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NAME (Print clearly): ____________________________ Fall 2012

Biol 352: Marine Biology May the odds be ever in your favor.
Exam #3
5 1. Which two sensory systems are crucial for fish to school effectively?
Name two significant benefits of schooling for fish.
Why is it valuable for schooling fish to be similar in size?
5 2. An anadromous fish is one that .
An example of an anadromous fish is _______________.
Anadromous fish are osmoregulators/ partial osmoregulators/ osmoconformers.
4 3. Between the freshwater head of an estuary and near oceanic salinity of the mouth of the estuary is
a part that has low salinity; the term used to refer to these waters is ________________. The species
diversity in this part of the estuary is higher than/ lower than/ about the same as/ between that of fresh
or fully marine waters. Marine species that have a narrow salinity tolerance are referred to as
________________. Water leaving our campus flows into which estuary?
6 4. How is the diet of sirenians different from that of other marine mammals?
Which group of sirenians has a rounded tail and which group has flukes?
To which group was Steller's sea cow more closely related?
Where exactly did Steller's sea cow live?
How might its habitat explain its unusual size relative to other sirenian species?
How was its food different from that of other sirenians?
2 5. Which one is not true of echolocation in cetaceans: (a) sounds can be directed by the shaping of
the melon by surrounding muscles; (b) collection of the returning signals involves, in part, the lower
jaw; (c) it is the principal means of social communication between cetaceans; (d) more important to
toothed whales than baleen whales; (e) sound is generated in air passageways near the blowhole.
5 6. Circle all the features of corals that are consequences of zooxanthellae: (a) tentacles are fully
expanded only during the day, (b) in light, corals produce more O
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than they consume, (c) enhanced
calcium carbonate deposition, (d) they grow towards and compete for light, (e) they have a
compensation depth, (f) corals provide glycerol to the algae.
The group of algae to which zooxanthellae belong are called the ___________________.
Name a non-coral animal that has zooxanthellae:______________

5 7. In which region (A-Arctic, B-Hawaii, C-temperate North Atlantic, Ds-Antarctic), would you find
a leopard seal _____, monk seal _____, crabeater seal _____, walrus _____ , grey seal _____.
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10 8. Circle the best choice. Ocean acidification damages coral reefs because it (1) causes bleaching/
decreases rates of calcification/ damages coral polyps/ damages zooxanthellae/ reduces oxygen
production. Conversion of a coral-dominated reef to a seaweed-dominated reef may result from (2)
overfishing of herbivorous fish/ decreased nutrient supply/ excessive grazing by urchins/ excessive
grazing by parrotfish/ high light intensity. The most important predator of corals in the Indo-Pacific is
the (3) long-spined black urchin/ triton snail/ sea turtle/ crown-of-thorns sea star/ monk seal. When
corals survive ocean temperatures higher than those that had previously caused bleaching, it is because
(4) the coral animals are adapting to higher temperatures/ the zooxanthellae are adapting to higher
temperatures/ zooxanthellae with a genetically higher temperature tolerance have replaced those lost
by bleaching. The lateral line system of fish functions in (5) distracting predators/ regulating
buoyancy/ sensing pressure changes/ thermoregulation/ osmoregulation. A heterocercal tail in typical
of most (6) dugongs/ cetaceans/ pinnepeds/ sharks/ surface-feeding teleost fish. The gas bladder is
used for regulating buoyancy in (7) cetaceans/ sirenians/ pinnipeds/ bony fish/ sharks. A demersal fish
(8) has a body that forms a keel/ lives near or on the bottom of the water column/ spawns in
freshwater/ tolerates low salinity. Holopelagic fish are found in (9) estuaries/ coastal waters/ open
ocean/ some combination of these locations. Some animals, such as the lettuce sea slug, benefit from
photosynthesis carried on by (10) chlorophyll incorporated into the animals cells/ endosymbiotic
green algal cells/ zooxanthellae/ chloroplasts from their food.

5 9. Circle all features that are specializations associated with high-speed cruising in fish. (a)
heterocercal tail, (b) propelled principally by bending of highly flexible body, (c) abundant scales, (d)
tall, stiff, crescent-shaped tail, (e) large body size, (f) body widest in the middle, (g) short, rapid beat of
tail, (h) high percentage of white muscle, (i) elevated temperature, (j) tall dorsal fin fixed in place.

5 10. Match the most appropriate animal to each description below: killer whale, sperm whale, blue
whale, grey whale, right whale, manatee, elephant seal, walrus.
a. stands on flippers, no external ear flap
b. teeth in lower jaw but not upper
c. surface skimmer of zooplankton
d. benthic siever of invertebrates
e. pleated throat; plunge and gulp feeder

9 11. (a) A harbor seal and a sea otter of equal mass are covered with oil as a result of a spill. Which
needs to be taken from the water and cleaned first? Why?



(b) Based on thermoregulatory features, which do you expect is better able to go to greater depths, an
otariid (earred seal) or a phocid (true seal) of the same size. Why?



(c) Which (phocid or otariid) would win a race on the land? Why?



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10 12. Complete each sentence concisely.
a. The reason that there are no small marine mammals is

b. Few coral reefs are found on the western coasts of continents, even in tropical latitudes, because

c. The benefit that cleaner fish and shrimp receive for their cleaning behavior is

d. Pinnipeds are most abundant in cold waters because

e. The principal prey of crabeater seals is _______________. The physical feature that allows this seal
species to forage on this prey more effectively than other pinnipeds is their unique ______________.

4 13. What determines whether a sinking volcano becomes an atoll or a seamount topped by drowned
reef? How is this relevant to rates of sea level change caused by global warming?






4 14. List two features that are typically associated with elevated body temperature in fish:




6 15. What are the environmental problems in the Chesapeake Bay that can be reduced by restoring
(1) oyster beds and (2) seagrass beds. Explain how these organisms produce beneficial changes.









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4 16. By description or labelled diagram, explain the mechanism of counter-current heat exchange and
its connection to the animals anatomy.












6 17. The nearest living relatives of the baleen whales are the sperm whales. Although their features
are now very different, these two groups shared a common ancestry. How might adaptation to their
different kinds of prey explain some of the significant physical differences between these whales?















5 18. Draw a two fish tails, one having a high aspect ratio and another having a low aspect ratio.
Draw a keel on the tail that is more likely to have them.





Which fish will bend its body more when it swims?
Which is more likely to be a high speed cruising fish.