Marine Biology Definitions
Marine Biology Definitions for Modules 1-5
Terms
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- Vertebrates
- Animals that possess a backbone
- Binomial Nomenclature
- Identifying an organism by its genus and species name
- Gills
- Extension of the body containing thin-walled blood vessels that allow for easy absorption of oxygen from the outside surface
- Osmoregulator
- An organism that regulates its internal concentration of salts
- Bilateral Symmetry
- A body form in which only one longitudinal cut through the organism's center results in identical halves
- Continental Slope
- The steeper section of a continental edge, extending seaward from the continental shelf
- Gemmule
- A group of cells surrounded by a shell made of spicules
- Diffusion
- The movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
- Mesoglea
- A jelly-like substance between the inner layer and the outer layer of cells in a cnidarian
- Metamorphosis
- A complete morphological change from larval to adult form
- Bacteria
- Prokaryotic, single-celled, microscopic organisms
- Ectotherm
- An organism whose body temperature is controlled by its surrounding environment
- Mid-ocean Ridge
- A continuous chain of underwater volcanic mountains encompassing the earth
- Continental Rise
- The gently sloping area at the base of the continental slope
- Phytoplankton
- Photosynthetic organisms that drift in the water
- Oceanic Crust
- The portion of earth's crust that primarily contains basalt, is relatively dense, and is about 5 km thick
- Heterotrophs
- Organisms that cannot make their own food and must obtain it from other organisms
- Alternation of Generations
- A life cycle that alternates between a sexual stage (gametophyte) and an asexual stage (sporophyte)
- Medusa
- A free-swimming cnidarian stage, appearing bell-like or umbrella-like
- Metabolism
- The process by which a living organism takes energy from its surroundings and uses it to sustain itself, develop, and grow
- Continental Crust
- The portion of the earth's crust that primarily contains granite, is less dense than oceanic crust, and is 20-50 km thick
- Spring Tide
- A time of largest tidal range due to the gravitational pull of the aligned sun and moon (during the full moon and new moon)
- Sexual Reproduction
- Reproduction that involves the union of gametes from two organisms: a male and a female
- Asexual Reproduction
- Reproduction accomplished by a single organism
- Larva
- An immature stage of an animal that appears different from the adult stage
- Radial Symmetry
- A body form in which any longitudinal cut (along the length) through the organism's central axis results in identical halves
- Haploid Cell (1n)
- A cell that contains half the normal number of chromosomes (one from each pair)
- Poikilotherm
- An organism whose body temperature changes with its surrounding environment
- Seafloor Spreading
- The process that creates new sea floor as plates move away from each other at the mid-ocean ridges
- Symbiosis
- A close relationship between two species where at least one benefits
- Osmosis
- The diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane
- Coelom
- A body cavity within organisms containing specialized tissue
- Amoebocytes
- Cells within a sponge that produce its skeletal structure, perform digestion, and repair cell damage
- Gyres
- Large, mostly circular systems of surface currents driven by the wind
- Ventral
- Referring to the bottom (or belly) surface of an animal
- Coriolis Effect
- The way in which the rotation of the earth bends the path of winds and resulting sea currents
- Autotrophs
- Organisms that are able to produce their own food
- Diploid Cell (2n)
- A cell that has chromosomes which come in pairs
- Plate Tectonics
- A process involving the movement of large plates on the earth's mantle
- Dorsal
- Referring to the top (or back) surface of an animal
- Photosynthesis
- The process by which an organism uses the energy from the sun to produce its own food
- Specific Heat
- The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by 1.00 degrees Celsius
- Osculum
- A large opening on a sponge through which filtered water is expelled
- Mutualism
- A relationship between two or more organisms of different species where both benefit
- Homeotherm
- An animal that maintains a controlled internal body temperature using its own heating and cooling mechanisms
- Commensalism
- A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is neither benefited or harmed
- Neap Tide
- A time of smallest tidal range due to the moon and sun being located at right angles to each other (during quarter moons)
- Lichen
- An organism that results from the symbiosis between a fungus and an alga
- Endotherm
- An animal whose internal body temperature is a result of internal sources of heat
- Invertebrates
- Animals that do not possess a backbone
- Parasitism
- A relationship between two or more organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed
- Chemosynthesis
- The making of organic material from inorganic substances using chemical energy
- Respiration
- The process by which food is converted into useable energy for life functions
- Decomposers
- Organisms that break down dead organic matter into smaller molecules
- Continental Shelf
- The gently sloped shallow section of the edge of a continent, extending from the shore to the point where the slope gets steeper
- Zooplankton
- Tiny floating organisms that are either small animals or protozoans
- Polyp
- An attached cnidarian stage, appearing sac-like or barrel-like
- Osmoconformer
- An organism that allows its internal concentration of salts to change in order to match the external concentration of salts in the surrounding water
- Salinity
- The total amount of salt dissolved in a solvent
- Thallus
- The complete body of an alga, not differentiated into true leaves, stems, or roots
- Homeostasis
- The tendency of living organisms to control or regulate changes in their internal environment
- Spherical Symmetry
- A body form in which any cut through the organism's center results in identical halves