EAS 1540 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Holoplankton, Walker Circulation, Zooxanthellae
27 Jun 2016
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Low nutrient = small phytoplankton thrive, vice versa. Nitrogen, phosphorous, silica (diatoms), and iron are limiting factors. Southern ocean = iron limited (comes off of continents) Tidal mixing is seasonally steady and mixes the water column, bringing water rich in nutrients to the surface. Coastal upwelling is seasonably variable and brings nutrient rich water up. Water mixes much better in the winter than the summer. Compensation depth = depth at which photosynthesis = respiration. Critical depth = phytoplankton spent too much time in this area and are losing carbon. Oceanic npp is about 50% of global npp. 71% of the ocean"s npp is from the open ocean. Holoplankton - whole life as plankton (eg. shrimp) Meroplankton - only part of their lives as plankton (eg. crab) Autotrophs: carbon for growth comes from non-organic sources (not other organisms) Heterotrophs: carbon for growth comes from previously made carbon. Size determines everything: 10x the size of x will eat x.
