Marine Ecology & Communities
This factor describe non-living interaction between an organisms and their environment
What is an abiotic factor
This event released 134 million gallons of oil, and caused widespread, long-term devastation to Gulf of Mexico marine life
What is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
A nickname given to the location where the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean converge
What is "The Graveyard of the Pacific"
These underwater or in-situ places act as temporary, high-growth "greenhouses"
What are coral nurseries
This zone is known as the "photic zone" because it receives enough sunlight to support photosynthesis
What is the Epipelagic Zone
Barnacles living on the skin of a whale without affecting the whale is this type of symbiotic relationship.
What is commensalism
The part of a reef that drops off into deep water, sometimes forming a "wall" of coral.
What is the fore reef
Estuaries have unique physical properties because they are areas where these types of water mix, creating a salinity gradient
A slimy communities of bacteria, algae, and fungi. They are "keystone" because they settle first and prepare the substrate for secondary colonizers like corals and sponges
What is biofilm
This is a camouflage adaptation where an organism is darker on top to blend with the depths and lighter on the bottom to blend with the sunlit surface when viewed from below
What is countershading
One species benefits while the other species is harmed is an example of what type of symbiotic relationship?
What is parasitism
These reefs are found closer to shore and usually occur in shallow water
What are fringing reefs
A structural pattern where different species occupy specific bands—upper, middle, and lower zones—based on their ability to withstand environmental stressors like drying out or intense wave action
What is vertical zonation
This is an example of "old/used" materials commonly repurposed to create artificial reef structures?
What are old cement from bridges or decommissioned ships/boats
This stage of a whale fall is where worms and invertebrates feed off of the lipids in bones for many years
What is stage 2
The maximum number of organisms a specific habitat can sustainably support
What is carrying capacity
This symbiotic algae lives within coral polyps and provides sugars/food for the coral.
What is zooxanthellae
So called reference to wetlands, as they filter out toxins and pollutants from liquids in order to maintain healthy ecosystems/bodies.
What are "kidneys of the planet"
A phase shift where iron from a shipwreck causes algae to smother a coral reef due to iron leaching from the wreck
What is a "black reef"
Both hydrothermal vents and cold seep communities rely on this process, where bacteria transform inorganic chemicals into energy, supporting a unique food web.
What is chemosynthesis
The functional role the organism plays, including the resources it uses and its interactions with other species
What is an ecological niche
Is the asexual reproduction technique of cutting healthy coral colonies into smaller pieces (fragments or "frags") to grow new, independent colonies.
What is coral propagation
This type of community will eventually form when the community is undisturbed for a long period of time
A fixed, strategically selected location used for long-term, high-frequency, and multi-disciplinary data collection to detect environmental, biological, or ecological changes early
What is a sentinel site
In the mesopelagic zone, many animals migrate to the epipelagic at night to feed. This is known as
diel vertical migration