Oceanography Ch 13-16 & 18

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Abyssal Zone

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The ocean between about 4,000 and 5,000 meters (13,000 and 16,500 feet) deep.

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Aphotic Zone

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The dark ocean below the depth to which light can penetrate.

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Autotroph

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An organism that makes its own food by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

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Bathyal Zone

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The ocean between about 200 and 4,000 meters (700 and 13,000 feet) deep.

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Benthic (Zone)

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The zone of the ocean bottom.

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Biogeochemical Cycle

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Natural processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms from the nonliving environment to living organisms and then back to the nonliving environment.

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Biomass

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The mass of living material in a given area or volume of habitat.

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Chemosynthesis

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The synthesis of organic compounds from inorganic compounds using energy stored in inorganic substances such as sulfur, ammonia, and hydrogen. Energy is released when these substances are oxidized by certain organisms.

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Chlorophyll

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A pigment responsible for trapping sunlight and transferring its energy to electrons, thus initiating photosynthesis.

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Ectothermic

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An organism incapable of generating and maintaining steady internal temperature from metabolic heat and therefore whose internal body temperature is approximately the same as that of the surrounding environment; a cold-blooded organism.

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Endothermic

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An organism capable of generating and regulating metabolic heat to maintain a steady internal temperature. Birds and mammals are the only animals capable of this. A warm-blooded organism.

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Euphotic Zone

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The upper layer of the photic zone in which net photosynthetic gain occurs.

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Food Web

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A group of organisms associated by a complex set of feeding relationships in which the flow of food energy can be followed from primary producers through consumers. Also, tuck you.

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Hadal Zone

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The deepest zone of the ocean, below a depth of 5,000 meters (16,500 feet).

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Heterotroph

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An organism that derives nourishment from other organisms because it is unable to synthesize its own food molecules.

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Limiting Factor

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A physical or biological environmental factor whose absence or presence in an inappropriate amount limits the normal actions of an organism.

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Littoral Zone (Intertidal Zone)

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The band of coast alternately covered and uncovered by tidal action.

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Neritic Zone

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The zone of open water near shore, over the continental shelf.

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Nutrient

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Any needed substance that an organism obtains from its environment except oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water.

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Oceanic Zone

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The zone of open water away from shore, past the continental shelf.

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Pelagic Zone

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The realm of open water.

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Photic Zone

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The thin film of lighted water at the top of the world ocean. It rarely extends deeper than 200 meters (660 feet).

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Photosynthesis

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The process by which autotrophs bind light energy into the chemical bonds of food with the aid of chlorophyll and other substances. The process uses carbon dioxide and water as raw materials and yields glucose and oxygen.

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Primary Consumer

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Initial consumer of primary producers. The consumers of autotrophs; the second level in food webs.

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Primary Producer

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An organism capable of using energy from light or energy-rich chemicals in the environment to produce energy-rich organic compounds; an autotroph.

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Primary Productivity

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The synthesis of organic materials from inorganic substances by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis; expressed in grams of carbon bound into carbohydrate per unit area per unit time

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Sublittoral Zone (Subtidal Zone)

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The ocean floor near shore. The inner _____ extends from the littoral (intertidal) zone to the depth at which wind waves have no influence; the outer ______ extends to the edge of the continental shelf.

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Top Consumer

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An organism at the apex of a trophic pyramid, usually a carnivore.

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Trophic Pyramid

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A model of feeding relationships among organisms. Primary producers form the base of the pyramid; consumers eating one another form the higher levels, with the top consumer at the apex.

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Accessory Pigment

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One of a class of pigments (such as fucoxanthin, phycobilin, and xanthophyll) that are present in various photo synthetic plants and that assist in the absorption of light and the transfer of its energy to chlorophyll.

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Algae

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Collective term for nonvascular plants possessing chlorophyll and capable of photosynthesis.

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Angiosperm

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A flowering vascular plant that reproduces by means of a seed-bearing fruit. Examples are sea grasses and mangroves.

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Bioluminescence

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Biologically produced light.

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Blade

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Algal equivalent of a vascular plant’s leaf

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Coccolithophore

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A very small planktonic alga carrying discs of calcium carbonate, which contributes to biogenous sediments.

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Compensation Depth

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The depth in the water column at which the production of carbohydrates and oxygen by photosynthesis exactly equals the consumption of carbohydrates and oxygen by respiration. The break-even point for autotrophs. Generally a function of light level.

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Copepod

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A small planktonic arthropod, a major marine primary consumer.

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Cyanobacterium

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Any of various photosynthetic bacteria of the phylum Cyanobacteria that are generally blue-green in color and are widespread in marine and freshwater environments; also called blue green algae

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Diatom

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Earth’s most abundant, successful, and efficient singlecelled phytoplankton. They possess two interlocking valves made primarily of silica. The valves contribute to biogenous sediments.

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Dinoflagellate

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One of a class of microscopic single-celled flagellates, not all of which are autotrophic. The outer covering is often of stiff cellulose. They are responsible for “red tides.”

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Foraminiferan

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One of a group of planktonic amoeba-like animals with a calcareous shell, which contributes to biogenous sediments.

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Holdfast

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A complex branching structure that anchors many kinds of multicellular algae to the substrate.

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Holoplankton

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Permanent members of the plankton community. Examples are diatoms and copepods.

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Kelp

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Informal name for any species of large phaeophyte.

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Krill

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a thumb-size crustacean common in Antarctic waters.

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Mangrove

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A large flowering shrub or tree that grows in dense thickets or forests along muddy or silty tropical coasts.

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Meroplankton

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The planktonic phase of the life cycle of organisms that spend only part of their life drifting in the plankton.

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Microbial Loop

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A trophic (feeding) pathway in which heterotrophic bacteria manufacture and consume dissolved organic carbon.

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Multicellular Algae

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Algae with bodies consisting of more than one cell. Examples are kelp and Ulva.

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Nekton

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Drifting organisms.

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Phytoplankton

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Plantlike, usually single-celled members of the plankton community.

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Picoplankton

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Extremely small members of the plankton community, typically 0.2 to 2 micrometers (4 to 40 millionths of an inch) across.

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Plankton

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Drifting or weakly swimming organisms suspended in water. Their horizontal position is to a large extent dependent on the mass flow of water rather than on their own swimming efforts.

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Seagrass

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Any of several marine angiosperms. Examples are Zostera (eelgrass) and Phyllospadix (surfgrass). They are not seaweeds.

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Stipe

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Multicellular algal equivalent of a vascular plant’s stem.

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Unicellular Algae

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Algae with bodies consisting of a single cell. Examples are diatoms and dinoflagellates.

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Zooplankton

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Animal members of the plankton community.

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Baleen

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The interleaved, hard, fibrous, hornlike filters within the mouth of baleen whales.

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Bilateral Symmetry

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Body structure having left and right sides that are approximate mirror images of each other. Examples are crabs and humans.

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Cartilage

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A tough, elastic tissue that stiffens or supports.

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Chitin

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A complex nitrogen-rich carbohydrate from which parts of arthropod exoskeletons are constructed.

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Cnidoblast

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Type of cell found in members of the phylum Cnidaria that contains a stinging capsule. The threads that evert from the capsules assist in capturing prey and repelling aggressors.

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Countershading

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A camouflage pattern featuring a dark upper surface and a lighter bottom surface.

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Cryptic Coloration

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coloring that conceals or disguises an animal's shape. protective coloration - coloration making an organism less visible or attractive to predators.

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Echolocation

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The use of reflected sound to detect environmental objects. Cetaceans use this to detect prey and avoid obstacles.

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Exoskeleton

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A strong, lightweight, form-fitted external covering and support common to animals of the phylum Arthropoda. It is made partly of chitin and may be strengthened by calcium carbonate.

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Invertebrate

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Animal lacking a backbone.

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Lateral Line System

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A system of sensors and nerves in the head and midbody of fishes and some amphibians that functions to detect low-frequency vibrations in water.

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Medusa

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Free-swimming body form of many members of the phylum Cnidaria.

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Metamerism

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Segmentation; repeating body parts.

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Phylum

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One of the major groups of the animal kingdom whose members share a similar body plan, level of complexity, and evolutionary history

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Polyp

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One of two body forms of Cnidaria. They are cup-shaped and possess rings of tentacles. (e.g. Coral Animals)

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Radial Symmetry

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Body structure in which the body parts radiate from a central axis like spokes from a wheel. An example is a sea star

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Schooling

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Tendency of small fish of a single species, size, and age to mass in groups. They move as a unit, which confuses predators and reduces the effort spent searching for mates.

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Suspension Feeder

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An animal that feeds by straining or otherwise collecting plankton and tiny food particles

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Vertebrate

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A chordate with a segmented backbone.

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Zooxanthellae

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Unicellular dinoflagellates that are symbiotic with coral and that produce the relatively high pH and some of the enzymes essential for rapid calcium-carbonate deposition in coral reefs.

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Commensalism

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A symbiotic interaction between two species in which only one species benefits and neither is harmed.

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Deep Scattering Layer

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A relatively dense aggregation of fishes, squid, and other mesopelagic organisms capable of reflecting a sonar pulse that resembles a false bottom in the ocean. Its position varies with the time of day.

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Intertidal Zone

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The marine zone between the highest high-tide point on a shoreline and the lowest low-tide point.

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Mutualism

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A symbiotic interaction between two species that is beneficial to both.

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Niche

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Description of an organism’s functional role in a habitat; its “job.”

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Parasitism

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A symbiotic relationship in which one species spends part or all of its life cycle on or within another, using the host species (or food within the host) as a source of nutrients; the most common form of symbiosis.

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Symbiosis

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The co-occurrence of two species in which the life of one is closely interwoven with the life of the other; mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism.

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Biodegradable

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Able to be broken down by natural processes into simpler compounds.

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Biological Amplification

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Increase in the concentration of certain fat-soluble chemicals such as DDT or heavy-metal compounds in successively higher trophic levels within a food web.

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Chlorinated Hydrocarbon

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The most abundant and dangerous class of halogenated hydrocarbons, synthetic organic chemicals hazardous to the marine environment.

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Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)

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A class of halogenated hydrocarbons thought to be depleting Earth’s atmospheric ozone. They are used as cleaning agents, refrigerants, fire-extinguishing fluids, spray-can propellants, and insulating foams.

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Eutrophication

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A set of physical, chemical, and biological changes brought about when excessive nutrients are released into water.

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Greenhouse effect

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Trapping of heat in the atmosphere. Incoming short-wavelength solar radiation penetrates the atmosphere, but the outgoing longer-wavelength radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases and reradiated to Earth, causing a rise in surface temperature.

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Greenhouse Gasses

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Gases in Earth’s atmosphere that cause the greenhouse effect; include carbon dioxide, methane, and CFCs.

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Heavy Metals

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a metal of relatively high density, or of high relative atomic weight

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Hypoxia

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deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues.

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Introduced Species

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A species removed from its home range and established in a new and foreign location

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Marine Pollution

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The introduction by humans of substances or energy into the ocean that changes the quality of the water or affects the physical and biological environment.

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Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)

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Chlorinated hydrocarbons once widely used to cool and insulate electrical devices and to strengthen wood or concrete. They may be responsible for the changes in and declining fertility of some marine mammals.

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Sewage

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Semisolid mixture of organic matter, microorganisms, toxic metals, and synthetic organic chemicals removed from wastewater at a treatment plant.