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The etymological origin of the term 'zooplankton' is derived from Ancient Greek words signifying 'animal' and 'wanderer or drifter'.
Answer: True
The nomenclature for zooplankton originates from the Ancient Greek terms 'zōon' (animal) and 'planktos' (wanderer or drifter), reflecting their heterotrophic nature and passive drift.
Phytoplankton are characterized as heterotrophic organisms, deriving energy through the consumption of other life forms.
Answer: False
This statement is incorrect. Phytoplankton are autotrophic, producing their own energy via photosynthesis, whereas zooplankton are heterotrophic.
It is asserted that all zooplankton lack independent locomotion and are solely subject to the forces of water currents.
Answer: False
This assertion is false. While many zooplankton drift passively, a significant number possess the capacity for independent movement, utilized for predator avoidance or prey capture.
What fundamental difference distinguishes phytoplankton and zooplankton concerning their methods of energy acquisition?
Answer: Phytoplankton use photosynthesis; zooplankton consume other organisms.
Phytoplankton are autotrophic, utilizing photosynthesis for energy, whereas zooplankton are heterotrophic, obtaining energy by consuming other organisms.
Mesozooplankton are defined by their size range, encompassing organisms measuring between 0.2 and 20 micrometers.
Answer: False
This is incorrect. Mesozooplankton are typically defined as ranging from 0.2 to 20 millimeters, not micrometers. Microzooplankton fall within the micrometer range.
Protozooplankton are defined as multicellular organisms that constitute a significant component of the planktonic community.
Answer: False
This is false. Protozooplankton are single-celled organisms (protists), not multicellular.
Historically, protozoa were taxonomically classified as plants primarily because they exhibited a lack of motility.
Answer: False
This is false. Historically, protozoa were often classified with animals due to motility and heterotrophy, and with plants due to some cellular similarities, but not exclusively due to lack of motility.
The intricate shells of radiolarians are predominantly composed of organic material and consequently exhibit poor fossil preservation.
Answer: False
This is false. Radiolarian shells are typically composed of silica, which preserves well and forms significant microfossil deposits.
The tests, or shells, produced by foraminiferans are primarily constructed from silica.
Answer: False
This is false. Foraminiferan tests are typically composed of calcite, although some species may agglutinate sediment particles.
The provided text exclusively identifies testate amoebas as the relevant category of amoeba within the zooplankton.
Answer: False
This is false. The text mentions both testate amoebas (those with shells) and naked amoebas.
Dinoflagellates are characterized by the presence of a single flagellum and are exclusively photosynthetic in their metabolic strategy.
Answer: False
This is false. Dinoflagellates typically possess two flagella, and while many are photosynthetic, a significant number are heterotrophic or mixotrophic.
Mixoplankton are defined as organisms exclusively capable of performing photosynthesis.
Answer: False
This is false. Mixoplankton are mixotrophic, meaning they utilize multiple modes of nutrition, often combining photosynthesis with heterotrophy.
It is estimated that mixotrophic organisms constitute less than 10% of the microscopic plankton population.
Answer: False
This is false. Estimates suggest that mixotrophs comprise more than half of all microscopic plankton in the oceans.
Eukaryotic mixotrophs are capable of acquiring all necessary nutrients exclusively through the ingestion of other organisms.
Answer: False
This is false. Eukaryotic mixotrophs utilize multiple strategies, which can include photosynthesis, hosting symbionts, or ingesting other organisms, but not solely ingestion.
Estimates suggest that up to 65% of the biomass within the microzooplankton community exhibits mixotrophic characteristics.
Answer: True
This is true. Recent studies indicate that a substantial portion of microzooplankton biomass, particularly among amoeboids, foraminiferans, and radiolarians, is mixotrophic.
Copepods are classified as large crustaceans, frequently attaining lengths greater than 50 millimeters.
Answer: False
This is false. Copepods are typically small crustaceans, usually measuring 1-2 millimeters in length, not exceeding 50 mm.
Copepods are considered ecologically insignificant owing to their diminutive size and limited abundance.
Answer: False
This is false. Copepods are ecologically highly significant due to their typically high abundance and crucial role as primary consumers and food sources.
The category of ichthyoplankton exclusively encompasses the eggs of fish, excluding their larval stages.
Answer: False
This is false. Ichthyoplankton comprises both the eggs and the larval stages of fish.
Certain dinoflagellate species engage in symbiotic relationships, hosting symbionts within their structures and conferring mutual benefits.
Answer: True
This is true. For example, some dinoflagellates host symbionts within their shells, providing essential nutrients to the host in exchange for protection or other benefits.
The fossilized remains of foraminiferans possess no utility for the investigation of paleoclimates.
Answer: False
This is false. The well-preserved fossil record of foraminiferans is highly valuable for reconstructing past oceanic conditions and climates.
Copepods function as primary consumers, subsisting predominantly on other zooplankton species.
Answer: False
This is false. Copepods are primarily herbivores, feeding mainly on phytoplankton, although some species are omnivorous or carnivorous.
The historical classification of protozoa as plants was based on their absence of cell walls.
Answer: False
This is false. Protozoa were historically classified with animals due to motility and heterotrophy, and sometimes with plants due to cellular characteristics, but not primarily because they lacked cell walls (plants have cell walls, many protozoa do not).
The shells produced by foraminiferans are primarily composed of silica.
Answer: False
This is false. Foraminiferan tests are typically made of calcite. Silica is characteristic of radiolarian shells.
Mixoplankton are organisms that integrate photosynthetic capabilities with heterotrophic feeding strategies.
Answer: True
This is true. Mixoplankton are defined by their ability to utilize multiple nutritional modes, often including both photosynthesis and the consumption of other organisms.
Protozooplankton are exclusively composed of single-celled organisms.
Answer: True
This is true. Protozooplankton are unicellular protists.
A characteristic feature of many copepods is the presence of a single, median eye situated centrally on their transparent cephalothorax.
Answer: True
This is true. Many copepods possess a median, dorsal eye, often referred to as a 'naupliar eye', located on their head region.
Ichthyoplankton are classified as planktonic because fish eggs and early larvae lack strong swimming capabilities and drift with currents.
Answer: True
This is true. Ichthyoplankton are considered planktonic because fish eggs and early larvae lack strong swimming capabilities and drift with currents, not because of their size.
Dinoflagellates are typically distinguished by the presence of two flagella and often possess a protective covering composed of cellulose.
Answer: True
This is true. These features, along with their diverse feeding strategies, are characteristic of many dinoflagellates.
Historically, protozoa were classified under the animal kingdom primarily based on observed motility and predatory behaviors.
Answer: True
This is true. These animal-like characteristics were key factors in their early taxonomic placement.
What is the defining characteristic of an organism classified as 'mixoplankton'?
Answer: They combine multiple methods, like photosynthesis and predation, for energy.
Mixoplankton are defined by their mixotrophic nature, meaning they can obtain energy and nutrients through multiple strategies, such as combining photosynthesis with heterotrophic feeding (e.g., predation).
What is the estimated proportion of microscopic plankton that exhibits mixotrophic characteristics?
Answer: More than 50%
Estimates indicate that mixotrophs constitute a majority of microscopic plankton, often cited as comprising more than 50% of this community.
What is a defining physical characteristic commonly observed in copepods?
Answer: A single red eye in the center of the head.
Many copepods possess a median, dorsal eye, often referred to as a naupliar eye, located centrally on their transparent cephalothorax.
What is the definition of ichthyoplankton?
Answer: The eggs and larvae of fish.
Ichthyoplankton refers to the eggs and larval stages of fish that drift with ocean currents, lacking the swimming capability to maintain their position independently.
In what manner do certain dinoflagellates provide benefits to radiolarians through symbiotic associations?
Answer: By supplying essential compounds like ammonium and CO2.
Some dinoflagellates, when hosted by radiolarians, supply essential compounds such as ammonium and carbon dioxide, thereby benefiting their hosts.
What renders the fossil record of foraminiferans particularly valuable for scientific inquiry?
Answer: They provide well-established records for inferring past oceanic conditions and climates.
The fossil record of foraminiferans is highly valuable because their well-preserved tests provide extensive data for inferring past oceanic conditions and climatic trends.
What is a key characteristic defining protozooplankton?
Answer: They are single-celled protists.
Protozooplankton are characterized as being exclusively single-celled organisms, belonging to the protist kingdom.
Which zooplankton group typically constitutes the dominant component of the mesozooplankton size class across most oceanic regions?
Answer: Copepods
Copepods, a type of crustacean, typically dominate the mesozooplankton size class in most oceanic regions due to their high abundance and widespread distribution.
Zooplankton are considered to play a negligible role in aquatic food webs and exert minimal influence on nutrient cycling processes.
Answer: False
This statement is false. Zooplankton are critical links in aquatic food webs and significantly contribute to nutrient cycling through excretion and other metabolic processes.
Microzooplankton are estimated to consume a lesser proportion of daily primary production relative to mesozooplankton.
Answer: False
This is false. Microzooplankton are significant grazers and often consume a larger proportion of daily primary production than mesozooplankton.
Mesozooplankton are considered poor indicators of climate change impacts because of their extended life cycles.
Answer: False
This is false. Mesozooplankton are valuable indicators of climate change precisely because their relatively short life cycles allow for rapid population responses to environmental shifts.
Historically, gelatinous zooplankton, such as jellyfish, were regarded as primary energy conduits within marine food webs.
Answer: False
This is false. Historically, gelatinous zooplankton were often considered to have low nutritional value and minor roles; current understanding recognizes their significant ecological importance.
The study of predation dynamics involving gelatinous zooplankton is simplified by their inherently robust physical structure.
Answer: False
This is false. Studying predation on gelatinous zooplankton is challenging due to their fragile nature, rapid digestion, and difficulty in detection within predator stomachs.
Current scientific understanding posits that gelatinous zooplankton hold negligible ecological significance.
Answer: False
This is false. Recent research indicates that gelatinous zooplankton play integral roles in marine food webs and ecosystem dynamics.
What factor contributes to the significant ecological importance of copepods within zooplankton communities?
Answer: They are typically among the most abundant members and crucial food sources.
Copepods are ecologically significant due to their typically high abundance, often dominating zooplankton biomass, and their crucial role as primary consumers and a food source for higher trophic levels.
How has the scientific perspective on the ecological role of gelatinous zooplankton evolved over time?
Answer: From minor players with low nutritional value to recognized integral parts of food webs.
The scientific view has shifted from considering gelatinous zooplankton as minor, low-value components of food webs to recognizing them as integral parts, capable of significant blooms and playing substantial roles in pelagic ecosystems.
What factors contribute to the difficulty in studying predation events involving gelatinous zooplankton?
Answer: They are fragile, digest quickly, and are hard to find in stomachs.
Studying predation on gelatinous zooplankton is challenging due to their fragile nature, rapid digestion, and the difficulty of detecting them within predator digestive tracts.
Zooplankton are capable of facilitating the biomagnification of contaminants, such as mercury, through the bioaccumulation of these substances within their tissues.
Answer: True
This is true. As zooplankton consume contaminated prey, pollutants can become concentrated in their tissues, leading to biomagnification as these substances are transferred up the food chain.
Zooplankton grazing represents a minor contributor to the overall loss of marine primary production.
Answer: False
This is false. Zooplankton grazing is the primary factor responsible for the loss of organic carbon from marine primary production.
The primary mechanism by which zooplankton contribute to carbon export involves the production of substantial quantities of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2).
Answer: False
This is false. Zooplankton contribute to carbon export primarily through the production of sinking fecal pellets and other organic matter, not dissolved CO2.
Fecal pellets are considered ineffective for carbon export due to their rapid microbial decomposition.
Answer: False
This is false. Fecal pellets are a significant vector for carbon export, and their effectiveness is influenced by factors like size and sinking rate, not solely by rapid microbial consumption.
The carcasses of gelatinous zooplankton, termed 'jelly falls', are now acknowledged as potentially substantial contributors to oceanic carbon export.
Answer: True
This is true. Due to their large size, 'jelly falls' can transport significant amounts of carbon to the deep sea, making them important contributors to carbon export.
Zooplankton species can serve as reservoirs for pathogenic microorganisms, such as *Vibrio cholerae*, by providing a substrate on their exoskeletons.
Answer: True
This is true. Crustacean zooplankton, for instance, can host *Vibrio cholerae* on their chitinous exoskeletons, which provides nutrients and facilitates survival.
An increase in zooplankton body size enhances the efficiency of the biological carbon pump through the production of smaller, slower-sinking fecal pellets.
Answer: False
This is false. Larger zooplankton often produce larger, faster-sinking fecal pellets, which can contribute more effectively to carbon export. Smaller pellets generally sink more slowly.
The biological pump's efficient transport of carbon to the deep ocean is predominantly achieved through the respiratory processes of zooplankton.
Answer: False
This is false. The biological pump relies on the sinking of organic matter (e.g., fecal pellets, carcasses), not primarily on zooplankton respiration, for carbon transport to the deep ocean.
Zooplankton play an essential role in the recycling of nutrients, thereby supporting primary production within aquatic ecosystems.
Answer: True
This is true. Through excretion and other metabolic processes, zooplankton release essential nutrients back into the water column, fueling phytoplankton growth.
The primary pathways for dissolved organic matter (DOM) release by zooplankton include respiration and the shedding of exoskeletons (molting).
Answer: False
This is partially true but incomplete. While respiration and molting contribute, 'sloppy feeding' (inefficient ingestion) is also a major source of DOM release by zooplankton.
The effectiveness of carbon export via fecal pellets is critically dependent on pellet size, rather than solely on the abundance of zooplankton.
Answer: True
This is true. Larger fecal pellets generally sink faster and are more efficient at transporting carbon to the deep ocean.
Zooplankton grazing is primarily responsible for which ecological process?
Answer: The majority of organic carbon loss from marine primary production.
Zooplankton grazing is the principal factor responsible for the loss of organic carbon derived from marine primary production.
Identify a primary mechanism through which zooplankton contribute to oceanic carbon export.
Answer: Production of large, sinking fecal pellets.
A primary mechanism is the production of fecal pellets, which sink and transport organic carbon to deeper ocean layers as part of the biological pump.
What is the significance of 'jelly falls' in the context of oceanic carbon export?
Answer: They are significant because their large size carries substantial carbon to the deep sea.
'Jelly falls', the carcasses of gelatinous zooplankton, are significant contributors to carbon export due to their large size, which allows them to transport substantial amounts of carbon to the deep sea.
In what way do crustacean zooplankton contribute to the survival and proliferation of *Vibrio cholerae*?
Answer: By providing a surface (chitinous exoskeleton) and nutrients for attachment.
Crustacean zooplankton can host *Vibrio cholerae* on their chitinous exoskeletons, which provide essential carbon and nitrogen nutrients, thereby enhancing bacterial survival in aquatic environments and potentially acting as a reservoir for the pathogen.
Describe the role of zooplankton in the process of nutrient recycling within marine ecosystems.
Answer: They excrete waste products that release nutrients back into the water, fueling primary production.
Zooplankton are crucial nutrient recyclers, excreting waste products and releasing dissolved organic matter that replenishes essential nutrients in the water column, thereby fueling phytoplankton growth.
In what manner do zooplankton contribute to the process referred to as 'sloppy feeding'?
Answer: By inefficiently breaking down food, releasing dissolved organic matter (DOM).
Zooplankton contribute to 'sloppy feeding' through inefficient breakdown of ingested food, which results in the release of dissolved organic matter (DOM) into the surrounding water.
What is the significance of fecal pellets produced by zooplankton in the context of oceanic carbon export?
Answer: Their size is a key factor determining sinking efficiency and carbon transport to the deep ocean.
Fecal pellets are significant for carbon export because their size is a key factor determining their sinking efficiency, thereby facilitating the transport of carbon from surface waters to the deep ocean.
Ocean currents are posited as the exclusive determinant of zooplankton distribution patterns.
Answer: False
This is inaccurate. Zooplankton distribution is influenced by a complex interplay of physical factors (e.g., temperature, salinity, currents) and biological factors (e.g., food availability, predation).
Body size is deemed an inconsequential factor for the ecological functions of planktonic organisms.
Answer: False
This is false. Body size is a critical 'master trait' influencing fundamental ecological functions such as growth, reproduction, feeding, and susceptibility to predation.
The temperature-size rule (TSR) posits that ectothermic organisms attain larger adult sizes when developing in warmer environmental conditions.
Answer: False
This is false. The temperature-size rule generally predicts that ectotherms grow larger in colder environments and smaller in warmer ones, although other factors can complicate this relationship.
The extensive study of microzooplankton is facilitated by the ease with which their biomass and grazing rates can be monitored using standard oceanographic observation techniques.
Answer: False
This is false. Microzooplankton are considered understudied precisely because routine oceanographic methods often fail to effectively monitor their biomass and grazing rates.
The dilution technique is predominantly employed for the investigation of phytoplankton growth rates.
Answer: False
This is false. The dilution technique is primarily used to measure the grazing rates of microzooplankton on phytoplankton.
Salinity variations are identified as the principal factor complicating the application of the temperature-size rule within marine environments.
Answer: False
This is false. While salinity can be a factor, oxygen availability is often cited as a more significant complicating factor for the temperature-size rule in marine ectotherms.