Science / Marine Biology Glossary

Resource: A commodity that is required by an organism and is potentially in short supply

Respiration: Consumption of oxygen in the process of aerobic metabolism

Respiratory Pigment: A molecule, polymer, or other complex adapted to bind and transport oxygen efficiently, usually in a circulatory system (e.g., hemoglobin)

Respiratory Quotient: The ratio of moles of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed in respiration

Rete Mirabile: A countercurrent exchange structure of capillaries that allows gas uptake in a fish swim bladder

Reverse Bohr Effect: Effect that occurs when lactate builds up in the blood of certain invertebrates and ph decreases, increasing the affinity of hemocyanin for oxygen

Reynolds Number: A number that represents the relative importance of viscous forces and inertial forces in a fluid. As Re increases, inertial forces become more important. In sea water, Re increaseswith incr . . . View Full Definition

Rip Current: A concentrated rapid current moving offshore from a beach fronting a longshore current

Rise: Bottom of low relief at the base of the continental slope

Rov: Abbreviation for remotely operated vehicle, usually a submersible tethered to a ship, with facilities for video, remote sampling by grabbing arms, and precise navigation

Salinity: Number of kg of dissolved salts in one kg g of seawater, measured in parts per thousand. Actually this definition stands alongside another definition based upon water standards whose electri . . . View Full Definition

Salps: A group of pelagic tunicates (phylum Urochordata), either colonial or solitary, with buccal and atrial siphons on opposite sides of the body

Salt Marsh: A coastal habitat consisting of salt-resistant plants residing in an organic-rich sediment accreting toward sea level

Scavenger: An organism that feeds on dead or decomposing animals or macrophytes

Scleractinia: Order of coelenterates, usually producing calcareous skeletons with hexameral symmetry

Scope For Growth: The surplus of energy available for growth beyond that required for maintenance

Scyphozoa: The true jellyfish, members of the phylum Cnidaria

Sea-Floor Spreading: The horizontal movement of oceanic crust

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