Describe the major biotic and abiotic components of marine ecosystems and how they affect energy and trophic dynamics

What will be an ideal response?


Marine ecosystems are comprised of abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) factors that interact as a system. Major abiotic factors include salinity, temperature, pressure, nutrients, and sunlight. Major biotic factors include the autotrophs who are self nourishing through photosynthesis; the heterotrophs who consume autotrophes or other heterotrophes; and the detritivores who are responsible for much of the recycling of inorganic material. The amount of energy and number of trophic levels are determined by the amount of sunlight, nutrients, and energy conversion in the food web.

Biology & Microbiology

You might also like to view...

Chytridiomycosis is thought to be associated with increases in environmental temperature associated with global warming. Design a series of experiments that would help to prove or disprove this hypothesis

What will be an ideal response?

Biology & Microbiology

What is required to stop transcription in prokaryotes?

a. a stop codon b. an enzyme c. an RNA hairpin loop d. a poly-A sequence

Biology & Microbiology

Heating inactivates enzymes by

A) breaking the covalent bonds that hold the molecule together. B) removing phosphate groups from the enzyme. C) causing enzyme molecules to stick together. D) changing the enzyme's three-dimensional shape.

Biology & Microbiology

What feature do the carbon and nitrogen cycles have in common?

A. often a limiting nutrient B. involvement in global climate change C. mostly local cycling D. many microbes involved in cycling E. a large atmospheric component

Biology & Microbiology