Oceanography Chapter 11: The Living Ocean

The idea of a common ancestor in the theory of evolution explains that ______.

all life on Earth evolved from one organism Reason: The common ancestor is LUCA - Last Universal Common Ancestor.

A fish with a dark back and light underside is said to have a color pattern called ________.

countershading

Average surface waters in the Arctic can be as cold as ______.

-1°C Reason: The salinity allows the water to reach temperatures below the freezing point of fresh water. Waters can form that are much colder than this.

The average temperature range for 90% of the ocean is very constant and varies only from about ______.

-1°C to 4°C (30°F to 40°F)

Select all the statements that correctly describe the flow of energy and chemicals between autotrophs and heterotrophs. Multiple select question. 1. Autotrophs take in carbon dioxide and water and produce oxygen and organic carbon. 2. Autotrophs combine organic carbon and oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and nitrogen. 3. Heterotrophs use organic carbon and oxygen and produce carbon dioxide and water. 4. Heterotrophs combine oxygen and sunlight to produce organic carbon and water.

1. Autotrophs take in carbon dioxide and water and produce oxygen and organic carbon. 3. Heterotrophs use organic carbon and oxygen and produce carbon dioxide and water.

Identify methods that larger organisms use to adjust their buoyancy. (Select all that apply.) Multiple select question. 1. Fish use an internal gas-filled swim bladder to adjust buoyancy. 2. Sea turtles eat jellyfish to increase their densities and increase their ability to dive. 3. Seabirds have low-density bones and use oil to trap air between their feathers and skin, allowing them to float on the surface. 4. Whales store large quantities of blubber, in part, to decrease density.

1. Fish use an internal gas-filled swim bladder to adjust buoyancy. 3. Seabirds have low-density bones and use oil to trap air between their feathers and skin, allowing them to float on the surface. 4. Whales store large quantities of blubber, in part, to decrease density.

Select all the statements that are true in regard to the diversity of life in the oceans. Multiple select question. 1. The oceans contain a representative from each kingdom. 2. All known orders are represented in the oceans. 3. The oceans contain representatives from each of life's domains. 4. Representatives from a little less than 75% of Earth's domains and kingdoms can be found in the oceans.

1. The oceans contain a representative from each kingdom. 3. The oceans contain representatives from each of life's domains.

Factors that influence the salinity of surface waters include ______. (Select all that apply.) Multiple select question. 1. circulation patterns 2. isotope ratios 3. temperature 4. seasonal changes 5. climate

1. circulation patterns 3. temperature 4. seasonal changes 5. climate

Surface waters worldwide have large temperature ranges. This is due to ______. (Select all that apply.) Multiple select question. 1. lack of stabilization by mid-ocean ridge heat 2. coastal upwelling 3. latitudinal variability 4. seasonal variability

2. coastal upwelling 3. latitudinal variability 4. seasonal variability

The surface water temperatures near land tend to be more extreme than those of the open ocean at the same latitude. This is because ______. (Select all that apply.) Multiple select question. 1. light reflects off of the bottom and heats the water twice 2. the weather over land is more extreme 3. biological productivity heats the ocean 4. coastal upwelling can bring cold waters up from depth

2. the weather over land is more extreme 4. coastal upwelling can bring cold waters up from depth

Identify the two main mechanisms that allow nutrients to enter the surface waters. Multiple select question. 1. Precipitation 2. Redox reactions at the water-air interface 3. Upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters 4. Nutrient runoff from land

3. Upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters 4. Nutrient runoff from land

Plankton often have a density greater than that of seawater. They reduce this difference and slow sinking by ______. (Select all that apply.) Multiple select question. 1. differentially heating their tops and bottoms to create a flow upwards 2. storing magnetic minerals inside themselves where the magnetic pull is upwards 3. having spines and other appendages that increase drag and slow sinking 4. storing internal oil droplets

3. having spines and other appendages that increase drag and slow sinking 4. storing internal oil droplets Reason: Recall oil is less dense than seawater.

Identify the different areas of the pelagic zone. A, B, C, D

A ↔ Epipelagic B ↔ Mesopelagic C ↔ Bathypelagic D ↔ Abyssopelagic

Charles Darwin and ______ are the two nineteenth-century English naturalists that first proposed natural selection.

Alfred Wallace

Select the statement below that best represents how all life on Earth is most likely related. The DNA of each phylum is unique, indicating life arose at least as many times as the number of phyla we have. Each domain on Earth likely represents a unique and separate development of life. Each kingdom on Earth likely represents a unique and separate development of life. All life on Earth likely shares one common ancestor.

All life on Earth likely shares one common ancestor.

All life can be divided into two groups of organisms based on how they derive energy and carbon for growth. ________ are able to make their own organic matter from sunlight or chemical energy, but ________ must consume preexisting organic matter.

Autotrophs; heterotrophs

Rank the following vertical areas of the pelagic zone according to how much light is available. Put them in order as they occur in the water column. Bathypelagic, Mesopelagic, Epipelagic, Abyssopelagic

Epipelagic Mesopelagic Bathypelagic Abyssopelagic

Match the ocean zone to its degree of light penetration. Euphotic zone Aphotic zone Disphotic zone

Euphotic zone ↔ The area where there is enough light for the growth of photosynthetic organisms Aphotic zone ↔ The area where no light penetrates Disphotic zone ↔ Where there is sufficient light to see but not enough to support photosynthesis

Order the zones of the sea floor. Place the shallowest zone on top. Hadal, Abyssal, Littoral, Bathyal

Littoral Bathyal Abyssal Hadal

Match the marine zone to its description. Pelagic Benthic Neritic Oceanic

Pelagic ↔ One of the two major zones; covers the water environment Benthic ↔ One of the two major zones; covers the seafloor environment Neritic ↔ A subdivision of a major zone; the ocean above the continental shelf Oceanic ↔ A subdivision of a major zone; the open ocean away from the direct influence of land

If the density of the local ocean water is 1.02 g/mL, what organisms below will tend to sink?

Plankton with a density of 1.10 g/mL

Marine organisms can be grouped by size and habitat. Match the group name to its description. Plankton Nekton Benthos

Plankton ↔ Organisms that are generally small and unable to move faster than the currents Nekton ↔ Organisms that are larger and able to move faster than the currents Benthos ↔ Organisms of various size living on or in the sea floor

Rank the following colors based on depth of penetration into the ocean. (Place the deepest penetration on the bottom.) red, green, blue, yellow

Red Yellow Green Blue

Match each seafloor zone to its description. Supralittoral Littoral Sublittoral Bathyal and Abyssal

Supralittoral ↔ The splash zone, an area only covered by wave spray during the highest spring tides Littoral ↔ The intertidal zone, the area covered and uncovered daily by the tides Sublittoral ↔ The area from the lowest low tide to the edge of the continental shelf Bathyal and Abyssal ↔ Areas of complete darkness and without seasonal change

Select the largest single habitat on Earth. The marine environment The Australian Outback The African Serengeti The Amazon rain forest

The marine environment

Which marine organisms are most sensitive to changes in pH? Large mammals Fish Those that use CaCO3 to create shells

Those that use CaCO3 to create shells

True or false: Biodiversity is a good measure of ecosystem health.

True Reason: A diverse ecosystem uses resources more efficiently and produces more food and fewer waste products. A diverse ecosystem is generally more stable.

True or false: Representatives from every domain of life can be found in the oceans.

True Reason: The domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya are all represented in the oceans.

True or false: Microbes are the most abundant organisms in the sea.

True The vast majority of these microbes are less than only a few microns in size.

A sea creature with a swimbladder will ______ affected by a drastic change in pressure.

be adversely

The variety of life in a given area is referred to as ______.

biological diversity

The light generated by organisms themselves is called ______.

bioluminescence

Research into factors such as how size and shape affect an organism's transportation of mass and energy is conducted in the field of ______.

biomechanics

We say life on Earth is carbon-based. We say this because ______.

both autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms require carbon for growth

Biomechanics involves the study of how ______.

chemistry and physics affect basic biological characteristics

Countershading is a ______.

color pattern where a marine organism's back is dark and the underside is light Reason: Countershading allows a fish swimming near the surface to blend in well with the bottom when seen from above as well as blend with the surface when seen from below.

Sunlight reaches greater depths in the ________ zone in the open ocean compared to coastal regions because the water is clearer.

euphotic

In the disphotic zone, there is some light but not enough to support photosynthesis. However, in the ________ zone, above there is enough light, and in the ________ zone, below there is no light.

euphotic; aphotic

The development of a new species, as a result of a population changing its genetic makeup, in response to differential reproduction of its members is encapsulated in the theory of ______.

evolution

Some deep-water fish have swim bladders filled with ________ cells to deal with changes in pressure.

fat

The main difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs is autotrophs can ______.

generate their own organic food source, and heterotrophs cannot

Since autotrophic organisms require inorganic carbon for growth and heterotrophic organisms require organic carbon for growth, we can say that ______.

life is based on carbon

Marine organisms ______ will not be grossly affected by changes in pressure.

made of watery tissues

The ________ environment represents the single largest habitat on Earth.

marine (or ocean)

Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace are credited as being the first scientists to propose ______.

natural selection

Organisms that are best adapted to life in a particular environment are more likely to reproduce successfully. This is called ______.

natural selection

Organisms living in the pelagic zone that can move faster than the currents are called ________, and those that are unable to move faster than the currents are called ________.

nekton; plankton

Runoff from land and upwelling are the two main ways ______.

nutrients are supplied to surface waters

Respiration is the ______ of organic matter to carbon dioxide to derive ______.

oxidation; energy

Marine creatures that use CaCO3 to create shells are most sensitive to changes in ________ levels in water, but the changes also affect fish larvae and organisms that photosynthesize.

pH

The marine environment can be divided into two general zones, the ________ zone, or water environment, and the ________ zone, or seafloor environment.

pelagic; benthic

To avoid the often fatal outcome associated with a drastic change in ______, some marine creatures are very adept at controlling the depth at which they live.

pressure

The most dramatic differences in salinity occur near estuaries. This is because of the ______.

proximity to freshwater sources

The longer wavelengths of the ________ color are absorbed at the shallowest depths, and the shorter wavelengths of the ________ color penetrate the deepest.

red; blue

Oxidizing organic matter to derive energy is called ________.

respiration

Biological diversity refers to the ______.

richness and variety of life found on our planet

Natural ________ is the process in which those organisms best suited for their environment are more likely to reproduce successfully.

selection

An organism with an average density greater than that of surrounding seawater will tend to ________.

sink

The most abundant organisms in the ocean are the ______ organisms.

smallest

The theory of evolution explains that a population will gradually adapt to take on the traits of the most successful individuals within that population, ultimately leading to the development of a new ________.

species (or subspecies)

Bioluminescence is ______.

the light some organisms are able to produce themselves Reason: They generate the light by running a biochemical reaction using the enzyme luciferase acting on the substrate luciferin.

Valuable drugs and other marine products are most likely to come from ______.

the most diverse marine ecosystems

Sunlight tends to penetrate to greater depths farther offshore because ______.

there are fewer particles in the waters of the euphotic zone of the open ocean Reason: There are fewer particles because inorganic particles have had a chance to settle out and there is less primary productivity.

Photosynthetic autotrophs combine ________ and carbon dioxide, using sunlight as a source of energy, to produce organic carbon, which heterotrophs combine with ________ to liberate the stored energy.

water; oxygen