EXAM 1 Ecology - Chapter 3 SB Questions (with Answers)

Why is harvesting and bleaching of corals harmful to the environment?

Corals do not quickly reproduce and replace the harvested material. Corals provide habitat for other species such as fish and shellfish. Dynamite is used to harvest the corals.

What is the result of the process called upwelling?

Deep water is moved to the surface when winds blow surface water offshore.

Which of the following are examples of human threats to marine life?

Dumping chemical waste into the ocean Overfishing Dumping nuclear waste into the ocean

An example of a barrier reef is the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches across the northeast coast of

Australia

The dynamic movement of water among reservoirs is called the

hydrologic cycle (or water cycle)

Kelp forests and coral reefs are typically found

in shallow waters along continents and around islands

Put the ocean basins in order from smallest to largest, with the smallest at the top.

indian atlantic pacific

What major ocean basin borders the eastern side of Africa and western side of Australia?

indian ocean

Which of the following statements about the diversity of marine environments is false?

Terrestrial habitats support 28 phyla of animals, while oceanic habitats support 11.

Chesapeake Bay is an example of

a sheltered shore

Oftentimes, corals are harvested and bleached for

decoration

For the first 1,000 m down into the ocean, the amount of dissolved oxygen __________ with depth.

decreases

The average rate of photosynthesis per square meter of ocean surface is similar to photosynthesis in which other habitat?

deserts

When there is one high tide and one low tide per day, the tides are called ______ tides.

diurnal

Which one of the following vertical zones in the ocean receives enough sunlight to support photosynthesis?

epipelagic

Put the oceanic zones in order from the shallowest to the deepest (at the bottom).

epipelagic mesopelagic bathypelagic abyssal hadal

Areas where rivers meet the sea are called

estuaries

Areas battered by the full force of ocean waves are called ____________ shores.

exposed

True or false: The Mediterranean sea is one of the three major ocean basins.

false

True or false: The oceanic zone is over the continental shelf.

false

True or false: Water on earth is mostly freshwater, found in rivers, lakes, streams, and other bodies of water.

false

near the shore of a continent or island

fringing reef

Compared to terrestrial environments, the number of animal phyla in the ocean is

greater

An area that is losing water at high rates due to pumping from wells

groundwater

Great circulation systems that involve large expanses of open ocean are called

gyres

What type of body of water may not have significant thermal stratification?

high latitude ocean

Compared to tropical rain forests, the rate of primary production on coral reefs and algal beds is

higher

Food additives and fertilizer are made from ___________ that grow in the ocean, however, the harvested material is quickly replaced by growth.

kelp

Which of the following would have the highest salinity water?

latitudes from 20° to 30° north and south

Compared to the temperature fluctuations in most marine environments, water temperatures in the intertidal environment are ______ stable.

less

The shallow shoreline that is under the influence of the change of tides is called the intertidal zone or ___________ zone.

littoral

Light intensity for intertidal organisms is highest at _______ tide.

low

Places, where people piled the remains of their seafood dinners, are evidence that intertidal areas have been used for harvesting organisms such as clams and mussels for food for many thousands of years. These deposits are called shell

middens

Coral reefs are _________ vulnerable to over-harvesting than kelp forests.

more

What is the largest type of global water reservoir?

ocean, 97.3%

Where are salt marshes most likely to be found?

on sandy shores from temperate to high altitudes

Levels of a certain gas in intertidal areas do not generally limit the distribution of organisms there. In other bodies of water, levels of this gas are likely to determine which organisms can inhabit the area. This gas is

oxygen

The largest ocean basin is the ____________ Ocean.

pacific

What major ocean basin borders the western side of the United States?

pacific ocean

A growing threat to coral reefs, including the nutrient enrichment from human populations, is

pollution

How can water enter reservoirs in the hydrologic cycle?

precipitation subsurface flow surface flow

The term for where corals grow in the surge zone created by waves from the open sea is

reef crest

The amount of salt dissolved in water is called

salinity

an example of a transition between land and sea

salt marsh

Two low tides and two high tides per day are referred to as ____________ tides.

semidiurnal

Shores on the inside of headlands or in coves and bays are called _______________ shores.

sheltered

The wavelengths of light that are most strongly scattered back to our eyes, giving the ocean a blue color are _________ than other wavelengths of visible light.

shorter

The highest portion of the intertidal zone is called the

splash zone

Coral reefs grow well only in waters with ______ salinity.

stable

The stems of the kelp that extends from the canopy of the kelp forest to the seafloor are also called

stipes

The ____________ and the ____________ are the two main tide-producing forces.

sun moon

Kelp forests are typically found at _______________ latitudes, while corals are typically found at ______________ latitudes.

temperate (mid) tropical (low)

What type of body of water has thermal stratification only in the summer?

temperate ocean

A layer of water through which temperature changes rapidly with depth is called a

thermocline

Channels in salt marshes that fill and empty with the tides are called

tidal creeks

Salinity in ______ varies much more than in the ______.

tide pools open ocean

The two most important water movements that affect the distribution and abundance of intertidal organisms are breaking waves and

tides

What type of body of water has thermal stratification year round?

tropical ocean

True or false: In subtropical oceans, there are high salinities due to low amounts of precipitation and high amounts of evaporation.

true

True or false: Less than 20% of the solar energy that hits the ocean surface penetrates the ocean beyond 10 m.

true

True or false: Polar ice caps are water reservoirs.

true

True or false: The Great Lakes in the United States are considered water reservoirs.

true

The amount of time required for the entire volume of a water reservoir to be renewed is called the _________ time.

turnover

Unlike deeper zones, some intertidal zones are exposed to direct sunlight once or ________ a day.

twice

The ___________ zone in the ocean contains enough light to allow organisms to do photosynthesis.

upper epipelagic (or photic)

Off the western coast of South America, surface water moves offshore and deep water moves toward the surface. The upward movement of deep water here is called

upwelling

Which of the following is one of the two most important water movements that affect the distribution and abundance of intertidal organisms?

waves that break on the shore

Due to human's killing them directly and a decline in krill (zooplankton) populations, which marine organism suffered great loss in numbers?

whales

Species that live in the upper intertidal zones are exposed during most tides, while those in lower levels are less frequently exposed. This situation is referred to as

zonation of species

Small invertebrate larvae would be an example of ____________, while clusters of green algae cells would be an example of ___________, which drift in the epipelagic zone.

zooplankton phytoplankton

The high rate of primary productivity of coral reefs exceeds that of tropical rainforests. This is due to the mutually beneficial association between corals and

zooxanthellae (algae)

Compared to the water above the thermocline, the water below is

cooler

As you near the equator, kelp forests are gradually replaced by _______________ as the water warms.

coral reefs

Approximately what percent of the total photosynthesis in the biosphere occurs in the oceans?

50%

How much of the earth's surface is covered by water?

71%

Which of the following are examples of an environmental issue coral reefs are facing today?

corals losing their zooxanthellae algae over-harvesting of organisms dynamite and poisons used for fishing

Approximately 80% of the solar energy striking the ocean is absorbed within the first ______ meters.

10

Water temperatures above what point are usually lethal to reef-building corals? (Identify the lowest of lethal temperature points listed.)

29°C

Which of the following are true concerning oxygen levels in intertidal zones?

It does not generally limit the distribution of organisms. Most organisms get some exposure to oxygen at each low tide.

How does high tide level affects light intensity for intertidal organisms?

It is reduced because of higher water turbulence.

Which of the following statements accurately compares the tolerance of kelp beds and corals to changes in salinity?

Kelp beds are more tolerant.

Which of the following is not true concerning oxygen levels in the ocean?

Oxygen levels decrease from 1000 meters to the bottom of the ocean.

Which of the following is not true concerning tides?

The sun has a greater gravitational pull on the water.

Why are the proportions of the major ions in the oceans relatively constant around the earth?

There is continuous and vigorous mixing of the world's oceans.

Which of the following is an example of how oceanic currents influence living things?

They transport nutrients. They transport oxygen. They transport organisms to other areas.

Intertidal organisms are adapted to live partly marine and partly terrestrial lives. This is described as a(n) __________ existence.

amphibious

Turnover time for rivers is

approximately 1.5 weeks to 3 weeks

The proportions of ions such as sodium, magnesium, and chloride ions

are relatively constant across the world ocean

Reef-building corals

are restricted to warm waters

What major ocean basin borders the western side of Africa?

atlantic ocean

formed a submerged oceanic island and ring a lagoon

atoll

Which of the following would be examples of organisms that might be attached or cling to rock surfaces on a rocky shore?

barnacles mussels seaweeds sea stars

located some distance off the shore of a continent or island

barrier reef

Habitats on the bottom of the ocean are called

benthic

Coral reefs are located

between 30° N and S latitude

Where is the neritic zone?

between low tide mark and edge of continental shelf

The wavelengths of light that are absorbed more slowly than others, producing the characteristic color of oceans, are

blue

In soft-bottomed intertidal areas, organisms often _________ to shelter themselves within the sand or mud bottom.

burrow

The salinity in the intertidal zones located in the tropics

can be greatly reduced during the wet season