Marine 1
Define and give an example of a decomposer
Decomposers, like fungi and bacteria, complete the food chain. Decomposers turn organic wastes, such as decaying plants, into inorganic materials, such as nutrient-rich soil. They complete the cycle of life, returning nutrients to the soil or oceans for use by autotrophs.
What is zoology?
Zoology is the study of all animals of all shapes and sizes, from tiny insects to large mammals.
Define an intermediate predator and provide an example
Intermediate predator is the key species in regulating the feeding mechanism between the prey and the top predator.
What instrument can we use to examine micro-organisms?
A microscope
What is my favorite kind of shark?
Nurse shark
What do zoologists do?
Zoologists investigate what animals eat and how they live, and how animals interact with their habitats.
Define primary consumers and provide an example
Primary consumers are animals that eat plants. They can be herbivores (which are animals that only eat plants) or omnivores (which are animals that eat plants and animals).
Define organism and provide an example
An organism is any living thing, from the smallest bacteria to the humongous blue whale. The same kind of organisms are called a species, and believe it or not, scientists estimate there are about 8.7 million different species on Earth, with about 75% of them on land and 25% in the ocean.
Define producer and provide an example
A producer is an organism that creates its own food or energy.
Have I ever swam with a shark?
Yes, but I did not know he was there at the time!
Define a secondary consumer and provide an example
We define secondary consumers as organisms, primarily animals, which eat primary consumers. Furthermore, secondary consumers can be classified into one of two groups: carnivores, or meat eaters, and omnivores, which are plant and meat eaters
Where did we go for our first field trip? What did we experience? Provide the definition of this place and explain why it is important.
A tide pool is a small amount of water left in low places on the shore even at low tide. Each tide pool has a whole community of different plants and animals living there. There are tide pools all around the world, wherever there's a rocky seashore.
Define an autotroph and provide an example
An autotroph is an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals. Because autotrophs produce their own food, they are sometimes called producers.
Name AT LEAST 6 organisms that we saw at the tidal pool!
Examples will vary
What is my favorite tropical island?
St. John, USVI
What is a trophic pyramid? Define.
It is simply an energy period. An energy pyramid, also known as a trophic or ecological pyramid, is a graphical representation of the energy found within the trophic levels of an ecosystem. The bottom and largest level of the pyramid is the producers and contains the largest amount of energy.
Define food web and give an example
A food web consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem. Each living thing in an ecosystem is part of multiple food chains. Each food chain is one possible path that energy and nutrients may take as they move through the ecosystem.
Are tidal pools a permanent place for animals to live?
No! They are a temporary place for animals to reside. Sometimes they stop there for a few hours or a few days.
YES! Because autotrophs produce their own food, they are sometimes called producers.
What is my favorite candy bar?
Twix!
Who are we reading about in class? Provide me with three interesting facts about this person.
Eugenie Clark
examples will vary
Can an animal be both a herbivore and a carnivore?
YES! They are called omnivores. Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and meat.
Explain what global warming is and why it is so harmful to our environment.
The top few meters of the ocean store as much heat as Earth's entire atmosphere. So, as the planet warms, it's the ocean that gets most of the extra energy. More than 90% of the global warming is going into the ocean. But if the ocean gets too warm, then the plants and animals that live there can get sick or even die.
Draw the marine life food pyramid with correct labels
Answer should look like this pyramid:
Spell my son and daughter's names?