Oceanography – MARSC 100 : Study Guide – Exam 4 (Final)
The 90-point exam will be composed of 90 multiple choice, True/False, or matching type questions. Focus
your studies on information provided in Lecture (notes, videos). I also recommend that you read Chapters
# 15 – 18 before the test & attempt to answer the questions at the end of each chapter. While many of the
concepts of this section rely on your comprehension of earlier material, the final is not cumulative. There
will be no questions from previous chapters.
You must supply your own Red ParScore Test form and a sharp #2 pencil.
Understand these concepts and be able to answer the following questions:
Marine Animals - Chapter #15
1.
What happened during the “oxygen revolution”?
2.
What are the basic characteristics of each of the following phyla and what type of symmetry does each
exhibit: Cnidaria, Annelida, Mollusca, and Porifera? Be able to recognize examples of each type.
3.
What are the unique characteristics and symmetry of the Phylum Echinodermata?
4.
What are the three unique characteristics that all members of the phylum Chordata possess at some time in
their development?
5.
What are the invertebrate chordates? How do they differ from vertebrate chordates?
6.
What are the common names for the groups of vertebrate chordates (subphylum vertebrata)?
7.
Be familiar with the characteristics of the cartilaginous fish (Class Chondrichthyes –Sharks, skates, rays).
8.
What percentage of sharks are harmless? How likely are you to be attacked by a shark? How many sharks
do humans kill for every shark that kills a human? Why do humans kill sharks?
9.
What are the two main reasons that scientists think that sharks attack humans occasionally?
10.
Why should sharks be protected? What is their role in the food web?
11.
What is the scientific name for the bony fish? Be familiar with their characteristics.
12.
What aspects of the marine environment (water, viscosity, salt, etc.) challenge the marine animals? How
do marine animals cope with these challenges (Ex: swim bladders, gills, etc.)?
13.
How do marine animals protect themselves from predation & cope with competition? Understand
countershading, cryptic coloration, schooling & the lateral line system.
14.
What types of reptiles live in the ocean? What are the characteristics of marine turtles?
15.
What are the unique characteristics of the seabirds (Hint: endotherms, hollow bones, reproduction habits)?
What are the main types of seabirds?
16.
How do marine birds eliminate excess salt from their bodies?
17.
Be familiar with the major orders of marine mammals, their characteristics & species that make up each
order (Pinnipedia Cetacea, Carnivora, Sirenia).
18.
What is the scientific name for the suborder of all baleen whales? What do baleen whales eat & how do
they do it?
19.
Do all large and small whales (both toothed and baleen bearing) possess biological sonar (echolocation)?
How do they use it?
20.
What is the scientific name for the group of cetaceans that include the toothed whales, what are the general
characteristics of these animals, how do they catch their prey, and how intelligent are they considered to
be?
Marine Communities - Chapter #16
1.
Be familiar with these terms: ecology, habitat, niche, biodiversity.
2.
Understand the concept of “range of tolerance.” Be familiar with the different phases of the population
growth curve. What factors influence the shape & eventual height of the curve?
3.
Understand how physical (abiotic) factors (temperature, sunlight, salinity, etc.) & biological (biotic)
factors (competition, predation, waste generation, etc.) influence marine organisms and communities
4.
What factors influence the distribution of organisms in a community? Be familiar with random, clumped,
uniform distributions. Which type is most common & why?
5.
What problems confront intertidal species? How do these species adapt to or cope with these problems
(Ex: wave shock, dryness, sun, predation, competition). With all theses problems, why is the intertidal rich
with species
6.
What types of symbiosis occur in the ocean? What is mutualism and what is an example of mutualism in
the ocean (Hint: 2 examples exist in Coral Reef communities)?
Marine Resources – Chapter #17
1.
What is the definition of a renewable resource & non-renewable resource? Be familiar with examples of
each from the marine environment.
2.
How do petroleum & natural gas form in the ocean? What percent of oil/gas is extracted from the ocean?
Why is more extracted from land? Given the world’s increased demand for oil, do you expect more ocean
drilling in the future? How else can we generate energy (more cleanly, perhaps) or conserve energy?
3.
How commercially viable is desalination of seawater to produce freshwater today? Why is it expensive
(Hint: needs an energy source)? What would be a better ways to ensure freshwater availability?
4.
What percent of total protein intake worldwide is contributed by marine species? What percent of animal
protein do humans get from fish & shellfish? Will the sea be able to provide substantially more food in the
future to help alleviate problems of human malnutrition & starvation caused by human overpopulation?
5.
How has fishing gear technology changed in this century? How has it impacted marine species & the
fishing industry? What is the impact of large commercial fishing fleets with factory ships?
6.
What was the value of the worldwide fish catch as of 2001? What countries take the bulk of the catch?
7.
What is maximum sustainable yield? What happens when a fish stock becomes overfished (Hint: orange
roughy, Chilean seabass/Patagonian toothfish)? What is predicted to happen in the future to the worldwide
fish harvest?
8.
Be familiar with some of the “Best” consumer seafood choices & those to “avoid” as indicated by the
Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guide.
9.
What is bycatch (bykill)? What species are vulnerable to bycatch? How can we avoid bycatch (solutions)?
10.
Be familiar with the issues associated with whaling & hunting of fur-bearing marine mammals. What is the
Marine Mammal Protection Act? How did the public aid in the protection of dolphins?
11.
What is aquaculture/mariculture? What are the benefits of “farming in the sea”? What are the problems
associated with mariculture (salmon, shrimp)?
Environmental Concerns – Chapter #18
1.
What is pollution? What types of substances are marine pollutants? What are the main sources of
pollution in the ocean? Why are they dangerous to marine organisms? What is point-source & non-point
source pollutants?
2.
What happens to oil after it is released (spilled) in a marine environment?
3.
How does Mercury enter the ocean? What are the health problems associated with ingesting mercury?
Should you be concerned?
4.
What is DDT & biological amplification. What happens to top carnivores with large concentrations of
DDT in their tissues (Hint: Pelicans & Bald Eagles (“sea eagles”)? How did the world’s largest deposit of
DDT end up off the coast of Southern California & what can be done about it?
5.
What is eutrophication, why is it a problem, & what is its cause (Hint: farming, ranching, sewage)?
6.
Why should you recycle your solid waste (plastic, aluminum, etc.)? What problems does solid waste cause
marine organisms?
7.
How does the ozone layer shield humans and other organisms on earth? What chemical, produced by
humans, has diminished the ozone layer? Should we all be concerned with the health impacts of ozone
hole depletion or just sunbathers?
8.
How is human activity contributing to global warming/climate change?
9.
What are the major greenhouse gases? What are their sources?
10.
What is albedo & how does a reduction in albedo, caused by global warming, compound the impacts at the
poles?
11.
What are the consequences of climate change? What are the predicted temperature changes over the next
century? How will organisms respond to climatic change?
12.
What countries are the biggest polluters? What is the Kyoto Protocol? What conspicuous nation has not
ratified the treaty? What is carbon trading?
13.
How can we slow climate change? What are some individual actions we can all take to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions & reduce climate change?
14.
How are marine & coastal habitats being destroyed? How would marine sanctuaries help protect species?
15.
How many humans currently live on Earth? How has the size of the human population increased since
1900? What happens to Earth’s resources & the rest of the species on the planet if the population size of
the human species becomes too large?
16.
What are some of the possible solutions to the existing environmental problems outlined in this chapter?
HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE TO THESE SOLUTIONS IN YOUR EVERY DAY LIFE?