Marine Biology

 
Directions: For this assignment, you are required to answer the following questions. The answers are short and
essay-based with each answer having a minimum of 200 words.

1. 1. What were the initial reasons to study marine biology and oceanography, and what lead to the
evolution of the field of study and the advancement in modern day?
2. 2. Differentiate between marine biology and biological oceanography.
3. 3. Explain the processes of photosynthesis and respiration, and how they apply to the marine
environment.
4. 4. List and describe the abiotic factors (i.e. salinity, temperature, density, and pressure) associated
with the marine environment and the adaptations needed to survive in varying degrees of abiotic factors.
5. 5. Explain fundamentals of ecology and the factors that affect the distribution of marine organisms.
6. 6. Why was the voyage of the HMS Challenger so significant?
7. 7. How did sonar and scuba help advance the field of marine biology?
8. 8. Differentiate between carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.
9. 9. Differentiate between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
10. 10. Describe the following levels of organization in biological systems and place them in order of
increasing complexity: Ecosystem, Community, Population, Individual, Organ System, Organ, Tissue, Cell, Organelle,
Molecule, Atom.
11. 11. Contrast sexual and asexual reproduction.
12. 12. Give two examples of reproductive strategies.
13. 13. What is natural selection? What is an adaptation?
14. 14. Explain the biological species concept.
1. 1. List and describe the characteristics of marine bacteria.
2. 2. Explain the important ecological roles of micro-organisms and primary producers and how they affect
the food chain, decomposition, and recycling of nutrients.
3. 3. Examine multi-cellular primary production’s (i.e. seaweed and flowering plants) unique
characteristics in structure and habitat.
4. 4. Explain the adaptations of multi-cellular primary producers in the marine environment.
5. 5. Examine the ecological role/importance of multi-cellular primary producers, focusing on detritus
food chain, habitat, and nurseries.
6. 6. Explain three methods of prokaryotic metabolism.
7. 7. List and describe the characteristics of unicellular algae.
8. 8. List and describe the characteristics of marine protozoans.
9. 9. List and describe the characteristics of marine fungi.
10. 10. Describe the basic structure of seaweed. If possible, include a drawing.
11. 11. Differentiate between Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta, and Rhodophyta.
12. 12. Explain the economic importance of seaweed, and list at least five products that contain algal
derivatives.
Describe the key characteristics of seagrasses, salt-marsh plants, and mangroves.
1. 1. Describe the evolutionary significance of segmentation, and give an in-depth analysis comparing and
contrasting the complexity of new organisms (i.e. flatworms vs. annelids).
2. 2. Explain the physical adaptation of Cnidarians (jellyfish vs. sea anemones vs. corals) to the marine
environment and how it allows them to survive. Think about if they are sessile, food resources, organismal
relationships, etc.
3. 3. Compare and contrast the structural elements of porifera, mollusca, arthropods, and echinoderms
(think about what gives structure to the organisms). How does this structure suit the different class of organisms
in the marine environment and in their specific environments?
4. 4. Compare and contrast the body cavity and circulatory systems of nemerta, mollusca, ectoprocta, and
echiura (think about their food mechanism and habitat). How do the body cavity and the circulatory system become
adaptive features for these organisms to the marine environment?
5. 5. Contrast bilateral and radial symmetry.
6. 6. Differentiate between an open and closed circulatory system.
7. 7. Differentiate between an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton.
8. 8. What are the four chordate characteristics?
9. 9. Explain how fish swim.
10. 10. Describe at least two fish behaviors (for example, territoriality, schooling, and migration).
11. 11. Differentiate between viviparous, oviparous, and ovoviviparous.
12. 12. Contrast poikilotherms, ectotherms, homeeotherms, and endotherms.
13. 13. Summarize the biology of marine reptiles.
14. 14. Summarize the biology of seabirds and shorebirds.
15. 15. Explain echolocation.