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3 Cards in this Set
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- Back
Primary production by photosynthetic protists is considered "primary" because.... |
These protists produce chemical energy by fixing CO2. The term primary refers to the initial step of fixing carbon into a useable form for other organisms. |
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Why does iron fertilization of open oceans increase phytoplankton densities? |
Iron is a critical component of the electron transport chains responsible for photosynthesis and respiration, but it is in particularly short supply in the open ocean. If iron is added to open ocean waters, populations of protists may increase by an order of magnitude. |
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What is a potential ill effect of adding iron to ocean waters? |
Although photosynthetic plankton will absorb large amounts of CO2, they will also absorb large amounts of O2 leading to massive dead zones. |