Sierra Vista Invitational — Water Quality

What is the chemical formula for water?

Coral is:

What is a single organism of coral called? (one word, singular)

Higher CO₂ emissions cause more CO₂ to dissolve in water, decreasing the ability of organisms like clams to build shells. What is this general process called, as it specifically relates to oceans?

Coastal areas exhibit warmer winters and cooler summers than areas in land. This is because water:

A seagull eats a crab, which eats algae, which gets its energy from the sun. The crab is:

Eutrophication is caused by:

The skeletons of corals are made of what substance? (two words)

Mangroves near an estuary are cut down. You expect turbidity levels to:

The marine zone close to shore where sunlight can still reach the ocean floor is:

A free-living coral settles on an abandoned gastropod shell in which a worm is already living. The worm moves the pair around, and the coral protects the worm. What is the relationship between the gastropod vs. the coral/worm pair:

The coral and the worm (see question above):

Order the steps of wastewater treatment:

A group consisting of corals and the organisms living in a single reef would be:

Otters eat sea urchins, keeping them from overgrazing kelp. Kelp form forests that create a habitat for other organisms to live in. Specifically in this scenario, the otter is a ____ species and the kelp is a ____ species.

The Hawaiian bobtail squid emits light when it is hunting at night. Because it lives in shallow waters, moonlight is sufficient to hunt by. Why does it emit light?

The ocean gyres collect trash and gather them into garbage patches at their center. Why doesn't this make cleanup much easier?

Zooxanthellae give coral polyps food, and polyps give zooxanthellae nutrients and shelter. Bleached corals can still survive for a bit, even though it seems like the corals have no food source. Explain why.

Estuaries tend to be highly productive. Why is this? (hint: watershed)

When talking about the water cycle, many say that we can never truly run out of water. Why is this a bad argument for wasting/polluting water?

The textbook definition of amensalism is that one species is harmed while the other is unaffected. However, often the term is used to describe competition in which one organism is far more successful than the other. (e.g., a walnut tree secreting toxins that kill other plants nearby) In these cases, the supposedly unaffected species actually receives a small benefit (e.g., that walnut tree now has fewer competitors for light and water). Why is it evolutionarily uncommon for true amensalism to occur, and what general conditions would allow it to occur?

Emerging contaminants are widespread in water supplies, and their exact effects are still unclear. Many of them have negative effects on the endocrine system. Which of the following is NOT a good idea for fixing this issue or preventing similar ones from arising in the future?

Bacteria near hydrothermal vents get their energy from hydrogen sulfide. The rest of the sea floor subsists on energy that ultimately comes from what source? (one word)

A biomass pyramid that is inverted appears to be physically impossible. This diagram explains two mechanisms for it. Describe what is happening in the box labeled "summer" and the box labeled "winter," paying attention to the smaller, right-side up pyramids. (you may need to zoom in)

Do all ecosystems follow the 10% energy transfer rule? Why or why not?

A person who believes ocean acidification is a hoax walks up to you. They claim that increased temperature decreases carbon dioxide solubility. Since "ocean acidification" is caused by carbon dioxide dissolving in water, they argue, global warming will not worsen ocean acidification. Counter their argument.

You decide that living as a fish will give you more perspective on life. You have some options. Weigh the benefits and disadvantages of living in a coral reef versus living in the abyssopelagic zone.

Flamingo tongue snails:

The barramundi cod is a:

In sponges, the osculum:

Broadcast spawning involves releasing pheromones to broadcast mating availability, followed by fertilization, incubation, and parental care.

This green moray eel is hiding among:

Caribbean king crabs eat a variety of algae. Introducing them to a reef could primarily:

You notice that a coral reef has almost no adult groupers, sharks, snappers, wrasse, or sweetlips. Your first thought was overfishing, but this area is very difficult to access. Using your knowledge of trophic levels, the missing organisms' niches, and biomagnification, explain what has happened to the reef.

A banded coral shrimp cleans a moray eel and they part ways. While this is mutualistic, explain why it is not a true symbiotic relationship.

Urchins are generally seen as harmful in kelp forests but beneficial in coral reefs (Of course, this depends on their population size.). Taking into account the fact that they are herbivorous, explain this.

Some corallivores (in reasonable population sizes) are beneficial to a reef, even though they destroy habitats for other species. Why?

Which of the following are banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)?

Which of the following are giant clams (Tridacna spp.)?

Adult hard corals are sessile, meaning they do not move much. Consider the following three areas: reproduction, energy expenditure, and predation avoidance. Explain for each of those three areas whether the corals' sessile lifestyle gives an advantage or disadvantage (or both!) over animals that can move. (energy expenditure means how much energy the coral uses)

The symbol for aragonite saturation is:

Poorly-treated sewage and runoff from garden fertilizer can cause eutrophication. This is due to what components in the sewage/runoff?

Water polluted with high-salinity runoff can cause:

This person is about to measure the water's:

A buffer is:

All soluble compounds are ionic.

Even though algae produce oxygen, algal blooms decrease dissolved oxygen because:

Select all of the following true about soap and the environment.

Acid rain will affect:

For the following analytes, briefly describe one method of measuring them: total solids, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, fecal coliform, biochemical oxygen demand, total phosphates.

A nuclear reactor requires water. The water comes into the reactor cool, but leaves the reactor much hotter. The hot water is dumped into an estuary. Name one type of pollution this falls into (there's more than one right answer, just give one), and name one negative impact of this pollution on the estuary ecosystem.

A euryhaline fish is moved to a saltier environment. It begins to pump ions out of its gills while drinking water. What negative effect of salty water does this prevent? What is the chemical/molecular reasoning behind drinking salt water? Behind pumping out ions?

Coccolithophores build skeletons out of calcium carbonate, while radiolarians use silica. Why are radiolarians able to survive at much greater depths than coccolithophores? Your answer should involve two of the water parameters listed on the rules.

Briefly describe the chemical processes involved that connect increased dissolved carbon dioxide to organisms like corals having a harder time building shells. (a.k.a. show me you understand why increased carbon dioxide makes building shells harder, not just that you have it memorized)

Compare and contrast the causes of the pale blue coloring of water around the Bahamas to the pale blue coloring of the center of Wake Atoll. Your response should describe why this coloration occurs. It should also comment on turbidity and phytoplankton levels.

We're still in the Bahamas. Hurricane Frances passed through the Bahamas between September 1 and 6. The bottom image is before, and the upper image is after. Describe the turbidity change (along with why it changed), predict short-term temperature trends (increase, decrease, no change) (along with why), and name one service coral reefs provide to us in the context of hurricanes.

Saltwater holds about 20% less dissolved oxygen than freshwater. Explain why, from a molecular/chemical standpoint.