click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Lecture 2
Terminology
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What are organisms incapable of sustained, directed horizontal movement ("wandering" or "drifting")? | plankton |
| What are active swimmers called? | nekton |
| What are inhabitants of the benthic environment (bottom of a body of water) called? | benthos |
| all organisms 0.2-2 micrometers (bacteria, viruses, archaea, +smallest of phytoplankton) | picoplankton |
| 2-20 micrometers; mainly phytoplankton | nanoplankton |
| 20-200 micrometers; mostly zooplankton, some phytoplankton | microplankton |
| 200-2000 micrometers; mostly zooplankton | mesoplankton |
| 2-20 centimeters; starts nekton | macroplankton |
| 20-200 centimeters; bigger nekton | megaplankton |
| matter of organic origin, but incapable of reproduction (dead) | detritus |
| passes through a fine filter | dissolved |
| dissolved organic matter; organic material that passes through a fine filter | DOM |
| material that does NOT pass through a fine filter, can be detritus OR inorganic material like sediment | particulate |
| "open ocean", "blue water", water depth >200 m | oceanic |
| beyond low tide out to the edge of the continental shelf (i.e., depth <about 200 m); includes "nearshore" and "estuarine" | coastal |
| "in the water" | pelagic |
| "on or associated with the ocean floor" | benthic |
| two important questions in biological oceanography | how much is there? how fast is it happening? |