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AICE Marine Science Study Guide for Exam
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AICE Marine Science Study Guide for Exam
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AICE Marine Science Study Guide for ExamDescribe how scientific method involves interplay between observations and the
formation, testing and evaluation of hypotheses. ✔✔scientific method: based
on the collection of data by observation and experimentation and the formulation
of hypotheses.
The hypotheses may be subsequently refined on the basis of the observations.
Scientific research involves proposing hypotheses to explain observed
phenomena, then designing and carrying out experiments to test the hypotheses.
Explain the term ecosytstem ✔✔living organisms and the physical and chemical
factors which influence them
including both biotic and abiotic components
(i.e.) rocky shore- organisms living there, linked together by flows of energy
forming a food web, and their environment.
Explain the term habitat ✔✔place where organisms live
(i.e.) the area surrounding a hydrothermal vent provides a habitat for species of
tube worms and other specialised organisms.
Explain the term population ✔✔organisms of the same species (living in the
same area)
(i.e.) a population of ghost crabs (Ocypode saratan) living on a sandy shore.
Explain the term community ✔✔all the different species living in a habitat at
the same time. (i.e.) the mollusc community on a rocky shore, which would
include all the different species of molluscs living in this habitat.
,Explain the term species ✔✔group of similar organisms that can interbreed and
produce fertile offspring.
(i.e.) species include the skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) and red mangrove
trees (Rhizophora mangle).
Explain the term biodiversity ✔✔the numbers of different species present and
the range of habitats and ecosystems.
(i.e.) Coral reefs have a high biodiversity with many different species present,
whereas a sandy shore has a low biodiversity as there are relatively few different
species in this habitat.
Explain the term ecological niche ✔✔the role of an organism within an
ecosystem, taking into account its relationships with other organisms.
(i.e.) the niche of a great white shark is the top predator. Organisms which occupy
similar niches will tend to compete with each other for resources, such as food
and space to live in their habitat.
Describe symbiosis ✔✔a relationship between two different organisms, where
both derive some benefit from the relationship.
(i.e.) corals and zooxanthellae, cleaner fish and grouper, and chemosynthetic
bacteria and tube worms.
Describe parasitism ✔✔relationship between two organisms where one, the
parasite, obtains benefit at the expense of the other, known as the host, which is
usually harmed by the relationship.
obtain their nutrients from their host.
can be divided into two main groups: ectoparasites and endoparasites
,Ecotoparasites, i.e. fish lice, live on the outside of their host.
Endoparasites live inside their host, i.e. Nematodes, also known as roundworms,
are common endoparasites in fish.
Explain the term producer ✔✔able to synthesise organic substances from
simple organic compounds, using light energy from the Sun, in the process of
photosynthesis.
provide food for virtually all other organisms in food chains and food webs.
(i.e.) Green plants, algae and some types of bacteria
Explain the term consumer ✔✔organism that obtains its energy requirements
by feeding on other organisms.
Primary consumers (also known as herbivores) feed on plant material;
secondary consumers (or carnivores) feed on herbivores.
There may also be tertiary consumers, feeding on the secondary consumers, in a
food chain.
A food chain shows the sequence of organisms feeding on other organisms; a
series of interlinked food chains forms a food web.
Explain the term predator ✔✔A predator is an animal that catches, kills and
eats another animal. Predators are usually secondary consumers in food chains
and include carnivorous fish.
Explain the term trophic level ✔✔The term trophic level refers to 'feeding
levels' in a food chain, or a food web.
Producer → Primary consumer → Secondary consumer
First trophic level → Second trophic level → Third trophic level
, the arrows represent the direction in which energy and biomass are transferred.
Explain how populations of predator and prey may be interrelated. ✔✔The
availability of food is a major factor which will affect the numbers of predators in
an ecosystem. If the availability of food (e.g. the numbers of prey organisms)
increases, the numbers of predators may correspondingly increase.
the numbers of predators lags behind the numbers of prey organisms.
(i.e.) between mussels and predatory starfish.
Describe shoaling and explain why shoaling may be a successful strategy for
feeding, reproduction
and predator avoidance, with reference to tuna and sardines. ✔✔• increased
hydrodynamic efficiency - fish may save energy by swimming together in a
coordinated way
• avoidance of predation - large shoals of fish may confuse a predator; also, with
so many eyes,
it is more likely that a predator will be seen
• increased foraging efficiency - the time taken to find food is decreased
• reproductive advantage - there is an increased chance of finding a mate within a
shoal than
there is for an individual fish
(i.e.) sardines can form massive 'bait balls' consisting of many hundreds of
thousand individuals and skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, also forms large
shoals of up to 50 000 individuals.
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