Definitions
plant
what does plankton mean?
microscopic organisms that drift in the water
what does HAB's stand for?
harmful algal bloom
true or false: mercury is toxin that negatively impacts marine enivronments and the organisms that live there
true
how do phytoplankton help with climate change?
they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
What does zooplankton mean?
plankton consisting of small animals and the immature stages of larger animals
true or false: without plankton marine ecosystems would collpase
true
what environmental factors cause a bloom to occur?
warm water temp, excess sunlight, excess nutrients, calm waters
define bioaccumaltion
build up of a substance (such as mercury) in a body of a single organism over time
what does anthropogenic mean?
man made human caused sources
What does benthic mean?
bottom of the ocean/ocean floor
what are two main types of plankton
zooplankton and phytoplankton
the algae ceratium can be most commonly found where?
monterey bay, california
define biomagnification
an increase of the concentration of the toxin (mercury) as you move up the food chain
what can scientists assume is happening when they observe a HAB occurring?
nutrients imbalance in the water
open ocean
what are holoplankton. give an example
organisms that are plankton their whole lives. examples: jellyfish, copecods, krill
true or false: it is more common to see algal blooms happen in the open ocean verses along the shoreline
false
list the four big fish that are most commonly known to have the most mercury in their systems
sharks, swordfish, king mackeral, tile fish
what is the phylon for dinoflagellates
dinoflagellata
what does the greek word "plankos" translate to?
drifter
what are meroplankton. example?
organisms that are only plankton for beginning/larval
list all 6 ways HAB's impact food chains
direct toxicity, oxygen depletion (hypoxia), blocking sunlight, physical damage, food web disruption, habitat loss
describe the steps it takes for mercury to make its way into the water and to an apex predator like a shark
enter environment through soil, turning water toxic. (plankton) absorb toxin, small fish eat plankton, big fish eat plankton, big fish eat small, shark eat big fish
what are the two anthropogenic causes of mercury pollution?