Terminology §
- Sexual dimorphism
- Countershading
- Tropicalization
- Facilitation
- Competition
- Science
- Benthic
- Pelagic
- Climate change
- Ecosystem Engineer
- Osmoregulator vs Osmoconformer
- Mutualism
- Predation
- Grazing
- Carnivory
- Parasitism
- Competition
- Bioelectricity
- Echolocation
- Ecology
- Nematocyst
- Radula
- Scyphozoa
- Anthozoa
- Choanocytes
- Archeocytes
- Colloblasts
- Madreporite
- Exoskeleton
MORE Terminology §
- Sessile lifestyle
- benthic environment vs. pelagic
- radioles vs radula
- Substrate
Questions §
- Define science, ecology, driving agent, and response variable. What are the 5 different approaches in the scientific method? Provide a one-sentence definition of each approach. List a strength and weakness for each method?
- What is a trophic cascade? Describe the trophic cascade that regulates plants in southern U.S. salt marshes. How is drought thought to interact with this indirect species interaction?
- What are the main climate change drivers affecting marine foundation species, and how do these drivers interact with other anthropogenic stressors?
Invertebrates §
- What is a foundation species? Name 4 invertebrate taxa that can act as foundation species. What characteristics do these taxa have in common that allow them to rise to such prominence in marine systems?
- Foundation species: Species that create or modify habitats, benefiting other organisms and enhancing ecosystem stability.
- Examples of invertebrate foundation species:
- Corals (Cnidaria)
- Oysters (Bivalvia)
- Kelp-associated amphipods (Crustacea)
- Tube worms (Polychaeta)
- Common characteristics:
- Ability to modify the environment (reef-building, bioturbation)
- Support complex food webs
- Resilience to environmental stress
- Create habitats used by many other species.
- Compare feeding in sea stars and sea cucumbers. Describe 2 things they have in common and 2 that are different.
- Commonalities:
- Both belong to the phylum Echinodermata.
- Both use external parts for feeding (e.g., tube feet or tentacles).
- Differences:
- Sea stars: Carnivorous, evert stomach to digest prey externally.
- Sea cucumbers: Deposit or suspension feeders, use tentacles to collect particles.
- ⭐ How is it that we are more closely related to blob-like sea squirts than highly complex insects?
- Reason: Both sea squirts and humans are part of the phylum Chordata.
- Common chordate traits:
- Notochord (at least in embryonic stages).
- Dorsal nerve cord.
- Pharyngeal slits.
- Insects belong to the phylum Arthropoda, which is more distantly related.
Mollusca & Annelids: Clams, Octopus, Segmented Worms §
- What are the 4 major classes in the phylum Mollusca? Choose 3 of these classes and compare and contrast 3 adaptations each has evolved from a common body plan for either a life in the benthic or pelagic environment.
- Classes:
- Gastropoda (snails, slugs)
- Bivalvia (clams, mussels)
- Cephalopoda (octopuses, squids)
- Polyplacophora (chitons)
- Adaptations (Gastropoda):
- Shell for protection.
- Radula for scraping food.
- Adaptation to terrestrial environments.
- Adaptations (Bivalvia):
- Two-part shell for defence.
- Filter feeding with siphons.
- Sessile lifestyle in benthic environments.
- Adaptations (Cephalopoda):
- Tentacles for prey capture.
- Advanced nervous system.
- Jet propulsion for swimming.
- Adaptations in Polyplacophora (chitons) Adaptations for Benthic Life:
- Multiple shell plates: Flexible, allows chitons to conform to uneven surfaces like rocks.
- Strong foot for adhesion: Helps resist wave action and predators in intertidal zones.
- Radula with magnetite-enriched teeth: Scrapes algae off hard surfaces more effectively.
- What are 3 characteristics that distinguish annelids from mollusks and 3 characteristics they have in common?
- Differences:
- Annelids: Segmented bodies. Closed circulatory system.
- Mollusks: Often have shells. Usually open circulatory system.
- Commonalities:
- Bilateral symmetry.
- Presence of a coelom.
- Trochophore larvae in some species.
- protostome clade, in which the mouth develops before the anus during embryonic development.
- Describe 3 unique adaptations that annelids have evolved for tube dwelling versus errant lifestyles.
- Tube-dwelling annelids:
- Build protective tubes (calcareous, mucous, or sandy).
- Filter feeding using radioles.
- Reduced locomotion.
- Errant annelids:
- Parapodia for active movement.
- Well-developed sensory organs.
- Predatory or scavenging lifestyle.
- What is a radula, and which Phylum is it unique to? Describe 4 different ways it has evolved for specialized use.
- Radula: A ribbon-like structure with teeth used for feeding.
- Unique to: Phylum Mollusca.
- Specialized uses:
- Scraping algae (Gastropoda).
- Drilling into shells (some snails).
- Cutting prey (Cephalopoda).
- Filtering plankton (some bivalves).
Cnidaria, Porifera: Corals, Jellyfish, Sponges §
- Corals are successful benthic animals that can monopolize space. Discuss 3 reasons that might explain why corals instead of sponges are the dominant space-holding invertebrates on most tropical, shallow water reefs. Why do sponges tend to dominate reefs greater than 100m in depth? Hint: sponges also dominate deep underneath ledges on coral reefs.
- Corals:
- Photosynthetic symbionts (zooxanthellae) aid in energy production.
- Rapid skeleton growth to monopolizes space.
- Strong competition for light in shallow waters.
- Sponges:
- Efficient filter feeders, adapted to low-light conditions.
- Can survive in nutrient-poor environments.
- Often dominate deeper reefs or under ledges.
- Compare and contrast the feeding strategies used for prey capture and subjugation used by a hard coral, sponge, and sea walnut (ctenophore), with specific mechanisms.
- Compare and contrast alternation of generation and polymorphism in the phylum Cnidaria. Give specific examples of each using specific species.
| Aspect | Alternation of Generations | Polymorphism |
|---|
| What it involves | Alternating between polyp (asexual) and medusa (sexual) stages. | Different specialized forms (zooids) in a colony. |
| Occurs in | Species like jellyfish and some hydrozoans. | Mostly in colonial cnidarians (e.g., siphonophores). |
| Reproductive role | Involves both asexual and sexual reproduction. | Different zooids may specialize in reproduction, feeding, or defense. |
| Purpose | Facilitates life cycle completion across habitats (benthic/pelagic). | Allows efficient division of labour within a colony. |
| Example species | Moon jelly (Aurelia aurita). | Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis). |
- Alternation of generations enables individual cnidarians to switch between sessile and free-swimming forms, maximizing reproductive success and habitat utilization.
- Polymorphism enhances the efficiency of colonial life by assigning specific tasks (feeding, defense, reproduction) to different zooids within the colony.
- Together, these strategies exemplify the diverse life history adaptations that cnidarians have evolved to thrive in marine environments.
- Define bipartite life cycle. Describe the bipartite life cycle in 3 different species each occurring in a different phylum. Also, describe at least 3 alternative hypotheses that potentially led to the evolution of the bipartite life history strategy in many marine organisms.
- Bipartite life cycle: Life stages split between planktonic larval stage and benthic or adult stage.
- Examples:
- Corals (Cnidaria): Planula larvae and adult polyp.
- Sea urchins (Echinodermata): Pluteus larvae and adult.
- Annelid worms: Trochophore larvae and benthic adult.
- Hypotheses for evolution:
- Reduced intraspecific competition between life stages.
- Increased dispersal opportunities for larvae.
- Adaptation to different environmental conditions.
- Compare and contrast the feeding behavior and skeletons of Porifera, Echinodermata, and Cnidaria.
- Porifera (sponge):
- Feeding: Filter feeders, capture particles via choanocytes.
- Skeleton: Spicules or spongin fibers.
- Echinodermata (stars, urchins, cucumbers):
- Feeding: Varies (e.g., predation, grazing, deposit feeding).
- Skeleton: Calcareous endoskeleton with ossicles.
- Cnidaria ():
- Feeding: Use nematocysts to capture prey.
- Skeleton: Calcium carbonate skeleton (in corals).
Crustaceans §
- Describe the process of molting in blue crabs. What are 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of having an exoskeleton on top of your epidermis.
- Do you think crustaceans or insects have been more successful over earth’s history? Defend your answer in 4-5 sentences.
Vertebrates §
- Name three sensory capabilities that marine vertebrates have that we don’t (or barely have) and explain how each one works. Use drawings if that is helpful in your explanation.
Fish §
- Compare and contrast the feeding strategies of a bar jack, a Nassau grouper, and a banded butterfly fish. What specific morphological, coloring, and behavior adaptations have each fish evolved that increases the success of its respective feeding strategies?
- Name the 5 different types of fish tails. Draw each tail and place each at the proper location along a gradient of increasing initial thrust force so that its relative capability at generating a large, initial thrust force is conveyed. Now, draw each tail again and draw squiggly lines emanating anywhere from the tail that turbulence will be generated when that fish is moving at sustained high speeds. Which of these tails generates the least turbulence and why? Hint: the answer lies in understanding drag.
- Compare and contrast how bony fishes and sharks ventilate their gills.
- What is the scientific family name for parrot fish, groupers, butterfly fish, damselfish, snappers, and barracuda? Compare and contrast the coloration patterns in the barracuda and grouper families. Name one way they are different and one way they are similar. What same selective force could be driving both similarity and contrast in their coloration?
5. Describe 5 different functional roles that the dorsal fin in fish can play and how the morphology of that fin is linked to a particular function.
Pinipeds §
- Compare and contrast swimming and land movement in seals and sea lions.
Whales §
- Compare and contrast the feeding behavior of Orcas that feed on baleen whales vs. those that feed on salmonid fish. Describe 3 things they have in common and 3 that are different.
- Compare and contrast feeding behavior in Right Whales and Humpback Whales. Describe 3 things they have in common and 3 that are different.
- Explain in detail how echolocation works. Which group of whales uses this superpower? For what functions? How does the other group of whales that don’t have this superpower perform the same functions?
- Describe thermoregulation in sea otters, great white sharks, walruses, blue whales, green turtles, and Nassau groupers. Which of these species can tolerate the greatest range of temperatures, and why is that the case?
Turtles §
- Give the common and scientific names of all the known sea turtle species. Compare and contrast feeding behavior in green turtles vs. loggerheads, giving 3 examples of how they are similar and 3 examples of how they are different. How is the digestive track of each adapted to their specific diets?
- In no more than 6-7 sentences, describe the migratory journey of a female loggerhead turtle from the time it was born on the east coast of Florida until the time she returns to a beach to lay her eggs.
Papers §
- In the paper, “Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants,” what is the main driver limiting rorqual whale size? List and describe two of the methods scientists used to determine this.
- In the paper “Are the ghosts of nature’s past haunting ecology today?”, what were the three explanations used to examine expansion of large consumers into non-typical habitats?
- In the paper “Surviving in a Marine Desert: The Sponge Loop Retains Resources Within Coral Reefs,” explain the key factors that contribute to the sponge loop and its role in maintaining resource retention within coral reef ecosystem.
- In the paper “Do Alternate Stable Community States Exist in the Gulf of Maine Rocky Intertidal Zone,” describe what results support the conclusion that the occurrence of mussel beds and seaweed canopies is highly deterministic.
- Compare the hypothesized ecological effects of large sharks like tiger sharks and hammerhead sharks vs smaller sharks like the grey reef sharks in “The Ecological Role of Sharks on Coral Reefs”. What scientific approach was used to get this hypothesis? Were the authors’ able to find empirical evidence to support this hypothesis?
- Referring to the paper “The topicalization of temperate marine ecosystems: climate-mediated changes in herbivory and community phase shifts”, describe two of the impacts climate change will have on the interaction between temperate macroalgae and tropical herbivorous fish?
Bonus Questions §
- I will ask the scientific name of one of the sea turtles. (2pts)
- I will ask you the family name of one of the fish families I covered. (3pts)
- I will ask the Genus species of one of the baleen whales (5pts)