Ecosystems
What is the name of the ecosystem made mostly of coral that needs warm, shallow, salty water?
Coral Reef
What tiny, plant-like producers float in the ocean and use sunlight to make food?
phytoplankton
What is the name of the diagram that shows who eats whom and how energy moves through an ecosystem, with producers at the bottom?
Trophic pyramid
Name one action people can take to help reduce marine debris.
Beach clean up, recycling, using proper trash receptacles, etc.
Which ocean zone gets the most sunlight and supports the most photosynthesis?
The sunlight zone
What type of coastal ecosystem has tangled roots that look like trees standing on water and often grows where rivers meet the sea?
Mangrove Forests
Which marine mammal in the reader can hold its breath far longer than humans by slowing its heart rate while diving?
Bottlenose dolphin
In the trophic pyramid example, which animal is the apex predator at the top?
Great White Shark
Why are oyster reefs important for estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay?
They help prevent shoreline erosion.
What zone lies below the sunlight zone and is dimmer, with quickly falling temperatures?
The twilight zone
Name two abiotic factors from the reader that help decide which organisms can live in an ocean ecosystem.
water temperature, amount of salt in the water, sunlight
Name one deep-sea animal mentioned that uses bioluminescence.
Anglerfish, lanternfish, jellyfish, etc.
Why are there usually many producers and few apex predators in a trophic pyramid?
Answers will vary. ex. all energy begins with the sun, and given to the producers, who make up the large base.
What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and why are most of its dangerous pieces hard to remove?
Because they are so tiny- microplastics.
Which deep zone has no sunlight and includes hydrothermal vents where chemosynthesis occurs?
Which ecosystem is described as an underwater “forest” made of large leafy algae that grows best in cooler waters?
Kelp Forests
What is a detritivore? Give one example from the reader and say what it eats.
An organism that eats waste. ex. sea cucumber.
What is “marine snow” and why is it important to deep-sea organisms?
Pieces of organic (animal) waste that float down to lower parts of the ocean to be eaten by detritivores.
Describe one human activity that has harmed mangrove forests or estuary species and one conservation action used to help them recover.
Deforestation- causes the tigers to be endangered. Replanting of mangrove trees.
Name one adaptation animals use in the twilight or midnight zone to find food or avoid being eaten.
bioluminescent
Explain how gyres can cause trash to collect in certain parts of the ocean.
They are large swirling currents that collect trash into the center of the gyre.
Choose one organism from the reader (e.g., sea otter, kelp, coral, whale shark) and describe one adaptation that helps it survive in its ecosystem.
Answers will vary.
Describe one way microplastics can harm a food web starting with phytoplankton.
Clouds of microplastics can block sunlight and gets in the way of phytoplankton preforming photosynthesis.
Explain how protecting predators like sea otters helps keep kelp forests healthy.
Sea otters eat sea urchins and prevent them from creating urchin barrens.
Compare energy sources in the sunlight zone versus the abyssal/hadal zones.
Photosynthesis vs. chemosynthesis