Oceanography Week 10
1. What are the two types of marine plants?: Seaweed and seagrass.
2. Why does the color of marine plants change with depth?: Color is the light not absorbed.
At the surface the full spectrum of light is received but does not absorb green. At moderate depths less red and yellow
is received, more eflcient at trapping short wavelengths, which turns the color of marine plants brown. Deep water
receives only blue and green light turing marine plants red.
3. Why are mangroves so important in the coastal zone?: Provides shelter for lots of life and
protects the coast by trapping sediment.
4. Name and describe the four types of benthic life styles.: Epifauna = attached to bottom
Infauna = buried in bottom
Sessile = attached for part of life (coral)
Motile = move around, scavengers
5. Why is "making a living" in the deep ocean so challenging?: In the deep ocean there
is no plants, no local food and no productivity (only food washes in or settles from above). Organisms have to wait for
food to come to them.
6. What are the benefits and liabilities of doing life in the intertidal zone?: Benefits
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, - lots of productivity, less predation, warm water
Liabilities - wave and current exposure, land predators, desiccation, and high temperature and salinity
7. Why are there so many "ecological zones" in the intertidal/ littoral zone?: Zona-
tion in the intertidal zone has many layers based on the organism's ability to cope with the changing physical and
chemical conditions.
8. Where do we find coral - what three things do they require?: Corrals are found in
warm water particularly in shallow, clear waters in the photic zone (21 degrees or warmer) between 26 degrees N and
S latitudes. The three types are fringing reefs (close to shore), barrier reefs (further offshore), and atolls (ring - shaped
- no land)
9. What are polyps and zooxanthellae - what is their deal?: The individual organism that
rest in the cups in coral are called polyps. The received mutrentin through a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae,
single celled brown dinoflagellate (algae). The polys get 02 and help with waste removal while the algae gets nutrients
and a safe place to live.
10. Contrast Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta algae.: Chlorophyta = green
algae, photic zone, unmaked chlorophyll
Phaeophyta = algae that have the chlorophyll masked by brown pigments, are mostly marine, diverse in form, often of
2/3
1. What are the two types of marine plants?: Seaweed and seagrass.
2. Why does the color of marine plants change with depth?: Color is the light not absorbed.
At the surface the full spectrum of light is received but does not absorb green. At moderate depths less red and yellow
is received, more eflcient at trapping short wavelengths, which turns the color of marine plants brown. Deep water
receives only blue and green light turing marine plants red.
3. Why are mangroves so important in the coastal zone?: Provides shelter for lots of life and
protects the coast by trapping sediment.
4. Name and describe the four types of benthic life styles.: Epifauna = attached to bottom
Infauna = buried in bottom
Sessile = attached for part of life (coral)
Motile = move around, scavengers
5. Why is "making a living" in the deep ocean so challenging?: In the deep ocean there
is no plants, no local food and no productivity (only food washes in or settles from above). Organisms have to wait for
food to come to them.
6. What are the benefits and liabilities of doing life in the intertidal zone?: Benefits
1/3
, - lots of productivity, less predation, warm water
Liabilities - wave and current exposure, land predators, desiccation, and high temperature and salinity
7. Why are there so many "ecological zones" in the intertidal/ littoral zone?: Zona-
tion in the intertidal zone has many layers based on the organism's ability to cope with the changing physical and
chemical conditions.
8. Where do we find coral - what three things do they require?: Corrals are found in
warm water particularly in shallow, clear waters in the photic zone (21 degrees or warmer) between 26 degrees N and
S latitudes. The three types are fringing reefs (close to shore), barrier reefs (further offshore), and atolls (ring - shaped
- no land)
9. What are polyps and zooxanthellae - what is their deal?: The individual organism that
rest in the cups in coral are called polyps. The received mutrentin through a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae,
single celled brown dinoflagellate (algae). The polys get 02 and help with waste removal while the algae gets nutrients
and a safe place to live.
10. Contrast Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta algae.: Chlorophyta = green
algae, photic zone, unmaked chlorophyll
Phaeophyta = algae that have the chlorophyll masked by brown pigments, are mostly marine, diverse in form, often of
2/3
