What does Phyto mean
Plant
What does plankton mean?
Microscopic organisms that drift in the water
What does HAB stand for?
Harmful algal bloom
True or False: mercury is toxin that negatively impacts marine environments 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?
True or False: without plankton marine ecosystems would collapse
What environmental factors cause a bloom to occur?
Warm water temperatures, excess sunlight, excess nutrients, calm waters
an introduction and build up of a substance (such as mercury) in the body of a single organism over time
What does anthropogenic mean?
Man made/human caused sources
What does benthic mean?
What are the 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 occuring?
Nutrients imbalance in the water
What does pelagic mean?
open ocean
organisms that are plankton their whole lives.
examples: jellyfish, copepods, krill
False
List the four big fish that are most commonly known to have the most mercury in their systems.
What is the phylum for Dinoflagellates?
dinoflagellata
What does the greek word "planktos" translate to?
drifter
What are meroplankton? Give an example.
Organisms that are only plankton for the beginning/larval stages of their life.
Examples: crabs, sea urchins, fish
List all 6 ways HABs 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.
Enters the environment through the surrounding soil or atmosphere, turning the water toxic, small organisms (like plankton) absorb that toxin into their bodies, small fish eat the plankton, big fish eat the small fish, sharks eat the big fish
What are the two anthropogenic causes of mercury pollution?