Deck 13: Pelagic Communities

Question 1

Organisms that spend only part of their life cycle as a member of the plankton community are called ____.

A)zooplankton
B)meroplankton
C)holoplankton
D)phytoplankton

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Organisms that are unable to actively move laterally, instead drifting with ocean currents, are called ____.

A)plankton
B)nekton
C)hadal
D)benthic

Answer 2

A

Question 3

An example of a zooplankton that is very important to many pelagic communities is ____.

A)krill
B)squid
C)coccolithophores
D)diatoms

Answer 3

A

Question 4

How do marine reptiles and seabirds deal with the salinity of seawater?

A)They have special glands that help excrete salt.
B)They dilute the salt with freshwater.
C)Their bodily fluids are saline, as well.
D)They have a filter in their throats that removes salt.

Question 5

The portion of the pelagic zone that is near the shore on the continental shelf is the ____.

A)oceanic zone
B)abyssal zone
C)neritic zone
D)bathyal zone

Question 6

The sharks, skates, and rays are members of which group?

A)Reptilia
B)Chondrichthyes
C)Teleostei
D)Arthropoda

Question 7

Many populations that interact with one another at a particular location form a ____.

A)niche
B)habitat
C)community
D)genus

Question 8

Productivity in polar waters ____.

A)is high year-round
B)is very low year-round
C)briefly spikes in the summer
D)is only high in the winter

Question 9

Organisms with backbones are called ____.

A)vertebrates
B)invertebrates
C)molluscs
D)foraminifera

Question 10

The whale shark is the largest species of shark and eats ____.

A)seals and other smaller marine mammals
B)fish, especially tuna
C)plankton near the surface of the water
D)benthic crabs

Question 11

Where, through a year, is the greatest total oceanic primary productivity?

A)in the tropics
B)in the temperate zones
C)in the polar regions
D)productivity is about equal at all latitudes

Question 12

A group of organisms of the same species that occupy a specific area is called a(n)____.

A)community
B)population
C)ecosystem
D)niche

Question 13

Autotrophic plankton are generally called ____.

A)zooplankton
B)meroplankton
C)holoplankton
D)phytoplankton

Question 14

Toothed whales (Odontoceti)can search for prey using ____.

A)echolocation
B)sensitive organs that detect electric charge
C)sensitive organs that detect water pressure
D)bioluminescence

Question 15

____ refers to organisms that live on or are associated with the bottom.

A)Pelagic
B)Neretic
C)Planktonic
D)Benthic

Question 16

Why are harmful algal blooms, or HABs, so dangerous?

A)They block light from reaching other photosynthesizers.
B)They can produce potent toxins.
C)They clog fish gills.
D)They absorb sunlight, raising the water temperature.

Question 17

A ____ is an organism's "address" within its community, while its ____ is its "occupation".

A)habitat; metabolism
B)niche; resource
C)neritic zone; selection
D)habitat; niche

Question 18

Organisms that spend their entire life cycle as plankton are called ____.

A)nanoplankton.
B)meroplankton.
C)holoplankton.
D)zooplankton.

Question 19

The "seals" performing in seal shows are actually ____.

A)sea lions
B)true seals
C)sea otters
D)manatees

Question 20

Which type of organism is responsible for harmful algal blooms, or HABs?

A)diatoms
B)dinoflagellates
C)coccolithophores
D)foraminifera

Question 21

Marine mammals are ____.

A)ectothermic
B)endothermic
C)autotrophic
D)disphotic

Question 22

Sharks have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone.

Question 23

Zooplankton are the most numerous primary consumers in the ocean.

Question 24

Coccolithophores are zooplankton that can form chalky oozes on the seabed.

Question 25

Huge wings allow the albatross to fly great distances but they also require a tremendous amount of energy because of their inefficiency.

Question 26

In the gill of a fish, water and blood circulate ____, which ____ transfer efficiency.

A)in the same direction; increases
B)in opposite directions; increases
C)in the same direction; decreases
D)in opposite directions; decreases

Question 27

Which of the following organisms is a cephalopod?

A)whale
B)sea turtle
C)seal
D)squid

Question 28

Pelagic organisms live in the open ocean.

Question 29

The distribution of phytoplankton in the ocean is directly influenced by the distribution of nutrients.

Question 30

Macroplankton are the smallest size class of plankton.

Question 31

Into which category do whales fit?

A)Cetacea
B)Pinnipedia
C)Sirenia
D)Teleostei

Question 32

What do bony fishes use to make themselves more buoyant?

A)hollow fins
B)decreased drag
C)gills
D)swim bladder

Question 33

Photosynthetic plankton are called phytoplankton and include the diatoms and dinoflagellates.

Question 34

Diatoms and coccolithophores build their coverings (shells or tests)out of the same material.

Question 35

A blue whale's baleen allows it to ____.

A)hold its breath on long dives
B)catch zooplankton by filtering mouthfuls of water
C)communicate with other whales
D)stay warm in cold water

Question 36

The active swimmers of the pelagic realm are called the zooplankton.

Question 37

Which of the following categories includes manatees and dugongs?

A)Cetacea
B)Pinnipedia
C)Sirenia
D)Teleostei

Question 38

Bony fishes (like tuna or anchovies)are members of which group?

A)Mammalia
B)Chondrichthyes
C)Osteichthyes
D)Arthropoda

Question 39

The wings of marine birds that spend nearly all of their life aloft over the ocean tend to be ____.

A)short and broad
B)long, broad, and rounded
C)long, thin, and pointed
D)short, thin, and pointed

Question 40

A massed group of individual fish of a single species and size class packed closely together and moving as a unit is called a ____.

A)flock
B)herd
C)clutch
D)school

Question 41

Compare and contrast the toothed whales and the baleen whales.

Question 42

What factors are necessary for plankton productivity and therefore determine where productivity is high and where it is low?

Question 43

The pelagic realm is massive and supports a great diversity of living things. Considering zonation in the pelagic realm, where would you expect to find most of the organisms and why?

Question 44

Some of the very large species of animals in the ocean, namely whale sharks and baleen whales, feed on plankton. How can they support their large size eating microscopic organisms?

Question 45

Discuss adaptations in fish that function to reduce drag.