Marine Biology
The relationships between organisms and the ocean
What are the 3 species concepts we discussed?
1. Morphological species concept
2. Biological species concept
3. Phylogenetic species concept
How do we classify organisms?
Taxonomy- the grouping organisms based on their shared characteristics
Who can be a citizen scientist?
Anyone!
What is evolution?
A change in allele frequency in a population over time.
Biota is the combined ____ and ____ in an ecosystem
Flora & Fauna
What makes giraffes important to their environment? (name at least 2 reasons)
●Seed dispersers for numerous plants (ex. acacia trees)
●The “first alarm” against predators
●Fundamental to community-based tourism
●Iconic symbol of the remaining megafauna on Earth
●Important symbol in numerous African cultures
●The national animal of Tanzania and appears on many nations’ currencies
What are the 3 big kingdoms that we discussed?
1. Plantae
2. Animalia
3. Fungi
What is citizen science?
Citizen Science refers to the general public engagement in scientific research activities when citizens actively contribute to science either with their intellectual effort or surrounding knowledge or with their tools and resources.
•Key Features:
•Involves non-professional scientists
•Volunteers collect and analyze data
•Projects span various scientific fields
Do individuals or populations evolve?
Populations
How much of Earth's surface does the ocean cover?
About 70%
What is the morphological species concept?
Two populations that have distinguishable phenotypic characteristics (e.g., physical appearance, internal anatomy) are classified as different species by this concept.
What does biology mean?
The study of life
Name 3 things that makes citizen science important.
•Enhances Scientific Research:
•Provides large datasets
•Increases geographical coverage
•Uses experiential knowledge and skills of citizens and particular groups
•Public Engagement:
•Raises awareness about scientific issues
•Educates and empowers communities
•Resource Efficiency:
Cost-effective way to gather data across a large area or even multiple areas
What is adptation?
A heritable trait that helps an organism survive in its present environment.
Example: shivering response to cold
Copepods are a consumer in the marine ecosystem food web. What type of consumer are copepods?
Zooplankton
What is one limitation of the Morphological species concept?
●Oldest species concept → sorting species by appearance is a very coarse-grained way of differentiating groups
●Does not take modern genetics into account (e.g., how genes and other microevolutionary differences affect what individuals look like)
It is much more accurate to use ecological and molecular evidence to determine whether individuals are the same specie
What are the main 4 types of feeding mechanisms that animals use?
1. herbivore
2. carnivore
3. omnivore
4. detritivore
Benefit:
•Access to extensive data•Diverse perspectives and insights•For Citizens:•Hands-on learning experiences•Sense of contribution to meaningful research•For Society:•Informed and engaged public•Better decision-making based on comprehensive dataChallenge:
Data quality, engagement and retention, and ethical considerations
What is acclimation?
Something an organism does to respond to current environmental conditions.
Example: putting on a coat when it is cold.
What are the protected ocean areas called?
MPA's or marine protected areas
What is the biological species concept?
Defines a species as members of populations that actually or potentially interbreed (mate with each other) in nature and produce offspring that are fertile (can also reproduce).
What are the 7 characteristics that make animals an animal?
1. Feeding
2. Respiration
3. Circulation
4. Excretion
5. Response
6. Movement
7. Reproduction
Name an example project that can be done using citizen science.
•Environmental Monitoring: Tracking pollution levels, observing wildlife populations
•Astronomy: Identifying celestial objects, monitoring space weather
•Health Research: Collecting health data, participating in medical studies
What are the four mechanisms of evolution?
1. Mutation
2. Migration
3. Genetic drift
4. Natural selection