CHAPTER 12

Dead and decaying organic matter, including waste products, is called _________.

detritus

The deep scattering layer (DSL) is found close to the surface at noon every day.

False

The increasing pressure with depth in the oceans has a significant impact on most marine organisms.

False

Multicellular organisms that are comprised of eukaryotic, heterotrophic cells with cell walls would most likely belong to the kingdom:

Fungi.

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

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

Which of the following shows the correct order of benthic environments, going from shallow water to deep ocean depths?

Littoral, sublittoral, bathyal, abyssal, and hadal

Based on a working definition of life, which of the following is NOT a characteristic of living organisms?

Living organisms must be large enough to be seen with the naked eye.

Which of the following kingdoms of organisms lack nuclei?

Monera

Of the following groupings, which one is the most inclusive (contains the greatest number of species)?

Phylum

Which type of marine organism comprises the greatest percentage of marine biomass?

Plankton

Only 14% of Earth's species live in the ocean. Which is the most logical explanation of why there are so few marine species?

The relatively uniform conditions of the open ocean create an easier life for marine organisms than terrestrial organisms.

Osmosis is a process that describes the movement of water molecules from the less concentrated solution into the more concentrated solution.

True

Coastal waters that are highly productive tend to be:

green in color.

What is the total number of marine species that have been catalogued?

250,000

What percentage of marine species live in or on the ocean floor?

98%

Which of the following statements concerning bacteria is not true?

Bacteria reproduce asexually only.

Countershading is a term used to describe an organism that is dark-colored on bottom and light-colored on top, thus able to avoid being seen by predators.

False

Diffusion is a process that involves passing particles or molecules from areas of low particle concentration to areas of high particle concentration.

False

A small size is advantageous for marine organisms because it:

all of these statements are advantageous to marine organisms.

When compared to their warmer water counterparts, cold water plankton often:

are larger in size.

Because of seawater's high salinity, most marine fish have the following adaptations EXCEPT for ________.

being hypertonic

Most marine species are found in a(n):

benthic environment.

Euryhaline organisms:

can survive wide salinity fluctuations.

Osmotic pressure increases as the:

difference in salinity increases.

The photic zone is confined to the:

epipelagic zone.

The oxygen minimum layer (OML) ___________.

is a zone of low dissolved oxygen concentration

All of the following adult-stage organisms are considered benthos EXCEPT _________.

jellyfish

All of the following adult-stage organisms are considered nektonic organisms EXCEPT _________.

jellyfish

Which of the following statements shows the correct hierarchical ordering of taxonomic levels in terms of increasing specificity?

kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

Organisms that are plankton in their juvenile stage but become nekton or benthos in their adult stage are called ___________.

meroplankton

Planktonic organisms that spend part of their life in planktonic form, and the rest of their life as either benthos or nekton are called:

meroplankton.

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 gas 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 is:

osmosis.

These planktonic organisms often have needle-like structures that:

prevent sinking.

An example of an organism that might be part of the epifauna is a(n):

sea star.

Organisms that can tolerate only a narrow range of salinity conditions are said to be ___________.

stenohaline

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

stenothermal.

A common body shape that streamlines an organism in the marine environment is a flattened body that:

tapers at the posterior end.