Bio 124 Fall 2015 (Dr. Paddack)
Midterm 2 Review Sheet
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Midterm #2 is TUES 10/27/15 in lecture EBS 309: bring 100 question scantron & #2 pencil
This exam covers material from lectures #9 (9/24) through #17 (10/22)
Remember – you should take an ACTIVE role in studying – test yourself by trying to explain
concepts to others or to yourself with no notes. Find a partner or group to study REGULARLY with
– it is not possible to learn in 1 night! If needed, seek help with plenty of time before the test.
Lecture #9 (9/24/15): Phytoplankton, Picoplankton, Zooplankton intro
1. Define: net plankton, picoplankton, nanoplankton, femtoplankton, megaplankton
2. Why are phytoplankton important?
3. Compare the general body plan of diatoms & dinoflagellates. What are their shells are
composed of?
4. Compare the oceanic conditions that diatoms and dinoflagellates each thrive in.
5. How do phytoplankton reproduce? Explain why this allows them to “bloom” so quickly.
6. Describe reproduction in diatoms, state why it can become problematic, and how they solve
that.
7. Which plankton are responsible for red tides/harmful algal blooms?
8. What are Cyanobacteria? Why are they so important?
9. List 2 types of photosynthetic nanoplankton, note what their shells are made of & where they
live.
10. Marine viruses can indeed be disease-inducing, but what two positive roles do marine viruses
play?
11. What role do zooplankton play in marine food webs?
12. Define holoplankton & meroplankton.
13. Define larvae.
14. Explain what ‘bipartite life cycle’ means & why it is important for many marine organisms.
15. List the two types of protozoan zooplankton. What are each of their shells made of?
16. List 3 types of Crustacean plankton & state whether they are Holoplankton or zooplankton.
Lecture 10 (9/29/15): ENSO; Zooplankton; Epipelagic Adaptations
1. Why are the fisheries along the west coast of South America (Peru & Chili) so productive?
2. How often do ENSO (El Niňo-Southern Oscillation) events tend to occur?
3. Why does upwelling along the coast of S. America slow/stop during ENSO events?
4. List 2 impacts to marine life that can occur during an ENSO event.
5. List the 14 different types of zooplankton we discussed in this & the previous lecture. For
each, list 1 identifying characteristic. State whether each is a holoplankton or meroplankton.
6. List 2 key challenges to living in the pelagic zone.
7. Describe what is meant by surface to volume ratio (S/V). List 2 benefits for plankton to have
high S/V.
8. List 4 different shapes that help plankton resist sinking. Provide an example of an organism
for each.
Lecture 11 (10/1/15) : Epipelagic Adaptations (con’t); Evolution & Adaptations ;
Reproduction
1. List 3 different methods of buoyancy found in epipelagic organisms (remember that floatation
differs from structures that resist sinking), providing an example of an organism using that
method for each.
2. Describe an example of an adaptation found in an epipelagic organism for each of the
following senses:
a. vision
b. touch
c. hearing
Bio 124 Fall 2015 (Dr. Paddack)
Midterm 2 Review Sheet
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d. electrosense
e. chemosense
f. sonar
3.What is the deep scattering layer (DSL) composed of? How is it detected?
4.When/where do organisms in the DSL migrate and why do they do it?
5.Describe 3 adaptations found in epipelagic fish that allow them to swim fast.
6.Define: adaptation, trait, DNA, chromosome, gene, allele, evolution
7.Define natural selection, listing the 3 factors necessary for it to occur.
8.List the benefits and disadvantages of sexual reproduction & asexual reproduction.
9.Why is internal fertilization uncommon in the ocean? List examples of 2 marine organisms that
have internal fertilization.
10. Define broadcast spawning. What is required for successful fertilization?
Lecture 12 (10/6/15): Marine snow; Soft Sediment Ecosystems
1. Define marine snow.
2. List 5 different sources of marine snow. Which is the most abundant?
3. Define biogeneous sediments. Note some examples of types of shells they can be
composed of.
4. List 3 different ways marine snow can collected for studies.
5. List 4 reasons why marine snow is important.
6. Why is marine snow important?
7. State what a flux feeder eats and describe one method of flux feeding by a copepod.
8. List 2 physical challenges of living in soft sediment environments.
9. Define infauna & epifauna and provide 2 examples for each.
10. How does sediment size impact oxygen levels beneath the sediment?
11. Why are there no macroalgae in soft sediments?
12. What types of primary producers are found in soft sediment habitats that have enough
light for photosynthesis (ie, shallow or intertidal).
13. Define chemosynthetic bacteria.
14. List 3 different feeding groups of organisms on soft sediments. Provide an example for
each.
15. Why are deposit feeders more abundant than filter feeders in many soft sediment areas?
16. Define bioturbation and provide 3 examples of organisms that do this.
17. List a benefit and a disadvantage of bioturbation.
18. List 2 different organisms that can stabilize sediments.
19. Provide 3 reasons seagrass beds are important.
Lecture 13 (10/8/15): Ecological Principles
1. Define: habitat, abiotic, biotic, population, ecology, community, niche, trophic level, food web.
2. Draw an exponential population growth curve and explain why it cannot last.
3. Define carrying capacity.
4. Draw a logistic population growth curve and explain why it levels off.
5. List the 4 things that regulate populations and briefly explain.
6. Define fundamental niche vs. realized niche.
7. Describe how and why the realized niche of buckshot barnacles differs from their fundamental
niche.
8. Explain what resource partitioning is and why it increases biodiversity.
9. If you create a diagram of the numbers or total weight (biomass) of organisms at each trophic
level, why does it make a pyramid shape?
10. Define trophic cascade and provide an example.
Bio 124 Fall 2015 (Dr. Paddack)
Midterm 2 Review Sheet
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Lecture 14 (10/13/15): Microbial Loop; Marine Migrations
1. List 3 sources of ‘new’ nutrients and the 1 source of recycled nutrients.
2. Draw a food web that includes a microbial loop.
3. Why do things decompose so slowly in the deep sea?
4. How do nutrients get returned to the sea surface?
5. Define migration & provide 3 different reasons to do so.
6. List the 3 different types of feeding migrations and provide an example for each.
7. Define spawning aggregation & provide an example. Provide 2 different reasons for it.
8. Define: anadromous & catadromous & provide an example for each.
9. State what regions many whales migrate between and why they spend time at each one.
10. Elephant seals return to beaches a 2nd time during the year after the reproduction event.
Why?
11. Why & where do manatees migrate?
Lecture 15 (10/15/15): Coral Reefs
1. List the 4 basic physical oceanographic conditions of tropical open waters.
2. Define: coral, polyp, soft coral, stony coral, corallite, zooxanthellae, crustose coralline algae,
biogenic habitat
3. Describe 4 different ways stony corals feed as heterotrophs.
4. Describe how corals can obtain food besides heterotrophy.
5. Why is symbiosis between corals & zooxanthellae so important?
6. List the benefits that mutual symbiosis provides to each of corals & zooxanthellae.
7. List 5 conditions necessary for growth of coral reefs.
8. Where is the Coral Triangle and what is significant about it?
9. List at least one ecosystem service (a benefit) of coral reefs for each of the following: marine
organisms, terrestrial coastal organisms, humans.
10. What global threat to coral reefs is occurring now (official NOAA statement from last week)?
Lecture 16 (10/20/15): Coral Reef Threats; Micronesia Project
1. List 6 different negative impacts on coral reefs.
2. What is the goal of the Micronesia One People One Reef project?
3. What factors have led to declines in reefs in this area?
4. How does reef health relate to human health?
5. Describe 1 action that the people of Ulithi Atoll have taken to help restore reef health.
Lecture 17 (10/22/15): Tides; Rocky Intertidal Ecosystems
1. What are tides?
2. Briefly describe one reason tides are important for some marine organisms.
3. Explain the 2 processes that cause most places on Earth to experience 2 high tides & 2 low
tides per day (~24 hr).
4. Draw a diagram or explain why there are particularly high/low tides twice each month (spring
tides) and little difference between high and low tides twice each month (neap tides).
5. Draw a diagram to illustrate each of the 3 daily tidal patterns observed on Earth (diurnal,
semi-diurnal, mixed semi-diurnal). Which is most common? Which do we have here in
California?
6. List 4 reasons why tidal range and tidal patterns vary across the globe.
7. Why are there 4 rocky intertidal zones in this part of the world?
8. List the 4 rocky intertidal zones we have here and 1 indicator species for each.
9. Describe 7 different challenges of living in the intertidal. Provide an example of an
adaptation an organism uses to overcome each challenge.