Plankton, primary production, food webs, zones of the ocean, fisheries and human impacts.
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- What is phytoplankton?
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Photosynthetic microscopic organisms that form the base of marine food webs as primary producers- What is zooplankton?
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Heterotrophic microscopic animals that consume plankton and organic matter in the ocean- What are diatoms?
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Single-celled algae with silica shells, a major component of phytoplankton- What are dinoflagellates?
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Flagellated protists, often bioluminescent, that can form harmful red tides- What are copepods?
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Small crustaceans that are the most abundant animals in the ocean, primary zooplankton- What is krill?
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Small shrimp-like crustaceans especially important in polar food webs and whale diets- What is primary productivity in the ocean?
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The rate at which producers convert solar energy into organic matter through photosynthesis- What is the difference between gross and net primary production?
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Gross is total energy captured by photosynthesis; net is gross minus energy lost through respiration- What is the euphotic zone?
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The uppermost ocean layer where sufficient light penetrates for photosynthesis to occur- What is compensation depth?
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The water depth where photosynthesis rates equal respiration rates, marking the limit of photosynthesis- What are the two main limits on primary productivity in the ocean?
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Light availability and nutrient concentration, especially nitrogen and phosphorus- What is eutrophication?
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Nutrient enrichment causing algal blooms, decomposition, and oxygen depletion in water- What is chemosynthesis?
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Process where organisms produce energy from chemical reactions instead of light energy- What is a hydrothermal vent?
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An opening in the seafloor where hot mineral-rich water emerges, supporting chemosynthetic communities- What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
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A food chain is linear energy transfer from one organism to the next; a food web is the interconnected network of multiple food chains
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