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Glossary |
| absorb |
to take up radiant energy |
| acetone |
a chemical used to extract chlorophyll from plant matter |
| autotroph |
an organism that makes organic material from inorganic material; a primary producer; examples include plants, phytoplankton, and some bacteria |
| benthic |
in close association with the sea bottom (moving over it, attached to it, or borrowing into it) |
| biomass |
the total amount of living material in a system |
| carnivore |
an organism that eats animal matter (meat) |
| chlorophyll |
a group of photosynthetic pigments used in photosynthesis; gives plants their green color |
| CTD |
abbreviated term for equipment on the water sampling rosette; measures conductivity, temperature and depth |
| cytoplasm |
protoplasm of a cell outside of the cell's nucleus |
| density |
mass per unit volume of a substance |
| DOC |
dissolved organic carbon; important source of carbon for marine bacteria |
| diversity |
a measure of the number of species and their relative abundance |
| DNA |
deoxyribonucleic acid; a complex molecule that contains the genetic code for almost all organisms |
| eukaryotic |
organisms with a membrane-bound nucleus; includes members of the Animal, Plant, Protist and Fungi kingdoms |
| flow cytometry |
a technique used to measure the optical properties of cells in a flow stream rapidly passing one-at-a-time in front of a laser beam with detectors measureing fluorescence and light scatter |
| fluorescent |
describes matter that absorbs light then emits it at a longer wavelength |
| fluorometer |
equipment used to measure fluorescence |
food
chain |
a linear depiction of energy flow; each organism feeds on and derives energy from the preceding organism |
food
web |
a complex network of many interconnected feeding relationships; a more realistic portrayal of energy flow than a food chain |
| halocline |
the water layer in which salinity changes most rapidly with increasing depth |
| herbivore |
an organism that eats plant matter |
| heterotroph |
an organism that obtains its organic matter from the environment (usually from autotrophs); a consumer |
| micrometer |
a unit of measure representing one millionth of a meter |
| nutrient |
any number of inorganic or organic compounds used primary in nutrition; nutrients are cycled through food webs |
| ocean optics |
the science that deals with the properties of light in the water column and how it is affected by the presence/absence of algae and other materials |
| omnivorous |
describes an organism that eats both plant and animal matter |
|
pelagic |
free-living in the water column; not attached to substrate |
| photic zone |
the upper layer of the water column where sunlight can penetrate and photosynthesis can take place |
| photosynthesis |
the process of using the sun's energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen; carried out by green plants, algae and cyanobacteria |
| photosynthetic pigments |
molecules responsible for light harvesting in plants, phytoplankton and some bacteria |
| phytoplankton |
plankton that photosynthesizes (autotrophic) |
| piscivorous |
describes an organism that eats fish |
| plankton |
organisms that are suspended or floating, and do not have sufficient swimming abilities to avoid transport by major water movements |
| planktivorous |
describes an organism that eats plankton |
| primary productivity |
the rate at which organic material is synthesized from inorganic material through photosynthesis |
| radioactive tracers |
a radioactive substance that is incorporated into a biological pathway and that can be followed to allow study of the pathway |
| RNA |
ribonucleic acid; a complex molecule that fuction in protein synthesis |
| runoff |
fresh water from rain, snow and ice that flows on the ground into streams, lakes, wetlands and oceans |
| salinity |
a measure of the amount of dissolved salts in seawater |
| scatter |
the process of bending or casting back radiant energy |
| slide |
small flat glass sheets on which can be mounted various types of samples for investigation under a microscope |
| thermocline |
the water layer in which temperature changes most rapidly with increasing depth |
| top-level predator |
the terminal organism of a food web or chain; often does not have a natural predator |
| trench |
a narrow, steep-sided depression in the seafloor below 6000m in depth |
| trophic |
relating to food or nutrition |
| ultraviolet light |
radiation having wavelengths shorter than the visible spectrum but longer than X-rays (~1-400nm) |
| upwelling |
the process by which deep waters are brought to the surface by wind action |
| virus |
an infectious agent that is not considered to be truly "alive"; consists of a protein coat around genetic material; contributes to production of dissolved organic matter in the ocean |
| zooplanktivorous |
describes an organism that eats zooplankton |
| zooplankton |
plankton that obtains its organic matter from autotrophs; a consumer |
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