chapter 12

All of the following are adaptive solutions employed by marine organisms to prevent sinking except:

decreasing cellular fat content.

Which of the following is the correct order for the taxonomic classification of living things?

Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

Multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that range in complexity from simple sponges to complex vertebrates belong to the kingdom:

Animalia.

Organisms of the mesopelagic zone are characterized by:

- bioluminescence. - large, sensitive eyes.

Of the following adaptations, which allow(s) a marine organism to blend into the environment and avoid visual detection?

- Disruptive coloration - Camouflage - Transparent body tissue - Countershading

Of the following statements about gills, which is/are true?

- Gills are fibrous respiratory organs used to extract oxygen from seawater. - Gills are found on most marine animals (excluding air-breathing marine mammals).

Of the following adult-stage organisms, which is/are classified as benthos?

ALL

Of the following statements about plankton, which is/are true?

ALL EXCEPT: Plankton comprise 98% of all marine species

Nekton are restricted to particular ocean areas by:

All of the above conditions may restrict the distribution of nekton.

Neritic marine environments would be found:

associated with continental shelves.

The sublittoral (subtidal) zone is the area:

below the intertidal zone on the continental shelf.

With respect to their marine environment, these organisms can be referred to as

benthos

The primary reason phytoplankton are "concerned" about buoyancy is that they

cannot photosynthesize below the photic zone

Nektonic organisms in the photic zone often protect themselves from being seen from either above or below through _________.

countershading

The color pattern in which marine organisms are light on the bottom and dark on the top of their bodies camouflaging them against the water-air interface is:

countershading

"Eukarya" is a _________

domain

The majority of marine invertebrates are

isotonic with respect to their environment.

Which of the following word pairs correctly link a descriptor with the way in which the organism lives in the ocean?

nekton—swim

High-latitude ocean water tends to support large planktonic communities because:

of higher dissolved oxygen and nutrient concentrations.

The movement of a substance in solution from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration across a selectively permeable membrane in a living organism is called:

passive transport

The majority of our planet's biomass is represented by

plankton

Planktonic organisms often have needle-like structures that:

prevent sinking

Organisms that cannot withstand large changes in temperature are referred to as:

stenothermal.

The classifications "holoplankton" and "meroplankton" are based on

the portion of the life cycle spent as plankton