Marine Biology: 2013-2014 SY
This is a study guide to help you prepare for the Quarter Exams.
Semester 1
I.
Fish Prints: Know about the prints & that knowing how a fish looks help us to understand a fish & its environment
a. Gyotaku = a Japanese fish-printing method. It is a popular art form in Japan and pre-dates cameras. Prints can sell
for thousands of dollars. The color, arrangement and detail give it its artistic qualities and scientific value.
b. Marine Biologists measure fish and describe their external features so they can:
1.
Identify species of fish
2.
Assess (judge or evaluate) their age & health
3.
Learn about their structure & function
c. Marine Biologists , when measuring & describing fish:
1.
Use fresh fish
2.
Photographs
3.
Scientific drawings or
4.
Other fossils
d. Anatomy = study of the structures of an organism and their relation to each other
1.
Gives clues to where an organism lives & how it lives
2.
Variations (differences) in shape & size of body parts allow fish to survive
II.
Be able to identify & label the external structures of a fish (Swordfish is the model):
a. Dorsal fins (1st and 2nd), caudal fin, caudal peduncle, anal fin, pelvic fin, pectoral fin
b. Lateral line, eye, nostril, mouth, gill cover, gill opening
c. Anus and urogenital pore
III.
Scales help to protect a fish from scrapes, parasites and other external injuries.
Know the 4 major types of fish scales and be able to draw them
a. Ganoid (reef fish)
b. Cycloid (salmon, carp, herring, anchovies)
c. Placoid (shark)
d. Ctenoid (perch)
Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/04/13/322954/-Marine-Life-Series-Fish-Scales
Cycloid Scales; most ‘bony fish’ have this type of scale. These scales grow with the fish.
Ctenoid Scales; ‘bony fish’ may have this type. These scales grow with the fish.
Some fish (flounder, ex.) have both Cycloid and Ctenoid scales.
Page 1 of 5
Marine Biology: 2013-2014 SY
This is a study guide to help you prepare for the Quarter Exams.
Ganoid Scales; reef fish
These scales act like armor to form a nearly impenetrable barrier to predators.
These scales grow with the fish.
Placoid Scales; sharks
These scales don’t grow with the fish. As the fish grows, new scales fill in the gaps
Some fish have no scales. They have a coating of slime that helps to protect them from injury
IV.
Know that a dorsal fin has both fin spines and fin soft rays
V.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Be able to list the different cuts of fish
Fish steak
Fillet
Butterfly Fillet
Fish Sticks
Bite Portions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Know the different body locations:
Top = Dorsal
Bottom = Ventral
Front = Anterior
Back = Posterior
VI.
VII. Comparison of Fish and Human Heart
Location
Size
Number of Chambers
Page 2 of 5
Fish Heart
Bottom (ventral)
1/3 of pinky tip
4
Human Heart
Center of chest
Size of chest
4
Marine Biology: 2013-2014 SY
This is a study guide to help you prepare for the Quarter Exams.
VIII.
Classification, Nomenclature and Keys
1.
Know the order of biological classification (the orderly arrangement of organisms into identifiable groups)
Each classification level is described by a key characteristic which is a distinctive and usually observable
feature that can be used to separate animals or plants into groups.
Most specific to least specific
Species
Genus (Has one or more species)
Family (Groups of genera form a family)
Order (Groups of families form an order)
Class (Groups of orders form a class)
Phylum (Groups of classes form a phylum)
Kingdom (groups of phyla form a kingdom. Phyla is the plural of phylum)
Least specific to most specific
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Example: one common name is raccoon butterflyfish
Animalia = animal
Chordata = has a notochord (supporting bony rod)
Osteichthyes = fish with a bony skeleton
Perciformes = shaped like a perch
Chaetodontidae = teeth shaped like bristles
Chaetodon = bristle teeth
lunula = shaped like a moon
Scientific name is genus + species
Chaetodon lunula or abbreviated: C. lunula
2.
Be able to use a word key such as the one in Table 3-4 of the text to determine the scientific name of a
butterflyfish. In so doing, you need to list your decision points.
3.
Be able to use simplified key such as the one in Table 4-1 to answer such questions as
a. Name the fish family that has no caudal fins or
b. Name a fish family that has a medial caudal filament or
c. What type of fish has an eel-like body and has no pectoral fins
4.
Two types of keys are Word and Simplified.
5.
Fish belong to the phylum chordata.
IX.
Know the Latin and Greek terms given in the text such as: auri (Latin for gold or golden); tri (Latin for three); lun (Latin for
the moon); frem (Latin for roar or murmur); reticul (Latin for network); lineo (Latin for line)
X.
Hybrid = offspring when 2 different species breed.
a. Example: male donkey (Equus asinus) breeds with a female horse (Equus caballus) to give a mule
(Equus asinus x caballus). The mule is sterile i.e. it cannot produce offspring
The parents are of the same genus but different species.
Page 3 of 5
Marine Biology: 2013-2014 SY
This is a study guide to help you prepare for the Quarter Exams.
b.
wholphin (Pseudorca x Tursiops) is the offspring of a male false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens)
and a female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates)
Notice the genera are different here. See Table 3-5 in the text on page 22 for more info.
c. Be able to write the scientific name of the offspring, if you are given the parents
XI.
Carl Linnaeus is known as the Father of Taxonomy.
XII.
Be able to state 3 or more reasons why scientific names of plants or animals are used instead of common names. Common
names are not adequate for several reasons such as:
1.
2.
3.
Different common names are often used for the same species.
A common name may often refer to several similar but different species
Common names may contain misleading descriptive words such as starfish which is not a fish
1.
2.
3.
4.
Rules for writing scientific names of organisms:
Includes the genus and species
Genus name comes before the species
Both names are underlined or italicized (slanted)
The 1st letter of the genus is capitalized. If the genus has already been mentioned, its scientific name may be abbreviated.
XIII.
XIV.
1.
2.
3.
XV.
Fish Measurements & Counts of Structures
Fish are classified and their health is judged by researchers from organizations such as Fish & Game and National Marine
Fisheries Service. One way to do this is to count & measure the external structures of fish.
Know the following vocabulary words & be able to label a diagram or determine them a fish specimen: standard length,
head length, eye width, greatest body depth and caudal peduncle depths, pelvic fin to anal fin length, total body mass, and
lateral line scale count.
Given the number of spines and soft rays in a dorsal fin, be able to write the fin formula.
a. Spines are indicated by roman numerals
b. Soft rays are indicated by Arabic numbers
c. Separate the spine count from the soft ray count with a comma
d. For a second dorsal fin, record a dash followed by the spine count (if any), then a comma and the soft ray count (if
any) Ex., VI-I, 7 (2 separate dorsal fins where the 1st had 6 spines and the 2nd had 1 spine and 7 soft rays)
Know the terms: nocturnal, diurnal, herbivorous, carnivorous
XVI.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Anatomy & Function of Organ Systems in Fish. You must know the following terms.
Cells = basic unit of life. All organisms composed of cells. Often become specialized. Be able to give examples of cells: blood,
nerve, skin, egg, muscle, sperm, etc.
Tissue = group of similar cells performing a similar function. Ex., muscle tissue, nervous tissue, bone, etc.
Organ = group of different kinds of tissues working together to perform a specific function. Ex., heart, stomach,
Organ System = group of organs that together perform a function for the body. Ex., digestive system
Organism = entire living thing with all its organ systems. Ex., Fish
You must be able to discuss the organ systems in Chapter 7. You must know their functions, & the organs that make up the
system and their function.
Page 4 of 5
Marine Biology: 2013-2014 SY
This is a study guide to help you prepare for the Quarter Exams.
Semester 2
Begins with mollusks and ends with plants and ecology. More details to follow.
Page 5 of 5