From your reading, you know that different colors of light are absorbed at different depths in the ocean, and only certain wavelengths of light can penetrate the deep sea. What color should a deep-sea creature be, then, to remain unseen and camouflaged in its environment?

	a. Blue
	b. Red
	c. Green
	d. Yellow

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If the Gulf Stream did not exist, which of the following is least likely to happen as a result?

	a. Western European countries would be colder than they are now.
	b. Summers in Florida would be warmer than they are now.
	c. East Florida winters would be cooler than they are now.
	d. Western European countries would be warmer than they are now.

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If you were investigating the chemical components of seawater located near deep-sea hydrothermal vents, what would you expect the origin of these dissolved solids to be?

	a. The interior of the earth
	b. Rocks on land that had been worn down by weathering
	c. Organic material from hydrothermal-vent organisms
	d. “Marine snow”

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In what area of the ocean would you expect to find phytoplankton (organisms that depend on light to survive) at lower depths?

	a. Near the shallows in temperate water
	b. Near an area of river outflow
	c. In the bathypelagic
	d. In the open ocean

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Phytoplankton near the surface of the ocean release large amounts of dimethyl sulfide into the environment; in the air, this gas is converted to sulfate aerosols. These processes have had which of the following effects on the earth’s atmosphere?

	a. The release of dimethyl sulfide into the atmosphere has helped to make the air breathable for life on earth.
	b. The release of dimethyl sulfide into the atmosphere has indirectly slowed global warming, as dimethyl sulfide in the atmosphere bonds with and inactivates greenhouse gases.
	c. The release of dimethyl sulfide into the atmosphere has influenced the formation patterns of clouds and, indirectly, the amount of sunlight reflected by clouds.
	d. Both A and B

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Upwelling would provide the greatest benefit (with no attendant disadvantages) to which of these groups?

	a. Sedentary animals living near shore that release larvae and use these larvae as a means of dispersal to other populations
	b. Sedentary animals living near shore that release larvae who survive best in the same location as their parents
	c. Deep-sea creatures that are detritus feeders (bottom-feeders)
	d. All of these groups would receive the same benefits from upwelling.

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When would you expect to see the greatest range of tidal heights (that is, the highest high tides and lowest low tides)?

	a. During an apogean neap tide
	b. During an apogean spring tide
	c. During a perigean neap tide
	d. During a perigean spring tide

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When would you expect to see the greatest range of tidal heights (that is, the highest high tides and lowest low tides)?

	a. When the sun and moon are at right angles to one another in relation to the earth
	b. When the sun and moon are at 45-degree angles to one another in relation to the earth
	c. When the sun and moon and earth are all aligned
	d. When the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the earth

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When would you expect to see the smallest range of tidal heights (that is, the lowest high tides and smallest low tides)?

	a. During an apogean neap tide
	b. During an apogean spring tide
	c. During a perigean neap tide
	d. During a perigean spring tide

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Which of the following differences between land and marine organisms is NOT a result of the differences between the properties of air and seawater?

	a. Many more marine animals release their eggs or young into the environment around them than do land animals.
	b. Many land animals have two separate sexes while many marine animals are hermaphrodites.
	c. Complex marine animals (for example marine fishes) tend to have much saltier urine than complex land animals.
	d. Many simple marine animals have high bodily concentrations of oil while simple land animals do not.

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Which of the following statements about warmer water is false?

	a. It expands.
	b. It is less viscous than cold water.
	c. It dissolves minerals more slowly than cold water.
	d. It is less dense than cold water.

.

Why do oceanographers sometimes refer to a single “world ocean?”

	a. Many of the organisms and sediments within oceans are very similar.
	b. All of the bodies of water that we call oceans are in fact interconnected.
	c. There are actually only two oceans, one in the Northern Hemisphere and one in the Southern Hemisphere.
	d. The term reminds us that we have only one Earth.

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Why don’t marine microorganisms use fins to propel themselves through the water?

	a. Fins are extremely intricate structures that can only be developed by more complex organisms.
	b. For small organisms, water is too viscous a substance for them to be able to use fins for movement.
	c. Marine microorganisms have instead developed shapes and projections that increase their surface area.
	d. Many marine microorganisms do use fins to move through water.

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Winds blow surface water away from the shore, and colder water from below rises up to replace it. This is a description of what event or tidal/wave type?

	a. Eutrophication
	b. Surging breakwaters
	c. Upwelling
	d. Seiches

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You see a car with a bumper-sticker that reads “Reunite Pangaea!” Why is this funny?

	a. Pangaea is the name of a marine environmental group that split up in the 1970s and was the basis for Greenpeace.
	b. All of the earth’s current continents were once one land mass called “Pangaea.”
	c. “Pangaea” is the term used for tectonic plates, so reuniting them would cause an earthquake.
	d. “Pangaea” is the term for the current world oceans, which are already united.

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The ocean absorbs large quantities of carbon dioxide and marine animals (both those living now and those living millions of years ago) have used and incorporated this carbon in their exoskeletons. These processes have had what effect(s) on the earth’s atmosphere?

	a. The absorption/incorporation of carbon dioxide has removed this gas from the atmosphere, making air breathable for life on earth.
	b. The absorption/incorporation of carbon dioxide has indirectly slowed global warming, as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a greenhouse gas.
	c. The absorption/incorporation of carbon dioxide has prevented it from influencing the formation patterns of clouds and, indirectly, the amount of sunlight reflected by clouds.
	d. Both A and B

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A friend of yours, knowing about your passion for marine algae, tells you that she has seen some algae out in the woods. What type of algae would this be?

	a. Red
	b. Green
	c. Brown
	d. Your friend is wrong; there are no terrestrial algae.

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Consider the following group of animals: an anchovy (a predator of zooplankton); a crab zoea (larvae—a member of the zooplankton); a brittle star (a deposit feeder); a clam (a filter feeder); and a tuna (a predator of anchovy, among other fishes). You have the opportunity to conduct a research project using one of these species. You want an adult animal that will be easy to feed and your laboratory has a large supply of phytoplankton available to use as food. Which animal should you choose to work with?

	a. The clam
	b. The crab zoea
	c. The brittle star
	d. The anchovy

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Consider the following group of animals: an anchovy (a predator of zooplankton); a crab zoea (larvae—a member of the zooplankton); a brittle star (a deposit feeder); a clam (a filter feeder); and a tuna (a predator of anchovy, among other fishes). You have the opportunity to conduct a research project using one of these species. You want to study the effect of a pollutant when it is biomagnified (carried up the food-chain and concentrated). Which animal should you choose to work with?

	a. The clam
	b. The crab zoea
	c. The brittle star
	d. The anchovy

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Consider the following group of animals: an anchovy (a predator of zooplankton); a crab zoea (larvae—a member of the zooplankton); a brittle star (a deposit feeder); a clam (a filter feeder); and a tuna (a predator of anchovy, among other fishes). You have the opportunity to conduct a research project using one of these species. You want to study whether eating different phytoplankton species, with different nutrition contents, will affect animals’ growth rate. You do not have a lot of lab space, so you need an animal that will not take up too much room. Which animal should you choose to work with?

	a. The clam
	b. The crab zoea
	c. The brittle star
	d. The anchovy

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Fill in the blank. A crab that eats planktonic snow and the cast-off carapaces of other animals is an example of a _______________.

	a. Filter feeder
	b. Deposit feeder (detritivore)
	c. Zooplankton
	d. Small predator

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For the part of the kelp listed, identify the part on a true plant that corresponds most closely: the holdfast.

	a. A plant’s stem
	b. A plant’s leaf
	c. A plant’s root
	d. A plant’s flower

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Researchers are interested in the effect that seaweed chemical defenses have on herbivory. They measure the level of chemicals in green seaweed in areas where there are many herbivores and in areas where there are few herbivores. To their surprise, they find no difference in the chemical makeup of intact seaweed at different locations. Which of the following is NOT a possible explanation for these results?

	a. The seaweed may not have any chemical defenses.
	b. Herbivores may have eaten all of the seaweed with inducible defenses.
	c. The seaweed’s chemical defenses may be constitutive (always present) rather than being influenced by herbivore abundance.
	d. The seaweed’s chemical defenses may be inducible.

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Rockweeds, a kind of brown seaweed, are present in rocky intertidal areas along the northwest Pacific coast. Periwinkle snails, which graze on rockweeds, are also present in rocky intertidal areas, although their abundance varies. Given what you know about seaweed inducible defenses, which of the following would you NOT expect to find or see happen?

	a. Rockweeds in areas with higher numbers of periwinkles have higher levels of phlorotannins (unpleasant chemicals).
	b. In laboratory studies, periwinkles presented with rockweeds with high and low levels of phlorotannins prefer to graze on those with low levels of the chemical.
	c. Damaged rockweeds show lower levels of phlorotannins than do uninjured rockweeds.
	d. When the snail population in an area is increased by researchers, rockweeds in this area show higher phlorotannin levels soon after the snails’ introduction.

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The fish you are studying produces larvae that drift with the current for some time before metamorphosing. You want to be able to chart the abundance and distribution of these larvae. Where would you look for them?

	a. Among the holoplankton
	b. On the benthos
	c. Among the nekton
	d. Among the meroplankton

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The following graph demonstrates the results of an experiment in which researchers added a specific nutrient to an area in the marine environment in either the Pacific (black bars) or the Atlantic (white bars) and recorded the level of increase in the phytoplankton blooms at that site. Based on these results, which of the following nutrients is the limiting factor in the Pacific?

	a. Nitrogen
	b. Phosphorous
	c. Iron
	d. Nitrogen and iron

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The following graph demonstrates the results of an experiment in which researchers added a specific nutrient to an area in the marine environment in either the Pacific (black bars) or the Atlantic (white bars) and recorded the level of increase in the phytoplankton blooms at that site. Based on these results, which of the following nutrients is the limiting factor in the Atlantic?

	a. Nitrogen
	b. Phosphorous
	c. Iron
	d. Nitrogen and iron

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The green seaweed Leticia imaginarium contains the compound DMSP. When herbivores graze on the seaweed, however, an enzyme converts the DMSP to DMS and acrylic acid. To determine the effect that these chemicals have on herbivores, researchers fed two herbivore species—a sea urchin (white bar) and a snail (black bar)—pellets containing no chemicals (the control), DMSP, DMS, or acrylic acid and recorded the amount of pellets that the animals ate. Considering the results in the graph, which, if any, of these chemicals appears to act a deterrent to snail herbivory?

	a. DMSP
	b. Acrylic acid
	c. DMS
	d. None of the above

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The green seaweed Leticia imaginarium contains the compound DMSP. When herbivores graze on the seaweed, however, an enzyme converts the DMSP to DMS and acrylic acid. To determine the effect that these chemicals have on herbivores, researchers fed two herbivore species—a sea urchin (white bar) and a snail (black bar)—pellets containing no chemicals (the control), DMSP, DMS, or acrylic acid and recorded the amount of pellets that the animals ate. Considering the results in the graph, which, if any, of these chemicals appears to act a deterrent to sea urchin herbivory?

	a. DMSP
	b. Acrylic acid
	c. DMS
	d. None of the above

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The large plant-like form of seaweeds (like kelp) is known as what?

	a. The gametophyte
	b. The sporophyte
	c. The haploid generation
	d. Both A and C

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Which of the following aspects of kelp morphology probably arose as a means of dealing with one of the properties of water?

	a. Pneumatocyst (bladder)
	b. Sporophyll
	c. Holdfast
	d. Stipe

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Which type of organism drives primary productivity in marine ecosystems?

	a. Macroscopic seaweeds (e.g. kelp)
	b. True plants (e.g. seagrasses)
	c. Chemosynthetic bacteria (e.g. thermophiles)
	d. Microscopic phytoplankton (e.g. diatoms)

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For the part of the kelp listed, identify the part on a true plant that corresponds most closely: the blade.

	a. A plant’s stem
	b. A plant’s leaf
	c. A plant’s root
	d. A plant’s flower

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A factory illegally releases dangerous chemicals into a river which leads out into a bay. Because of the behavior of currents in the area, the majority of chemicals remain within the bay. This situation will be worst for marine organisms in the bay that have offspring with which type of development?

	a. Lecithotrophic
	b. Planktotrophic
	c. Direct developing
	d. Poeciloginous

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A series of unusual weather conditions (winds and temperatures) leads to a crash in the phytoplankton population off of the west coast. This situation will be worst for marine organisms in the west that have offspring with which type of development?

	a. Lecithotrophic
	b. Planktotrophic
	c. Direct developing
	d. Poeciloginous

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Adult barnacles are entirely sessile and yet have internal fertilization, even though they can only mate with those individuals relatively close to them. Which of the following reproductive strategies would be most advantageous to these animals?

	a. Protandrous (“male-first”) sex change
	b. Simultaneous hermaphroditism
	c. Protogynous (“female-first”) sex change
	d. Gonochorism (two separate sexes)

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Among some kinds of reptiles, large males defend territories and engage in competitions over mates. Some small males, called “sneaker” males, also manage to mate with females by behaving unobtrusively or like females and mating with females while the large males are fighting each other. This strategy is similar to that of which marine species/group?

	a. Anglerfish parasitic males
	b. Protandrous anemonefish
	c. Small parrotfish males
	d. Well-endowed barnacle “males”

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In what way are sharks similar to sea birds in their reproductive strategies?

	a. Both have internal fertilization.
	b. Both care for their young after birth.
	c. Both reproduce only through laying eggs.
	d. Both have young that live in a different habitat from adults.

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Some marine animals, like jellyfish, have alternate sexual and asexual generations. Given that the asexual generation produces plenty of young and takes less energy, what would be the benefit of also having a sexually-reproducing generation?

	a. Sexual reproduction produces offspring more quickly than does asexual reproduction, giving jellyfish a reproductive edge over other species.
	b. Sexual reproduction does not provide a benefit but is the vestigial, ancestral condition.
	c. Sexual reproduction produces offspring that are genetically diverse, making the species more likely to survive environmental changes.
	d. Sexual reproduction requires jellyfish to congregate, and being part of a large group gives them protection against predators.

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The brittle star Ophiothrix oerstedi produces a small number of larvae which have their own attached yolk sacs for nutrients. These larvae settle and metamorphose after only four days or fewer in the water column. This is an example of which type of development?

	a. Lecithotrophic
	b. Planktotrophic
	c. Direct developing
	d. Poeciloginous

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The marine snails Crepidula convexa grow throughout their lifetime. For females, body size determines the number of eggs they can produce, with larger females being able to produce many more eggs. For males, body size has no effect on how much sperm they can produce: they always produce the same amount of sperm. Which of the following reproductive strategies would be most advantageous to these snails?

	a. Protandrous (“male-first”) sex change
	b. Simultaneous hermaphroditism
	c. Protogynous (“female-first”) sex change
	d. Gonochorism (two separate sexes)

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The snail Donwanna moov is almost sessile as an adult, but there is only so much space for new individuals in areas near it. In order from worst to best dispersal potential, which type of offspring would be best for this species?

	a. Lecithotrophic, planktotrophic, and direct developing
	b. Direct developing, planktotrophic, and lecithotrophic.
	c. Plantotrophic, lecithotrophic, and direct developing
	d. Direct developing, lecithotrophic, and planktotrophic

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Which of the following is an example of an organism with a simple life cycle?

	a. Jellyfish
	b. Kelp
	c. Coral
	d. Whale

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Which of the following is NOT a fundamental difference between protostomes and deuterosomes?

	a. In protostomes, the blastopore forms the mouth; in deuterostomes, the blastopore forms the anus.
	b. Protostomes are acoelomates; deuterostomes have a true coelom.
	c. Protostomes develop through spiral cleavage; deuterstomes develop through radial cleavage.
	d. Protostomes exhibit determinate cleavage; deuterostomes exhibit indeterminate cleavage.

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Why is conservation management (knowing where and how to protect species) especially difficult for organisms with complex life cycles?

	a. Species with complex life cycles are generally more cryptic (harder to find/see) than species with simple life cycles.
	b. Species with complex life cycles are generally species with complicated body plans and physiology.
	c. Species with complex life cycles use different habitats during different stages of their life cycle.
	d. Species with complex life cycles live primarily in tropical waters, which are more threatened by global climate change.

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Why is protogyny (FTM sex change) considered to be beneficial for parrotfishes and wrasses? (Note: all of these represent partial explanations; choose the most appropriate.)

	a. Small fish that are male are selectively eaten by predatory octopi, while small fish that are female are often ignored.
	b. Small fish that are male have almost no reproductive opportunity, while small fish that are female do.
	c. Large fish that are female have almost no reproductive opportunity, while large fish that are male do.
	d. Small fish that are male are able to stealthily mate with females, while large males are unaware.

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You are a marine animal that is present in an area where your abundance is extremely low and it is very hard to find other members of your species. Which of these would NOT be an advantageous reproductive strategy?

	a. Being a simultaneous hermaphrodite
	b. Being a parasitic male
	c. Being extremely sensitive to chemical and auditory cues that would help you find a mate
	d. Releasing your gametes (sperm or eggs) into the water column (“free-spawning”)

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You are a marine animal that is sessile as an adult. Which of the following would NOT be an advantageous reproductive strategy?

	a. Having free-swimming, dispersive larvae
	b. Having a very long reproductive organ with which to reach other individuals
	c. Having two separate sexes (being “gonochoristic”)
	d. Releasing your gametes (sperm or eggs) into the water column (“free-spawning”)

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You are part of an exploratory group that travels to a distant planet and discovers new life. It takes a long time to find individuals, because they are very spread out and sparse, and once you begin finding them, you see that every single one is female! A number of the females seem to have growths on them. Your colleagues are convinced that these creatures reproduce through parthenogenesis (a type of asexual reproduction). But because you have taken a course in marine biology, you know that there is another possible explanation. What is it?

	a. Half of the females are males in disguise.
	b. The creatures are protandrous.
	c. The creatures are protogynous.
	d. The females’ “growths” are actually parasitic males.

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A lobster and a sea urchin are arrested for having committed a bank robbery. Each claims that he is innocent and that witnesses saw his identical twin, not him, commit the crime. Leaving aside the general implausibility of their stories, which one do you know must be lying, and why?

	a. The lobster, because as a protostome with determinate cleavage, it cannot have an identical twin.
	b. The sea urchin, because as a deuterostome with radial cleavage, it cannot have an identical twin.
	c. The lobster, because as a deuterostome with radial cleavage, it cannot have an identical twin.
	d. The sea urchin, because as a protostome with spiral cleavage, it cannot have an identical twin.

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A friend of yours starts a band and decides to name it “The Errant Polychaetes.” He uses a drawing of a fan-worm (see the illustration below) as the logo for the band. Why is this logo inaccurate?

	a. Polychaetes do not have feathery gills like the ones shown.
	b. Polychaetes that build tubes are not errant.
	c. Polychaetes all have visible parapodia.
	d. There is nothing inaccurate about the logo.

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How do sharks stay afloat?

	a. Their shape provides dynamic lift.
	b. They store buoyant oils and fats.
	c. Their swim bladders provide buoyancy.
	d. Both A and B

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Identify the type of mollusk by its description: brightly colored, eats cnidarians, and is probably toxic-tasting.

	a. Chiton (class Polyplacophora)
	b. Nudibranch (class Gastropoda)
	c. Geoduck (class Bivalvia)
	d. Octopus (class Cephalopoda)

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Identify the type of mollusk by its description: Has no head, but can spit at you using its siphon.

	a. Chiton (class Polyplacophora)
	b. Nudibranch (class Gastropoda)
	c. Geoduck (class Bivalvia)
	d. Octopus (class Cephalopoda)

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If you were to invite which of the following animals over, you would have to make a vegetarian meal?

	a. Pinnipeds
	b. Baleen whales
	c. Sea otters
	d. Sirenians (manatees and dugongs)

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What kind of cnidarian has no medusa stage, only a polyp stage?

	a. Scyphozoans (e.g. jellyfish).
	b. Anthozoans (e.g. corals, anemones).
	c. Hydrozoans (e.g. hydroids, siphonophores).
	d. Cubozoans (e.g. box jellies).

.

Which arthropods feed with their feet (also called “cirri”)?

	a. Horseshoe crabs
	b. Copepods
	c. Lobsters
	d. Barnacles

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Which echinoderms expel “Cuverian tubules” and even their respiratory trees and viscera as a means of escaping predators?

	a. Starfish
	b. Brittle stars
	c. Sea cucumbers
	d. Sea urchins

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Which of the following animals would have a water vascular system?

	a. Sea urchin
	b. Lobster
	c. Shark
	d. Copepod

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Which of the following arthropods are ecologically important because their eggs provide food necessary for migrating shore-birds?

	a. Horseshoe crabs
	b. Copepods
	c. Lobsters
	d. Barnacles

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Which of the following arthropods are ecologically important, because they are the basis for many marine food webs, including those involving baleen whales and commercially important fish?

	a. Horseshoe crabs
	b. Copepods
	c. Lobsters
	d. Barnacles

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Which of the following fish would have the highest amount of oxygen in its swim bladder?

	a. A bony fish near the surface of the water
	b. A bony fish in deep water
	c. A shark
	d. A hagfish

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Which of the following kinds of human interference/effects has the most direct negative influence on just-hatched sea turtles?

	a. Light pollution
	b. Chemical pollution
	c. Habitat degradation
	d. Noise pollution

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Which of the following statements about seabirds is false?

	a. The vast majority of them are colonial.
	b. They tend to live longer, produce fewer young, and invest more effort in their young than do other birds.
	c. They are all members of a single closely-related group of species.
	d. A number of species practice “kleptoparasitism,” stealing food from other birds.

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Which of these animals is most closely related to humans?

	a. Sea urchin
	b. Chiton
	c. Horseshoe crab
	d. Ascidian

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You want to study the grazing behavior of animals in tidepools in the Pacific northwest. You are particularly interested in whether their grazing behavior and/or their shell thickness alters when they are in the presence of predators. Which of the following animals would you want to include in your study?

	a. Chiton (class Polyplacophora).
	b. Nudibranch (class Gastropoda).
	c. Geoduck (class Bivalvia).
	d. Octopus (class Cephalopoda).

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You are a harmless marine bacterium floating in the water near a sponge. In order to avoid being drawn into the sponge along with the water the sponge pulls in, what area of the sponge would you need to avoid?

	a. The osculum
	b. The spongeocoel
	c. The ostium
	d. The holdfast

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If you were the young juvenile offspring of a large, fast-moving adult fish, in which type of habitat would you like to live?

	a. The rocky intertidal
	b. A mangrove forest
	c. The sandy intertidal
	d. The epipelagic zone

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What do the following two communities have in common? A mangrove forest and a salt marsh.

	a. Both serve as marine nurseries.
	b. Both have extremely high biodiversity.
	c. Both have consistent but extreme temperatures.
	d. Both have low biodiversity.

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What do the following two communities have in common? The deep sea and a hydrothermal vent.

	a. Both serve as marine nurseries.
	b. Both have extremely high productivity.
	c. Both have consistent but extreme temperatures.
	d. Both have low biodiversity.

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What do the following two communities have in common? An estuary and a salt marsh.

	a. Both have extremely high biodiversity.
	b. Both are strongly affected by high and low tides.
	c. Both have consistent but extreme temperatures.
	d. Both have low biodiversity.

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What do the following two organisms have in common? Reef-building corals and hydrothermal-vent tube worms.

	a. Both produce luminescence.
	b. Both can survive only at extreme temperatures.
	c. Both can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions.
	d. Both are in symbiotic relationships with primary producers.

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What do the following two organisms have in common? Hydrothermal-vent bacteria and zooxanthellae.

	a. Both are primary producers.
	b. Both can survive only at extreme temperatures.
	c. Both can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions.
	d. Both are species of cyanobacteria.

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What is coral-reef “bleaching?”

	a. When coral polyps’ cnidocytes bleach the color from their prey
	b. When zooxanthellae leave the coral and/or die
	c. When coral polyps contract into the calyx, leaving no tissue visible
	d. When people hunting reef fish put bleach in the water to stun the fish

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What kind of reef is separated from its nearby land mass by deep water?

	a. Barrier reef
	b. Atoll
	c. Fringing reef
	d. Notatoll

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What kind of reef looks like a circle or oval surrounding a central lagoon?

	a. Barrier reef
	b. Atoll
	c. Fringing reef
	d. Notatoll

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What kind of reef projects directly from the shore?

	a. Barrier reef
	b. Atoll
	c. Fringing reef
	d. Notatoll

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Which community is inhabited by creatures with the following characteristics: gigantic size and the ability to withstand extreme pressure?

	a. Rocky intertidal
	b. Hydrothermal vent
	c. Mangrove forest
	d. Deep sea

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Which community is inhabited by creatures with the following characteristics: ability to withstand desiccation and changes in salinity?

	a. Rocky intertidal
	b. Hydrothermal vent
	c. Mangrove forest
	d. Deep sea

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Why might salt-marshes be called the “livers of the sea?”

	a. Because they are often unnoticed like livers
	b. Because they smell like livers
	c. Because, like livers, they filter toxins
	d. Because, like livers, they produce catalyzing substances

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You are asked to identify the habitat of a fish with large eyes, an expandable stomach, and a huge mouth. What habitat does it come from and why?

	a. An estuary, because the turbid waters require large eyes and large mouth-parts to ingest and filter prey
	b. A hydrothermal vent, because animals in those areas need large portions of their anatomy in which to store chemosynthetic bacteria
	c. The deep sea, because animals in those areas are characterized by gigantism like large eyes and mouths
	d. The deep sea, because animals in dark, sparsely-inhabited environments need to be able to capture and digest whatever they can catch

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You are raising some small stony (reef-building) corals in the lab, but they are producing coral skeleton very slowly. Which of the following changes to lab conditions would improve their rate of calcification?

	a. Increasing the salinity of their water
	b. Increasing the temperature of their water
	c. Increasing the amount of light they receive
	d. Both A and B

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You want to conduct an experiment studying stress-tolerance in two marine organisms: one that experiences environmental stresses regularly and one that does not. From where in the intertidal zone would you collect your two species?

	a. The high zone and the splash zone
	b. The mid zone and the low zone
	c. The high zone and the low zone
	d. The low zone and the splash zone

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Which community is inhabited by creatures with the following characteristics: bioluminescence, huge eyes or no eyes, powerful sense of smell, ability to withstand extreme cold and pressure?

	a. Rocky intertidal
	b. Hydrothermal vent
	c. Mangrove forest
	d. Deep sea

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Animals that build calcium-carbonate shells, including snails, bivalves, and corals, will be directly and negatively affected by which of these types of pollution?

	a. Acidification
	b. Eutrophication
	c. Noise pollution
	d. Light pollution

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Consider the following ecosystem and food chain: many animals live in or near kelp forests, including sea otters, whales, and seals. Animals that eat kelp, like sea urchins and snails, live in the forests too, and so do small fish that rely on the kelp as a place to hide from predators. Worms, crabs, and other fishes depend upon the kelp for habitat as well. Killer whales eat sea lions, unless the sea-lion population dwindles, in which case they eat sea otters. Sea lions eat salmon and other large fish. Sea otters eat sea urchins. Sea urchins eat algae such as kelp. What would happen to the populations of these organisms if a freak current brought in a large number of sea-urchin larvae ready to settle and metamorphose?

	a. Killer whale populations would stay the same, sea urchin populations would decrease, small-fish populations would increase.
	b. Killer whale populations would decrease, sea urchin populations would stay the same, and crab populations would decrease.
	c. Sea lion populations would decrease, sea urchin populations would increase, and small-fish populations would decrease.
	d. Sea lion populations would stay the same, sea urchin populations would increase, crab populations would decrease.

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Consider the following ecosystem and food chain: many animals live in or near kelp forests, including sea otters, whales, and seals. Animals that eat kelp, like sea urchins and snails, live in the forests too, and so do small fish that rely on the kelp as a place to hide from predators. Worms, crabs, and other fishes depend upon the kelp for habitat as well. Killer whales eat sea lions, unless the sea-lion population dwindles, in which case they eat sea otters. Sea lions eat salmon and other large fish. Sea otters eat sea urchins. Sea urchins eat algae such as kelp. What would happen to the populations of these organisms if humans hugely overfished salmon populations?

	a. Killer whale populations would stay the same, sea urchin populations would decrease, small-fish populations would increase.
	b. Killer whale populations would decrease, sea urchin populations would stay the same, and crab populations would decrease.
	c. Sea lion populations would decrease, sea urchin populations would increase, and small-fish populations would decrease.
	d. Sea lion populations would stay the same, sea urchin populations would increase, crab populations would decrease.

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Given what you know about the pathways through which exotic invasive species are introduced to habitats, which of these locations would you LEAST expect to be a hotbed of exotic invasive species?

	a. An active shipping harbor
	b. A bay frequented by recreational fisherman
	c. A bay next to a paper-production plant
	d. An estuary next to an aquarium shop

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How are ocean “dead zones” created?

	a. Invasive, introduced species prey on all native organisms until the area is effectively “dead.”
	b. Ocean circulation patterns break down, leading to areas of such calm that production is “dead.”
	c. Oil spills coat areas in toxic sludge, killing all life in an area.
	d. Fertilizer run-off leads to eutrophication and, eventually, hypoxic (low-oxygen) conditions such that no life can exist in the area.

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In the article by Anderson and Leontiu (2005) on evaluating toys for octopuses, what were the authors’ findings?

	a. Octopuses spent a considerable amount of time handling all toys but preferred the pliers.
	b. Octopuses spent a short amount of time handling all toys but preferred the cow.
	c. Octopuses exhibited a fear of all toys presented to them except the ball.
	d. Octopuses spent the longest amount of time handling the simplest toy.

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One important aspect of marine conservation is the design and designation of marine protected areas (MPAs), which function as sanctuaries or refuges for sea life. One problem with designing MPAs is determining where they should be and what size they should be. Much of this depends on the species you are interested in protecting. For example, what sort of species would be best protected by designing a number of small MPAs that are at some distance from one another?

	a. An estuarine deposit-feeder
	b. A sessile filter-feeder
	c. A territorial coral-reef fish
	d. A fish that produces planktotrophic larvae

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One important aspect of marine conservation is the design and designation of marine protected areas (MPAs), which function as sanctuaries or refuges for sea life. One problem with designing MPAs is determining where they should be and what size they should be. Much of this depends on the species you are interested in protecting. For example, if you had only a small, focused area to designate as an MPA, which of the following species would NOT be well-protected?

	a. An anadromous ocean fish
	b. A sessile filter-feeder
	c. A territorial coral-reef fish
	d. A direct-developing snail

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The melting of Greenland and Antarctic ice caps leads to which of the following?

	a. Eutrophication
	b. Increased ocean salinity
	c. A rise in sea level
	d. Acidification

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The uptake of excessive quantities of carbon dioxide by the ocean leads to which of the following?

	a. Eutrophication
	b. Increased ocean salinity
	c. A rise in sea level
	d. Acidification

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Toxins carried by storm water into the ocean is an example of which kind of pollution pathway?

	a. Eutrophication
	b. Direct discharge
	c. Runoff
	d. Atmospheric

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Which of the following is NOT a likely consequence of climate change?

	a. Weather systems might be altered due to changes in the Arctic’s ability to control weather patterns.
	b. Sea-level rise could lead to sea-water intrusion into freshwater, making the water we drink or use for crops unbearably salty.
	c. Coral reefs may be threatened by bleaching events brought on by increasing temperatures.
	d. All of the above

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Which of the following is NOT an effect of overfishing on marine species?

	a. The sizes of commercial fish are on average much smaller than they have been in the past.
	b. Jellyfish blooms occur much more frequently than they used to in the open ocean.
	c. Non-targeted species are also killed incidentally by fishing.
	d. Species like oysters that played an important part in filtering water are gone, leaving “dead zones.”

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Why would improvements in the technology that allows ships to travel longer distances much faster lead to an increase in the number of marine exotic-species invasions?

	a. The movement of ships’ wakes alters surface currents and allows species to travel to areas they would not otherwise be able to reach.
	b. Faster ships means that more organisms carried in ships’ ballast water will still be alive when the ballast is released at the ship’s destination.
	c. This would not lead to an increase in the number of exotic-species invasions.
	d. Such improvements generally involve streamlining the ship’s hull, which makes it easier for invasive species to attach themselves to the hull.

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Would you expect to see more or fewer exotic-species invasions as a result of climate change, and why?

	a. More, because climate change will disrupt ecosystems and the resilience of ecosystems, making it easier for outside species to establish themselves
	b. Fewer, because climate change disrupts environments and so would upset the ecology of even non-native species
	c. More, because exotic species come almost exclusively from warm environments, and warmer sea temperatures will help them thrive
	d. Fewer, because warmer temperatures will speed native species’ metabolism and improve their competitive abilities

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Consider the following ecosystem and food chain: many animals live in or near kelp forests, including sea otters, whales, and seals. Animals that eat kelp, like sea urchins and snails, live in the forests too, and so do small fish that rely on the kelp as a place to hide from predators. Worms, crabs, and other fishes depend upon the kelp for habitat as well. Killer whales eat sea lions, unless the sea-lion population dwindles, in which case they eat sea otters. Sea lions eat salmon and other large fish. Sea otters eat sea urchins. Sea urchins eat algae such as kelp. What would happen to the populations of these organisms if the hunting of sea otters stopped?

	a. Killer whale populations would stay the same, sea urchin populations would decrease, and small-fish populations would increase.
	b. Killer whale populations would decrease, sea urchin populations would stay the same, and crab populations would decrease.
	c. Sea lion populations would decrease, sea urchin populations would increase, and small-fish populations would decrease.
	d. Sea lion populations would stay the same, sea urchin populations would increase, and crab populations would decrease.

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