Marine Biology & Conservation Flashcards
7 cards from real PADI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Marine Biology & Conservation flashcards as text
What is the ecological role of apex predators like sharks in a marine food web?
Answer: They regulate prey populations and maintain ecosystem balance
Apex predators control prey populations and prevent overgrazing of critical habitats; their removal triggers trophic cascades that destabilize entire ecosystems.
Which structure in a bony fish controls its buoyancy by adjusting the volume of gas inside?
Answer: Swim bladder
The swim bladder is an internal gas-filled organ that fish inflate or deflate to achieve neutral buoyancy at various depths without constant swimming effort.
What is the 'bleaching threshold' of water temperature for most tropical coral reef systems?
Answer: 1°C above the average seasonal maximum sustained for several weeks
Coral bleaching is typically triggered when water temperatures exceed the seasonal maximum by just 1°C for several weeks, causing corals to expel their symbiotic zooxanthellae.
What is meant by the term 'trophic level' in marine biology?
Answer: The organism's position in a food chain based on its energy source
Trophic level describes an organism's position in a food web; producers are level one, herbivores level two, and predators occupy progressively higher levels.
Which global initiative does PADI support that asks divers to report marine life sightings to contribute to scientific databases?
Answer: Both Project AWARE and Reef Check
PADI supports both Project AWARE (ocean protection, debris reporting, shark and ray data) and Reef Check (coral reef monitoring surveys) as citizen science programs for divers.
What is the difference between a 'benthic' and a 'pelagic' marine organism?
Answer: Benthic organisms live on or near the seafloor; pelagic organisms live in open water
Benthic describes organisms associated with the seafloor (e.g., sea cucumbers, flatfish), while pelagic describes organisms living in the open water column (e.g., tuna, jellyfish).
A diver finds a piece of marine debris entangled around a sea turtle's neck. According to PADI's Project AWARE guidelines, what is the recommended action?
Answer: Carefully remove the debris if it can be done safely without further injuring the animal
Project AWARE and PADI encourage divers to carefully remove marine debris entangling wildlife when it can be done safely, as entanglement is often fatal if left untreated.