Reference no: EM132251974

Module 1 - Georges Bank

1. Aquatic Community Structure
» List 6 distinct abiotic factors that strongly influence aquatic community structure.

2. Ocean Productivity
» Name three "types" of microscopic algae that are very important producers within open ocean ecosystems
(These organisms along with certain types of bacteria and archaea are called "phytoplankton".)
» Which has higher rates of primary production - coastal regions or open ocean regions? Explain why this is true

» On average, how deep is the euphotic zone in open ocean ecosystems?200m(5 pts)

3. Dead Zones
» Describe the series of events involved in"dead zone" formation in aquatic habitats.[Note: I've put in the last event in the series. You need to put in the series of events (3) that proceed that last event.]
» In addition to nutrient delivery, what are 3 abioticfactorsthat influence the size and duration of dead zones?

4. (M3 RA#1 and Module content)
» Describe Georges Bankby giving size, depth, location, mode(s) of resource delivery, and a rating of its primary productivity (extremely high? extremely low?)

5. (M3 RA#1)
» List 5indirectdetrimental effects of bottom trawling. [Indirect would be those that didn't remove or kill organisms "directly"]

» Which is a better bottom habitat for the organisms living on Georges Bank - a homogeneous bottom or a heterogeneous bottom?

6. (M3 RA#1)
» In 1996 the Sustainable Fisheries Act added 4 important provisions to the Magnuson Act (renamed the Stevenson-Magnuson Fisheries Conservation and Management Act).

» Briefly explain why the original Magnuson Act (1976) did NOT lead to the rebuilding of the depleted fish stocks of Georges Bank.

7.(M3 RA#2),
» In "Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services"what was the major conclusion of the study?

» In this article, the authors listed 4 means by which marine biodiversity could be (should be) restored. What were their 4 suggestions?

8. (Sec 4.5.2)
It is believed that humans have altered some "heritable" characteristics of certain fish populations inadvertently through our predationpressure on those populations.
» What types of changes have occurred (list 2 or 3)

what is the name given for this effect?

9.(Sec 4.5.1)
» For each of the scenarios listed below specify:
1) whetheran abiotic or biotic factor is changing (Answer "abiotic" or "biotic");
2) whetherthe scenario describes an impact of aresistance or a potential for populationgrowthof fish species A(Answer "resistance" or "potential");
3) whether the scenario describes a density dependent effect or a density independent effect.(Answer "dependent" or "independent")

Factor Involved Impact Type of effect
Scenario X: Overharvesting of adult fish (species A) by man.
Scenario Y: Abundant growth of prey species (that species A feeds on)
Scenario Z: Significant change in water temperature beyond tolerances of species A.

10. Fishing Yields: (Sec 4.5.3)
» Yields(the amount of fish harvested every year, also referred to as the "catch")

can be affected by

Module 2 - Coral Reefs

11. Abiotic Conditions
» Describe the abiotic factors (by filling in the following blanks) that are required by most healthy reef building corals.
• Temperature of water? (give a range)
• Depth of water?
• Salinity of water? (give a range)
• Clarity of water? (high or low)
• Nutrient content of water? (high or low)
• Current strength? (high, moderate, or low)

12. Critical Biotic / Biotic Interaction
» Explain the symbiotic relationship that most reef building corals require by answering the following questions:

• What type of organism lives with the coral?(1pt)
• Is it an endosymbiont (one that lives within tissues of the other organism)?
• What type of biotic - biotic relationship is this?(commensalism?, parasitism?, etc)(1pt)
• What (all) does the coral receive from the relationship?
• What (all) does the other organism receive from the relationship?
• What happens when the relationship is lost? (You should answer this questionwith more than one word. Really explain. Is the coral healthier? Does it grow better? Reproduce better? Is it at risk? You also may say what the condition is called when this happens) (3pts)

13. (M4 RA#1) Coral Bleaching.
» Answer all the following:
o Is coral bleaching a disease or a stress response?Stress response
o Are corals always white if they have experienced bleaching? Why or why not?
What is the primary cause of mass (wide-spread) coral bleaching?

o Corals in the shade often experience less bleaching than those exposed to bright sunlight. _______Briefly, explain why. ________ (Hint: It isn't a temperature difference)

14. Primary Productivity
» The high rate of primary productivity of healthy coral reef ecosystems is due to
A. high nutrient content of the water.
B. the large number of fish that find refuge in the reef structure.
C. the large amount of filamentous algae found growing on the corals.
D. tight cycling of nutrients that occur between the dinoflagellate producers and their coral hosts.

15. Ecosystem Goods and Services
» List 4 ecosystem goods or servicesprovided by coral reef ecosystems.

16. Land to Sea Continuum
» Explain the ways in which mangrove forests and seagrass beds biologically and physically support coral reefs.
&
» Describe how nearby coral reefs support mangrove communities and seagrass bed communities.

17. Ecosystem ecologists may identify "top down effects" or"bottom up effects" as being responsible for changes in community structure and/or function.

Part I.
» Considering the coral reef ecosystem, give an example of a bottom up effect and an example of a top down effect and explain in each case how the ecosystem is affected.

Part II.
» Under some conditions, sea urchins can be "potentials" for corals populations, and under other conditions (different species +/or different population sizes), sea urchins can be "resistances" to coral populations. Explain.

18. (M4 RA#1 & Module content)
» Describe where coral reefs are found (not specific locations but give the generalities about their worldwide distribution).

» With continued global climate change, is a significant range shift in coral reef distribution to more temperate areas expected? Why or why not?

19. Forms of Coral Reefs

» List the 3 "types" of coral reefs [NOT corals].

» Zonation of coral reefs (certain species being found in specific areas of a single reef system) is caused by changes in abioticfactors that occur "across" the reef.
(Choose either abiotic or biotic)

20. (M4 RA#1 and Module Content) Change in ocean water temperature is a significant threat to coral reefs worldwide.
» List 5 other threats(current or future) to coral reef communities.