Apologia Marine bio Module 12 | Baamboozle - Baamboozle

English 27 Public

Continental shelf communities

Study Slideshow

What is a Sessile organism?

a member of the epifauna that is attached to the substrate.

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Define subtidal.

always will be underwater

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Benthos

Community of organisms which live on, in, or near the bottom of bodies of water

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Planktonic

marine organism that is unable to swim strongly enough to move against the current

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Nekton

marine organisms that swim strongly enough to move against the current

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What is the difference between deposit feeders and suspension feeders?

deposit feeder vacuum up what is on the bottom.(common to muddy bottom)suspension feeders filter what is floating in the water(common to sandy bottoms)

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What are the two types of soft bottom shelf communities?

Vegetated and unvegetated (vegetated have plants such as sea grass that can secure it’s roots in the soft substrate.)

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What is the key food source in an unvegetated soft bottom community?

detritus that floats in from other communities (like estuaries) diatoms are prevalent here, but not in enough numbers to provide a plentiful food source.

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List 4 differences between muddy soft bottom communities and sandy softbottom communities.

muddy:finer sediment, less O2, more organic matter, more deposit feeders. Sandy: larger sediment particles, more O2,little organic matter, more suspension feede

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List 2 of the primary consumers in a vegetated soft bottom shelf community.

Manatee, nudibranch, sea urchins, sea turtles, and Canadian geese

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What is the primary producer in a hard bottom shelf community?

Kelp, it needs a hard substrate to attach to.

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What are two ways some algae protect themselves from being over eaten?

1. emit foul tasting chemicals, 2. leathery exteriors, 3. regrow quickly, 4. Calcium fortified exterior

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What are the two types of hard bottom shelf communities?

Kelp forests and beds, and rocky bottom communities(covered with dense seaweed)

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Why are Kelp forests so beneficial to the eco system?

These underwater towers of kelp provide food and shelter for thousands of fish, invertebrates, and marine mammal species.

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How can an otter population affect a kelp forest?

They eat sea urchins. If the otter population goes down, sea urchins increase, and start eating the base of the giant kelp as their food gets scarce.

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What three things are needed for kelp to grow?

Sunlight, hard substrates and nutrient rich water.

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