OCS 1005 Chapter : Chapter 12 Final Review Spring 2012
Chapter 12
• Taxonomic classification of living things includes three domains
and five kingdoms, each of which is split into increasingly specific
groupings of phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.
• Marine organisms can be classified as plankton (drifters), nekton
(swimmers), or benthos (bottom dwellers); more than 250,000
marine species exist, which represent 14% of the identified
species on Earth.
• The ocean’s physical properties (such as viscosity, salinity, sunlit
surface waters, and pressure) create conditions to which marine
organisms are superbly adapted.
• The consumption of energy and reproduction are the two major
keys to life. living things can capture, store, and transmit energy;
they are capable of reproduction; they can adapt to their
environment; and they can change through time.
• A domain is called the “superkingdom” of life: bacteria archaea,
and Eukarya.
• Bacteria: simple life forms that usually lack a nucleus, including
purple bacteria, and cyanobacteria.
• Archaea: a group of simple, microscopic, bacteria-like creatures
that include methane produces and sulfur oxidizers that inhabit
deep-sea vents and seeps. This domain prefers extreme
temperatures and/or pressures.
• Eukarya: includes complex organisms: multicellular plants;
multicellular animals; fungi; and protoctists. The main component
of eukaryotes is DNA that is housed in a discrete nucleus, and
their cells contain structures that supple energy to build the cell
and maintain its functions.
• Lateral gene transfer: genes said to be passed down.
• There are five kingdoms within the 3 domains: Monera Plantae,
Animalia, Fungi, and Protoctista.
• Monera: includes some of the simplest organisms. They are single
celled but lack a discrete nuclei and internal organelles. They are
found in the breadth and depth of the oceans. Examples include
cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, and archaea.
• Kingdom Plantae comprises the multicelled plants, all of which
photosynthesize.
• Kingdom animalia comprises the multi-celled animals. Organisms
from kingdom animalia range in complexity from the simple
sponges to complex vertebrates. This kingdom includes humans.
• Fungi: includes 100,000 species of mold and lichen. Fungi exists
throughout the marine environment, but they are much more
common in intertidal zones.
• Kingdom Protoctista includes a diverse collection of single- and
multi celled organisms that have a nucleus. Examples include
various types of marine algae. The single celled organisms are
called protozoa.
• Taxonomy: involves using physical characteristics as well as
genetic information to recognize organism similarities and then
grouping them into increasingly specific categories.
Least specific.
Kingdom>Phylum>Class>Order>Family>Genus>Species. More
specific.
• Species: a fundamental unit of taxonomic classification consisting
of populations of genetically similar, interbreeding individuals
that share a collection of inherited characteristics whose
combination is unique.
PLANKTON
• 98% of marine species are bottom dwelling, the vast majority of
the ocean’s biomass is planktonic.
• Autotrophic: plankton able to photosynthesize and produce its
own food.(phytoplankton)
• Heterotrophs: NOT able to produce their own food and relies on
food produced by others. (zooplankton)
• Bacterioplankton: plankton that is bacteria. Very abundant
• Virioplankton: is an order that decreases numbers of other
planktons by infections
• Holoplankton: plankton that live their entire lives as plankton
• Meroplankton: young plankton that grow up to be benthos or
nekton.
• Macroplankton: plankton classified by their size
• Picoplankton: plankton classified by their size
NEKTON