton and meroplankton?

Answer 2

Holoplankton spend their entire life cycle as plankton, while meroplankton spend only part of their life cycle as plankton.

Question 3

Name three methods used for plankton sampling.

Answer 3

kets, nets (Apstein, WP2, Bongo, Multinet, MOCNESS), pumps, Neuston catamaran.

Question 4

What are the three important steps in handling plankton samples on board?

Answer 4

Concentrate the material, fix the sample, log and label correctly.

Question 5

Which chemical is commonly used to fix plankton samples and how is the correct concentration calculated?

Answer 5

Formaldehyde; concentration is calculated using C1 * V1 = C2 * V2.

Question 6

What are the main methods for determining biomass?

Answer 6

Settling volume, displacement volume, wet weight, dry weight, ash-free dry weight.

Question 7

What is a typical sorting fluid made of?

Answer 7

Propylene phenoxetol, propylene glycol, and water.

Question 8

How is the filtered volume calculated for Bongo nets?

Answer 8

V = S * A, where S is the distance traveled and A is the mesh opening (r² * π).

Question 9

CTD-Rosette

Answer 9

Instrument for measuring water parameters like temperature and salinity.

Question 10

Mesocosms

Answer 10

Experimental systems simulating natural conditions.