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Final Exam Review Sheet (4/30/02 - will be updated during the next week)

ESTUARIES

What are they? A.) Semi-enclosed coastal embayments that are diluted by freshwater discharge;
Origin: Drowned river valleys , Fjords , Geologically active coasts, Barrier coasts
Circulation and mixing: (1) Tidal range -- most important, (2) Winds and waves, (3) Bottom topography, (4) Coriolis deflection (large estuaries)
Types: 1. Salt-wedge, 2. Well-mixed (e.g., Chesapeake Bay), 3. Partially mixed (e.g., San Francisco Bay), 4. Fjord-type (all fjords, also the Black Sea)

MARINE ORGANISMS AND ENVIRONMENTS

Taxonomic classification
Diversity and distribution of species
Ecological classification of organisms
Marine environmental zones

PLANKTON

Phytoplankton
Zooplankton
Bacteria

NEKTONIC ORGANISMS

General characteristics

Invertebrates
Fish

Sharks, rays, etc.
Bony fish
Shallow-water
Deep-water

Cetaceans -- whales and porpoises
Other mammals
Reptiles

Migration

ADAPTATIONS TO LIFE IN SEAWATER

Structural support
Regulating body fluids
Flotation (buoyancy)
Success of planktonic "plants"

BENTHIC COMMUNITIES

Intertidal, rocky coasts
Mud and sand bottoms
Deep-sea
Hot-spring vents

CORAL REEFS

Coral Animal - small, colonial, secretes CaCO3 "cup"
Temp.: 23-25°C optimum
Salinity: High
Light Level: Photic Zone normally
Other Requirements: Clear Water (low sediment, nutrients)
Other: Symbiotic zooxanthellae!!!!

Types of Reefs: Fringing, Barrier, Atoll

Reef Development: related to tectonics and island formation, erosion

PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY

Processes: Photosynthesis, Chemosynthesis, Biosynthesis
Gross and Net Primary Production: Total vs. remainder after part used for growth, metabolism, etc.
Cycling of organic matter: Production = Consumption, Photic vs. Deeper zones
Controlling factors: Sunlight, seasonal heating, Nutrient cycling/mixing, grazing, "standing crop"
Seasonal variations at different latitudes: Polar vs. Tropical vs. Mid-latitudes
Global distribution: Coastal, Estuaries, Open Ocean, Upwelling zones (polar and equatorial, coastal)

FATE OF ORGANIC MATTER - HOW PP IS UTILIZED & CYCLED

MATTER AND ENERGY TRANSFER IN MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

Ecosystems
Producers, Consumers, Decomposers
Trophic levels
Food chains and food webs
Efficiency of energy flow
-- biomass limits and trophic pyramids

FOOD RESOURCES OF THE OCEANS & HUMAN EFFECTS

World fish catch
Distribution of fishing areas

Dynamics of fish populations and fishing
Over-exploited fisheries
Potential harvest of fish
Increasing fish production

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