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A linear mass of calcium carbonate (aragonite and calcite) assembled from coral organisms, algae, mollusks, worms, and so on. Coral may contribute less than half of the reef material.
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A short, artificial projection of durable material placed at a right angle to shore in an attempt to slow longshore transport of sand from a beach; usually deployed in repeating units.
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A current running parallel to shore in the surf zone, caused by the incomplete refraction of waves approaching the beach at an angle.
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A strong, narrow surface current that flows seaward through the surf zone and is caused by the escape of excess water that has piled up in a longshore trough.
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The dark ocean below the depth to which light can penetrate.
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The synthesis of organic compounds from inorganic compounds using energy stored in inorganic substances such as sulfur, ammonia, and hydrogen. Energy is released when these substances are oxidized by certain organisms.
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| A physical or biological environmental factor whose absence or presence in an inappropriate amount limits the normal actions of an organism |
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A group of organisms associated by a complex set of feeding relationships in which the flow of food energy can be followed from primary producers through consumers.
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Any needed substance that an organism obtains from its environment except oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water.
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The thin film of lighted water at the top of the world ocean. The photic zone rarely extends deeper than 200 meters (660 feet). Compare euphotic zone.
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The process by which autotrophs bind light energy into the chemical bonds of food with the aid of chlorophyll and other substances. The process uses carbon dioxide and water as raw materials and yields glucose and oxygen.
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Initial consumer of primary producers. The consumers of autotrophs; the second level in food webs.
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An organism capable of using energy from light or energy-rich chemicals in the environment to produce energy-rich organic compounds; an autotroph.
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The synthesis of organic materials from inorganic substances by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis; expressed in grams of carbon bound into carbohydrate per unit area per unit time (gC/m2/yr).
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| Second law of thermodynamics |
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Disorder (entropy) in a closed system must increase over time. If disorder decreases, it does so at the expense of energy. Because the universe as a whole may be considered a closed system, it follows that an increase in order in one part must result in a decrease in order in another.
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A model of feeding relationships among organisms. Primary producers form the base of the pyramid; consumers eating one another form the higher levels, with the top consumer at the apex.
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Collective term for nonvascular plants possessing chlorophyll and capable of photosynthesis. (Singular, alga.)
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Biologically produced light.
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The depth in the water column at which the production of carbohydrates and oxygen by photosynthesis exactly equals the consumption of carbohydrates and oxygen by respiration. The break-even point for autotrophs. Generally a function of light level.
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Earth’s most abundant, successful, and efficient single-celled phytoplankton. Diatoms possess two interlocking valves made primarily of silica. The valves contribute to biogenous sediments.
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One of a class of microscopic single-celled flagellates, not all of which are autotrophic. The outer covering is often of stiff cellulose. Planktonic dinoflagellates are responsible for “red tides.”
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Informal name for any species of large phaeophyte.
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A large flowering shrub or tree that grows in dense thickets or forests along muddy or silty tropical coasts.
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Plantlike, usually single-celled members of the plankton community.
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Drifting or weakly swimming organisms suspended in water. Their horizontal position is to a large extent dependent on the mass flow of water rather than on their own swimming efforts.
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Animal members of the plankton community.
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Unicellular dinoflagellates that are symbiotic with coral and that produce the relatively high pH and some of the enzymes essential for rapid calcium-carbonate deposition in coral reefs.
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A symbiotic interaction between two species in which only one species benefits and neither is harmed.
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A symbiotic interaction between two species that is beneficial to both.
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A symbiotic relationship in which one species spends part or all of its life cycle on or within another, using the host species (or food within the host) as a source of nutrients; the most common form of symbiosis.
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The co-occurrence of two species in which the life of one is closely interwoven with the life of the other; mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism.
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The growing or farming of plants and animals in a water environment under controlled conditions. Compare mariculture.
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A living animal or plant collected for human use; also called a living resource.
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Animals unintentionally killed/caught when desirable organisms are collected.
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Fine, vertically suspended net that may be 7 meters (25 feet) high and 80 kilometers (50 miles) long.
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The farming of marine organisms, usually in estuaries, bays, or nearshore environments or in specially designed structures using circulating seawater. Compare aquaculture.
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| Maximum Sustainable Yield |
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The maximum amount of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks that can be caught without impairing future populations.
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Harvesting so many fish that there is not enough breeding stock left to replenish the species.
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Any resource that is naturally replaced on a seasonal basis by the growth of living organisms or by other natural processes.
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Able to be broken down by natural processes into simpler compounds.
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| Biological Amplification (=Biological magnification) |
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Increase in the concentration of certain fat-soluble chemicals such as DDT or heavy-metal compounds in successively higher trophic levels within a food web.
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neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision and damage to hearing and speech.
Minamata disease was first discovered in Minamata city in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan in 1956. It was caused by the release of methylmercury in the industrial wastewater from the Chisso Corporation's chemical factory, which continued from 1932 to 1968. This highly toxic chemical bioaccumulated in shellfish and fish in Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea, which when eaten by the local populace resulted in mercury poisoning. |
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A set of physical, chemical, and biological changes brought about when excessive nutrients are released into water.
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| Coral bleaching is the whitening of corals, due to stress-induced expulsion or death of their symbiotic protozoa, zooxanthellae, or due to the loss of pigmentation within the protozoa.[1] The corals that form the structure of the great reef ecosystems of tropical seas depend upon a symbiotic relationship with unicellular flagellate protozoa, called zooxanthellae, that are photosynthetic and live within their tissues. Zooxanthellae give coral its coloration, with the specific color depending on the particular clade. Under stress, corals may expel their zooxanthellae, which leads to a lighter or completely white appearance, |
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| The tragedy of the commons is a dilemma arising from the situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently, and solely and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen. This dilemma was first described in an influential article titled "The Tragedy of the Commons," written by Garrett Hardin and first published in the journal Science in 1968.[1] |
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microorganisms naturally present in the soils were actively consuming fuel-derived toxic compounds and transforming them into harmless carbon dioxide. Furthermore, these studies had shown that the rate of these biotransformations could be greatly increased by the addition of nutrients. By "stimulating" the natural microbial community through nutrient addition, it was theoretically possible to increase rates of biodegradation and thereby shield the residential area from further contamination.
any process that uses microorganisms or their enzymes to return the environment altered by contaminants to its original condition. Bioremediation may be employed in order to attack specific contaminants, such as chlorinated pesticides that are degraded by bacteria, or a more general approach may be taken, such as oil spills that are broken down using multiple techniques including the addition of fertilizer to facilitate the decomposition of crude oil by bacteria |
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oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oils contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors to eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation throughout the body,[1][2] and are thought to have many health benefits
Some research suggests that fish oil intake may reduce the risk of ischemic and thrombotic stroke |
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n−3 fatty acids (popularly referred to as ω−3 fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids) are a family of unsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon–carbon double bond in the n−3 position; that is, the third bond from the methyl end of the fatty acid.
Nutritionally important n−3 fatty acids include α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), all of which are polyunsaturated. |
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