UGA) Sea Otters and Kelp / Newest
Comprehensive Study Guide – Expert
Strategies, Review of Key Quizzes, and
Practice Questions for Guaranteed Success
Giant Kelp Forests - Answer-Located on the west coast of the U.S., slowly
disappearing
-Vertically complex (giant kelp can grow 2 feet a day)
-High stability
-High resilience and resistance
-Biodiverse
-Upwelling of deep ocean currents keep water cold all yearn (very little variation in
temperature) and bring high levels of dissolved nutrients
-Water is high in dissolved O2 (good for fish respiration)
What is the relationship between temperature and dissolved oxygen? -
AnswerInverse
Thermoregulation - Answertemperature control
Importance: enzyme activity is highest at its optimal temperature (higher temperatures),
but too high temperatures cause denaturation
behavioral adaptations - Answerbehavioral strategies to maintain homeostasis
-Ex. basking, sheltering, shivering, migrating
physiological adaptations - Answerprocesses inside an animal's body that help it
survive in its environment
-Ex. vasodilation
Morphological Adaptations - Answerexternal characteristics of an animal's body that
help it survive in its environment
-Ex. blubber, thick fur, Small ears that limit the time blood vessels spend in appendages
Thermoregulators - AnswerKeeps internal environment constant
Advantages: can live in habitats with varying temperatures
Disadvantages: energy consuming
Ex. mammals/birds
Thermoconformers - AnswerLet internal environment match external environment
Advantages: doesn't take a lot of energy
,Disadvantages: need to live in consistent environments
Ex. reptiles
Endotherm - Answer-temperature can be controlled by altering metabolic rate
-All birds and mammals
-Typically larger animals
-Higher metabolic rates
-Small endotherms have HIGHER energy requirements than large endotherms because
of their high SA/V ratio
Ectotherm - Answer-body temperature is not controlled with metabolism
-All reptiles and amphibians
-Typically smaller than endotherms
-Lower metabolic rates
thermoneutral zone - Answertemperature range where the metabolic rate doesn't
need to rise to maintain body temp
metabolism at its lowest
Smaller organisms have a ______________ metabolic rate, but larger organisms have
______________ caloric requirements - Answerhigher, higher
Marine mammals have ____________ metabolic requirements than terrestrial
mammals because water causes heat loss faster than air - Answerhigher
Otters - Answer-Larger mammals (3-5 ft long, 50-100 lbs)
-Apex predator and keystone species of kelp forest
-No blubber, the densest fur in the world (morphological adaptation)
-Have high metabolic requirements
Urchin Barren - AnswerWithout otters, urchins increase and destroy ecosystem
(especially kelp) creating an urchin barren
Apex Predator - Answerpredator with no natural predators
Often keystone species
Ex. otters (maybe orcas now)
Preferred Otter Prey Items - Answer1.Cancer Crab
2.Red Abalone
3.Red Sea Urchin
4.Kelp Crab
Prey Switching - Answer-switching to the next best prey item when a preferred item
becomes too rare or energetically costly
-Disrupts normal predator prey cycles
, Ex. when cancer crabs become scarce, otters eat red abalone
Factors that Determine Otter Prey - AnswerTime
Abundance
Depth
Difficulty eating
Danger
ULTIMATELY net energy gain
Net energy Gain - Answerenergy gain-energy spent
Optimal Foraging Theory - Answerforaging strategy that maximizes net energy gain
-Ex. otters: As dive time increases, metabolic rate also increases so otter dives are 30-
90 secs to preserve energy
How are Metabolic Rates Measured? - Answergas exchange
cellular respiration - Answertransforms energy into organic molecules into ATP and
heat
C6H12O6 + O2 —> CO2 + H2O (and ATP)
Breaks bonds in reactants to transform their potential energy into chemical energy
First Law of Thermodynamics - Answerenergy can be transferred and transformed
but not created or destroyed
Second Law of Thermodynamics - Answerevery energy transfer increases the
entropy of the universe
Only some energy is assimilated, most is lost as heat or waste (60% transferred, 40%
dissipates as heat)
4 Types of Energy - AnswerChemical
Electrical
Solar
Thermal
Homeostasis - Answerdynamic equilibrium actively regulated to maintain a variable at
a constant level
Range not a point
Usually negative feedback
Estuary - Answerfreshwater and saltwater (brackish)
-Salinity fluctuates with tide
Osmoregulation - Answerprocess of maintaining salt and water balance (osmotic
balance) across membranes within the body