How Can We Track Life in the Ocean?

A sudden growth of algae in a marine or freshwater environment. They usually color the water either green, brown, or red.

• Fungi

• Bacteria

• Blooms

• Lactose

The number of different living things in an area and how balanced their numbers are. This includes how many different types of organisms there are within and between species.

• Biodiversity

• Ecosystem

• Environment

• Population

Microscopic plants that live in the sea. These are Photosynthesizers (plants that take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen).

• Plankton

• Phytoplankton

• Bacteria

• Protists

The members of any particular taxonomic group. Taxonomy is a way of classifying animals into groups based on shared characteristics.

• Phyla

• Family

• Taxa

• Genus

A part of DNA that is different between different species and can be used to identify that specific animal.

• Chromosome

• Double Helix

• Gene

• Variable Region

A level in a food web defined by the method of obtaining food. For example, an autotroph produces its own food, whereas a herbivore eats plant material.

• Producer

• Trophic Level

• Bio Level

• Consumer

The green pigment in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. High measurements can indicate algal blooms in the marine environment.

• Chlorophyll

• Chloroplast

• Chlorine

• Plankton

A climatic change, characterized by unusually warm, nutrient-poor water, typically in late December.

• Drought

• Flood

• La Niña

• El Niño

A community of interacting organisms and their non-living environment. For example, a coral reef is made up of corals, non-living rock structures, and the species which live in or around them.

• Community

• Population

• Ecosystem

• Family

A part of DNA that is identical or very similar in different species of the same type.

• Chromosomes

• Conserved Region

• Variable Region

• Trophic Region