Question 1

Deep sea vent communities depend on specialized photoautotrophs that extract the exceedingly dim light that filters down to that depth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 2

The intertidal zone represents one of the most stressful environments in terms of changing environmental conditions. Explain this comment using specific examples of stresses and how organisms are able to survive in the intertidal zone.

Accepted Answer

First, organisms must deal with changing water levels between low and high tide. They must also withstand the force of crashing waves. Freshwater runoff and rainfall can cause osmotic shock to organisms adapted to saltwater. In sand or cobble beaches, movement of the sand grains and cobbles creates even more problems. Rolling sand is abrasive to small organisms, and capillary forces can trap small organisms between the grains. The motion of cobbles battered by waves and trap and crush organisms between them.

Question 3

Tube worms at seafloor vents get their energy by ____.

Accepted Answer

A) catching small organisms for food 
B) absorbing the thermal energy of the heated water from the vent 
C) hosting chemosynthetic bacteria 
D) performing photosynthesis 
A) catching small organisms for food 
B) absorbing the thermal energy of the heated water from the vent 
C) hosting chemosynthetic bacteria 
D) performing photosynthesis C

Question 4

Seaweeds are ____.

Accepted Answer

A) vascular plants 
B) unicellular algae 
C) muticellular algae 
D) phytoplankton 
A) vascular plants 
B) unicellular algae 
C) muticellular algae 
D) phytoplankton

Question 5

Which list provides the stages of evolution of coral reefs around volcanic islands in the correct order?

Accepted Answer

A) atoll, fringing reef, barrier reef 
B) fringing reef, barrier reef, atoll 
C) barrier reef, fringing reef, atoll 
D) fringing reef, atoll, barrier reef 
A) atoll, fringing reef, barrier reef 
B) fringing reef, barrier reef, atoll 
C) barrier reef, fringing reef, atoll 
D) fringing reef, atoll, barrier reef

Question 6

Which of the following is FALSE with regard to seafloor communities?

Accepted Answer

A) Many deep sea organisms have fragile bodies. 
B) Phytoplankton thrive. 
C) Chemoautotropic bacteria are common at hydrothermal vents. 
D) Gigantism is a common characteristic of deep sea organisms. 
A) Many deep sea organisms have fragile bodies. 
B) Phytoplankton thrive. 
C) Chemoautotropic bacteria are common at hydrothermal vents. 
D) Gigantism is a common characteristic of deep sea organisms.

Question 7

Perhaps the most difficult oceanic habitat is/are ____.

Accepted Answer

A) the abyssal zone 
B) intertidal coarse sand and cobble beaches 
C) intertidal rocky shores 
D) the epipelagic zone 
A) the abyssal zone 
B) intertidal coarse sand and cobble beaches 
C) intertidal rocky shores 
D) the epipelagic zone

Question 8

Hydrothermal vents that support biological communities exist because of primary productivity in the form of chemosynthesis.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Nutrients in coral reefs are ____.

Accepted Answer

A) extremely limited, which is why productivity lower than the deep ocean 
B) so plentiful that there is no limit to phytoplankton growth 
C) largely trapped below the pycnocline 
D) recycled efficiently because the water is shallow 
A) extremely limited, which is why productivity lower than the deep ocean 
B) so plentiful that there is no limit to phytoplankton growth 
C) largely trapped below the pycnocline 
D) recycled efficiently because the water is shallow

Question 10

Because seaweeds don't need to transport water up from their base, ____.

Accepted Answer

A) they lack many of the structures common in terrestrial vascular plants 
B) vessels circulate water around the rest of the organism instead 
C) the roots are instead dedicated to gathering nutrients and carbon dioxide 
D) they actually grow upside down 
A) they lack many of the structures common in terrestrial vascular plants 
B) vessels circulate water around the rest of the organism instead 
C) the roots are instead dedicated to gathering nutrients and carbon dioxide 
D) they actually grow upside down

Question 11

The rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere threatens corals because it lowers ocean pH and decreases the availability of carbonate ions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Why are organisms in rocky intertidal zones sorted into horizontal bands?

Accepted Answer

A) crashing waves remove weaker ones close to the water line 
B) some float and are carried upward at high tide 
C) some can better tolerate drying out between high tides 
D) some need to stay out of the water to breathe 
A) crashing waves remove weaker ones close to the water line 
B) some float and are carried upward at high tide 
C) some can better tolerate drying out between high tides 
D) some need to stay out of the water to breathe

Question 13

____ are vascular plants that are successful in low, muddy coasts in tropical and semitropical areas.

Accepted Answer

A) Mangroves 
B) Ahermatypic corals 
C) Kelp 
D) Diatoms 
A) Mangroves 
B) Ahermatypic corals 
C) Kelp 
D) Diatoms

Question 14

An estuary is where rivers meet the ocean and where freshwater and seawater mix.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Desiccation is a threat to organisms living in ____.

Accepted Answer

A) seafloor vent communities 
B) the pelagic zone 
C) the intertidal zone 
D) the disphotic zone 
A) seafloor vent communities 
B) the pelagic zone 
C) the intertidal zone 
D) the disphotic zone

Question 16

Mangrove trees have distinctive roots that trap and hold sediment.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

What do scientists think might form the "stepping stones" that would enable organisms to disperse from one seafloor vent to another?

Accepted Answer

A) high spots on the seafloor that extend into the photic zone 
B) whale carcasses 
C) coral reefs 
D) large fish that swim from vent to vent 
A) high spots on the seafloor that extend into the photic zone 
B) whale carcasses 
C) coral reefs 
D) large fish that swim from vent to vent

Question 18

Tropical coral reefs typically form in areas of high wave energy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

The most common pattern for benthic organism distributions is ____.

Accepted Answer

A) clumped distribution 
B) linear distribution 
C) random distribution 
D) uniform distribution 
A) clumped distribution 
B) linear distribution 
C) random distribution 
D) uniform distribution

Question 20

Benthic organisms live ____.

Accepted Answer

A) on or associated with the bottom 
B) suspended in the water column 
C) by drifting through the water, unable to swim against currents 
D) near the water's surface 
A) on or associated with the bottom 
B) suspended in the water column 
C) by drifting through the water, unable to swim against currents 
D) near the water's surface

Deep sea vent communities depend on specialized photoautotrophs that extract the exceedingly dim light that filters down to that depth.

The intertidal zone represents one of the most stressful environments in terms of changing environmental conditions. Explain this comment using specific examples of stresses and how organisms are able to survive in the intertidal zone.

Tube worms at seafloor vents get their energy by ____.

Seaweeds are ____.

Which list provides the stages of evolution of coral reefs around volcanic islands in the correct order?

Which of the following is FALSE with regard to seafloor communities?

Perhaps the most difficult oceanic habitat is/are ____.

Hydrothermal vents that support biological communities exist because of primary productivity in the form of chemosynthesis.

Nutrients in coral reefs are ____.

Because seaweeds don't need to transport water up from their base, ____.

The rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere threatens corals because it lowers ocean pH and decreases the availability of carbonate ions.

Why are organisms in rocky intertidal zones sorted into horizontal bands?

____ are vascular plants that are successful in low, muddy coasts in tropical and semitropical areas.

An estuary is where rivers meet the ocean and where freshwater and seawater mix.

Desiccation is a threat to organisms living in ____.

Mangrove trees have distinctive roots that trap and hold sediment.

What do scientists think might form the "stepping stones" that would enable organisms to disperse from one seafloor vent to another?

Tropical coral reefs typically form in areas of high wave energy.

The most common pattern for benthic organism distributions is ____.

Benthic organisms live ____.

The Origin of the Ocean

A History of Marine Science

Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics

Ocean Basins

Ocean Sediments

Water

Atmospheric Circulation

Ocean Circulation

Waves

Tides

Coasts

Life in the Ocean

Pelagic Communities

Uses and Abuses of the Ocean

Filters

Exam 14: Benthic Communities

Deep sea vent communities depend on specialized photoautotrophs that extract the exceedingly dim light that filters down to that depth.

The intertidal zone represents one of the most stressful environments in terms of changing environmental conditions. Explain this comment using specific examples of stresses and how organisms are able to survive in the intertidal zone.

Tube worms at seafloor vents get their energy by ____.

Seaweeds are ____.

Which list provides the stages of evolution of coral reefs around volcanic islands in the correct order?

Which of the following is FALSE with regard to seafloor communities?

Perhaps the most difficult oceanic habitat is/are ____.

Hydrothermal vents that support biological communities exist because of primary productivity in the form of chemosynthesis.

Nutrients in coral reefs are ____.

Because seaweeds don't need to transport water up from their base, ____.

The rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere threatens corals because it lowers ocean pH and decreases the availability of carbonate ions.

Why are organisms in rocky intertidal zones sorted into horizontal bands?

____ are vascular plants that are successful in low, muddy coasts in tropical and semitropical areas.

An estuary is where rivers meet the ocean and where freshwater and seawater mix.

Desiccation is a threat to organisms living in ____.

Mangrove trees have distinctive roots that trap and hold sediment.

What do scientists think might form the "stepping stones" that would enable organisms to disperse from one seafloor vent to another?

Tropical coral reefs typically form in areas of high wave energy.

The most common pattern for benthic organism distributions is ____.

Benthic organisms live ____.

The Origin of the Ocean

A History of Marine Science

Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics

Ocean Basins

Ocean Sediments

Water

Atmospheric Circulation

Ocean Circulation

Waves

Tides

Coasts

Life in the Ocean

Pelagic Communities

Uses and Abuses of the Ocean

Filters