Marine Science Review

Multiple Choice

Ocean currents serve to transport many forms of plankton around the oceans. Which of the following animals would be affected by this transport of plankton?

• Leatherback sea turtles migrating to Caribbean islands to lay eggs

• Dugongs migrating between Pacific islands to feed on the vegetation of each

• Blue whales migrating to the coasts of South Africa during the summer to feed on krill

• Bottle-nosed dolphins migrating from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediterranean Sea to reproduce

Multiple Choice

Many organisms use the tides to determine time to reproduce. Organisms such as coral need to the movement of water from the tides to help spread sperm and eggs in the water. Which would be a good time for the coral to reproduce?  

• During the new moon flux of a neap tide

• During the full moon flux of a spring tide

• During the waxing half moon flux of a neap tide

• During the gibbous (3/4) moon flux of a spring tide

Multiple Choice

  A study of organisms along a rocky shore shows many of the organisms in the intertidal zone have some method of attaching to the rocks. What is the best reason for this adaptation?  

• The tides cause these organisms to be exposed to air, so they need to avoid drying out

• The waves bring an abundance of nutrients that lead to rapid growth, and they need space

• The waves cause a constant erosion effect that is working to wash these organisms off the shore

• The tides create a drag force that pulls the organisms out to the deeper ocean, and away from sunlight

Multiple Choice

  The ocean is divided up into many zones. These zones are characterized by different abiotic factors. Which zone would best fit the following description: deep, high pressure, moderate salinity, high temperature, presence of hydrothermal vents, low oxygen, and no sunlight?  

• Bathypelagic

• Epipelagic

• Hadalpelagic

• Mesopelagic

Multiple Choice

  Organisms like the sperm whale can dive down to many different zones of the marine biome. However, because they breathe air, there is one zone to which they must always return. In what zone does the sperm whale actually belong?  

• Bathypelagic

• Epipelagic

• Hadalpelagic

• Mesopelagic

Multiple Choice

When excess carbon dioxide enters the ocean, it begins to chemically change the composition of the water in the ocean. What is this process known as?  

• Acidification

• Chemosynthesis

• Greenhouse Effect

• Photosynthesis

Multiple Choice

  There are many steps to the water cycle. However, the ocean really only serves one major role. What is this role?  

• As a purifier for the process of infiltration

• As a transformer of water in transpiration

• As a source of condensation for precipitation

• As a reservoir of stored water for evaporation to occur

Multiple Choice

  One of the biggest concerns in society today is the search for renewable forms of energy. Which of the following would be a form of renewable energy, tied to the ocean?  

• Solar power from panels

• Tidal power from turbines

• Wind power from windmills

• Hydroelectric power from dams

Multiple Choice

A bay in New England is screened off to form a clam farm. The screen is designed to keep predators like sea stars out, but still allows the water to carry plankton through to feed the clams. What type of system is represented by this bay?  

• A closed system

• An open system

• A perfect isolated system

• An imperfect isolated system

Multiple Choice

  When a scientist discovers a new species, they perform several tests on this species. What is the term for the part of these experiments the scientist changes each time, as they conduct their trials?  

• control group

• control variable

• dependent variable

• independent variable

Multiple Choice

  Recent news around Florida has given lots of information about algal blooms such as red tide affecting coastlines around the state. These blooms are often caused by an excess of chemical fertilizers and growth enhancers. What is the most logical way the large amounts of these chemicals have entered the ocean around Florida?  

• As leakage from production factories

• As dumping from chemical companies

• As runoff from people watering their lawns

• As runoff from agricultural areas and farms

Multiple Choice

  Oil spills are always shown to be a problem in the ocean. However, what is actually the greatest problem these spills represent?   

• Birds feathers become covered in oil and prevent them from flying or floating

• Beaches get covered in oil that lowers tourism, and contaminates sand and shells.

• The oil slick covers the surface of the water, stopping sunlight and oxygen from entering the ocean

• The oil is eaten by fishes and other marine organisms, causing them to become poisonous as a food source

Multiple Choice

The most powerful hurricanes usually happen during August and September, even though hurricane season actually starts in June. Why does it take this long to get the more powerful storms?  

• The seasonal change towards fall means an increase in winds that help form the storm

• The daily afternoon showers created by the increased summer heat help fuel these storms over time

• Hurricanes are started by warmer water, and as the summer warms the water more, the storms become stronger

• The change from summer starting to turn to fall causes the temperature to drop enough for the storms to get stronger

Multiple Choice

 Along the bottom of the oceans, there are certain ecosystems that form near hydrothermal vents. These ecosystems start with the arrival of chemosynthetic bacterial, followed by worms and other animals. We call organisms like this bacteria pioneer species. Why do these organisms have to be the first organisms in the ecosystem?  

• They are small organisms that build a foundation for larger organisms to live on

• They are able to build surfaces for other organisms to attach to and crawl along

• They cool the water near the vents to make it suitable for other organisms to live

• They are the producers who will create food for the other organisms to develop later

Multiple Choice

  Recent studies of the Indian River lagoon in Florida have showed an increase in numbers of tunicates invading the area. Research leads us to conclude that an increase in the average water temperature might be causing the area to be more welcoming to these organisms. What would be the most likely cause of this increase in the ocean temperature?   

• Climate change from global warming

• Thermal pollution from local factories

• Sunlight warming waters for summer seasons

• Sea level rise bringing in more water from the ocean

Multiple Choice

While the use of artificial reefs has been controversial. One of the main reasons we have chosen to create these reefs has been to create new solid surfaces under the water. How does the creation of these extra reef ecosystems possibly affect the carrying capacity of the coral in the area?  

• The ecosystem can support more and varied corals, resulting in an increase in carrying capacity

• The ecosystem will migrate the coral to a new area, resulting in no change to the carrying capacity

• The ecosystem will take up part of the area where the reef was placed, resulting in a decrease in the carrying capacity

• The ecosystem will allow new places for the same species to live, resulting in no change in carrying capacity

Multiple Choice

  An expedition discovered a strange fish that seeming has no blood. It was discovered that this fish uses a clear liquid with a chemical that prevents the formation of ice crystals for its blood. Which of the following statements would be a logical reason for this feature?  

• The fish moved to cold waters and started making a chemical to protect its blood from freezing

• The fish moved to colder waters, and the temperature prevented the formation of normal blood cells

• The fish had a mutation that resulted in the loss of blood cells, so it moved to colder waters to compensate for the loss

• The fish had a mutation create a chemical that protected its blood from freezing, and allowed it to move to colder waters

Multiple Choice

 There are some organisms which live under the ice cap at the north pole. These fishes are able to survive in part because as the water freezes into ice, it floats up towards the surface rather than trapping the fish. What property of water causes the ice to float?  

• Its cohesion

• Its adhesion

• Its high specific heat

• Its crystalline expansion

Multiple Choice

 Florida has had recent problems with people at the beach being affected by flesh eating bacteria from the water. In the medical field, we have names for each part of this system. What is the term for the bacteria infecting the people?  

• Booster

• Host

• Pathogen

• Reservoir

Multiple Choice

In a sample food chain from the ocean, phytoplankton is eaten by clams. The clams are then eaten by sea stars. And finally, the sea stars are eaten by sheepshead fish. Assuming you start with 25,000 lbs. of phytoplankton, what is the size of the sheepshead this phytoplankton can support?  

• 2.5 lbs

• 25 lbs

• 250 lbs

• 2,500 lbs

Multiple Choice

 Which one of these are the producer   

• algae

• limpets

• mussels

• zooplankton

Multiple Choice

Increases in catching of various types of shark for food and fins has resulted in a decline in multiple ecosystems. As the numbers of these sharks decline, the Humbolt squid has taken over as a top predator in the area. Which of the following would be a reason for the decline in ecosystems across based on the above information?  

• The loss of the sharks results in loss of food to the other organisms preying on them.

• The single squid species doesn’t control all the populations the different sharks were

• The increase in squids causes a loss in the producers they eat, which affects all organisms

• The loss of different sharks prevents food from migrating to new areas and confines ecosystems

Multiple Choice

 Warm global ocean currents tend to flow away from the equator, carrying heat with them. Which of the following statements would be an effect of this flow?   

• The equator tends to be cooler than it should

• The equator continues to get warmer and warmer

• The poles lose temperature to become colder and colder

• The poles absorb this heat, causing the earth to become cooler

Multiple Choice

Tiger sharks are often found in the company of fishes called remora. These fishes attach to the shark to ride with them and eat off the leftovers from anything the shark attacks. What type of relationship is exhibited by these organisms together?  

• Commensalism

• Competition

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

Multiple Choice

Dolphins are considered what?

• fish

• reptiles

• birds

• mammals