Classification of Marine Organisms
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Questions and Answers

How are marine organisms classified?

Where they live and how they move

What are the three types of marine organisms?

  • Benthos (correct)
  • Nekton (correct)
  • Plankton (correct)
  • Zooplankton

    • Define Plankton (drifters).

    All organisms (algae, animals, bacteria) that drift with the ocean currents, swim weakly, and cannot determine their horizontal position within the ocean.

    What type of organism makes up most of Earth's biomass?

    <p>Plankton</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percent of marine species are bottom dwelling?

    <p>98%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Phytoplankton.

    <p>Autotrophs; undergo photosynthesis and can range in size from microscopic algae to larger species of drifting kelp.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Zooplankton.

    <p>Heterotrophs; includes drifting marine animals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Bacterioplankton.

    <p>Free-living bacteria; more abundant and widely distributed than previously thought. Incredibly small (0.00002).</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Picoplankton.

    <p>The incredibly small bacterioplankton.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Virioplankton.

    <p>Smaller than bacterioplankton; little known; not well understood. Composed of bacteriophages and algal viruses.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are three ways plankton can be classified?

    <p>Their feeding styles</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Holoplankton.

    <p>Organisms that spend their entire lives as plankton.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Meroplankton.

    <p>Organisms that spend their adult lives as nekton or benthos but spend their juvenile and/or larval stages as plankton. Example: squid.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Macroplankton.

    <p>Large floating animals and algae such as jellies and Sargassum.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Nekton.

    <p>All animals capable of moving independently of the ocean current by swimming or other means of propulsion.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What limits the movement of Nekton?

    <p>Changes in temperature, salinity, water pressure, viscosity, and availability of nutrients.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Benthos.

    <p>Organisms living on or in the ocean bottom.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the three types of benthos?

    <p>Infauna</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define epifauna.

    <p>Live on the surface of the sea floor, either attached to rocks or moving along the bottom.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define infauna.

    <p>Live buried in the sand, in discarded shells, or within the mud that exists on the sea bottom.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define nektonbenthos.

    <p>Live on the bottom yet also have the ability to crawl or swim through the water above the ocean floor.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to benthos when moving across the bottom from the shore into deeper water?

    <p>The number of benthos remains constant but the biomass decreases.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do organisms of the deep ocean feed on?

    <p>Each other and nutrients that fall from the surface.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When were deep-sea vent bio-communities discovered, and where?

    <p>Late 1970s, in the Galapagos rift.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the basis of the deep sea food web?

    <p>Archaebacteria.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Classification of Marine Organisms

    • Marine organisms are classified based on their habitat and mode of movement.
    • Main categories: Plankton (drifters), Nekton (swimmers), Benthos (bottom dwellers).

    Types of Marine Organisms

    • Plankton: Comprising algae, animals, and bacteria that drift and have limited swimming ability.
    • Nekton: Organisms capable of independent movement through swimming or propulsion.
    • Benthos: Organisms that live on or in the ocean floor.

    Plankton Definitions

    • Plankton: Account for most of Earth's biomass.
    • Phytoplankton: Autotrophic, perform photosynthesis, varying in size from microscopic algae to larger drifting kelp.
    • Zooplankton: Heterotrophic, includes drifting marine animals.
    • Bacterioplankton: Free-living bacteria, more abundant than previously thought, extremely small.
    • Picoplankton: Even smaller than Bacterioplankton.
    • Virioplankton: Comprises bacteriophages and algal viruses, not well understood.

    Plankton Classification

    • Plankton can be classified by feeding style, lifecycle stages spent as plankton, and size.
    • Holoplankton: Spend their entire life as plankton.
    • Meroplankton: Spend juvenile or larval stages as plankton and adult stages as nekton or benthos, e.g. squid.
    • Macroplankton: Large floating forms like jellyfish and Sargassum.

    Nekton Characteristics

    • Nekton can move independently of currents and undertake long migrations.
    • Includes adult fish, marine mammals, reptiles, and certain invertebrates.
    • Their movement can be limited by temperature, salinity, water pressure, viscosity, and nutrient availability.

    Benthos Definitions

    • Benthos: Organisms residing on or in the ocean bottom.
    • Types of benthos include:
      • Epifauna: Live on the seafloor surface, either attached or moving along it.
      • Infauna: Burrow in sand, shells, or mud on the seafloor.
      • Nektonbenthos: Live on the bottom but can also swim or crawl above the ocean floor.

    Benthos Population Dynamics

    • As benthos move from shallow areas to deeper waters, their numbers remain constant, but biomass decreases due to resource limitations in deeper habitats.

    Deep Ocean Ecosystems

    • Deep ocean organisms primarily feed on each other and nutrients sinking from the surface.
    • Deep-sea vent bio-communities discovered in the late 1970s in the Galapagos Rift.
    • Archaebacteria are foundational to the deep-sea food web.

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    Description

    Explore the fascinating world of marine organisms through this quiz. Learn about the different categories such as plankton, nekton, and benthos, and understand their unique characteristics. Test your knowledge on how these organisms contribute to the marine ecosystem.

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