Specification points

Cambridge Cambridge International AS & A Level Marine Science 9693

252 points in 9 topics, with Cambridge's codes and titles.

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Codes and titles are read by a script from Cambridge's published specification and have not been checked by a person. What each point covers is in the specification itself: Cambridge’s specification.

1 Water

1.1 Particle theory and bonding
1.1.1 Changes of state in water
1.1.2 Structure of the atom
1.1.3 Sea water as a mixture
1.1.4 Covalent bonding in water
1.1.5 Identifying covalent molecules
1.1.6 Ionic bonding in sodium chloride
1.1.7 Identifying ionic substances
1.1.8 Salts in sea water
1.1.9 Hydrogen bonds in water
1.1.10 Hydrogen bonding and properties of water
1.2 Solubility in water
1.2.1 Solute, solvent, solution and solubility
1.2.2 Dissolving of salts
1.2.3 Temperature and solubility of salts
1.2.4 Salinity
1.2.5 Salinity and freezing point
1.2.6 Run-off, precipitation and evaporation affecting salinity
1.2.7 The pH scale
1.2.8 Measuring pH
1.2.9 Low solubility of oxygen
1.2.10 Factors affecting gas solubility
1.3 Density and pressure
1.3.1 Factors affecting sea water density
1.3.2 Density formula
1.3.3 Ice floats on sea water
1.3.4 Importance of floating ice
1.3.5 Ocean layers and mixing

3 Interactions in marine ecosystems

3.1 Interactions
3.1.1 Symbiotic relationships
3.1.2 Parasitism
3.1.3 Commensalism
3.1.4 Mutualism
3.2 Feeding relationships
3.2.1 Feeding relationship terms
3.2.2 Food chains and food webs
3.2.3 Photosynthetic and chemosynthetic producers
3.2.4 Photosynthesis and energy capture
3.2.5 Light intensity and photosynthesis
3.2.6 Glucose used for biomass
3.2.7 Glucose used in respiration
3.2.8 Productivity
3.2.9 Energy losses along food chains
3.2.10 Ecological pyramids
3.3 Nutrient cycles
3.3.1 Nutrients
3.3.2 Types of nutrient
3.3.3 Elements in carbohydrates, lipids and proteins
3.3.4 Large molecules from smaller units
3.3.5 Essential elements from nutrients
3.3.6 Dissolved nutrient reservoir
3.3.7 Replenishing dissolved nutrients
3.3.8 Depletion of dissolved nutrients
3.3.9 Marine snow
3.3.10 Nutrient removal by harvesting
3.3.11 Nutrients limiting productivity
3.3.12 The carbon cycle

4 Classification and biodiversity

4.1 The classification of marine organisms
4.1.1 Taxonomic hierarchy
4.1.2 Binomial nomenclature
4.1.3 Dichotomous keys
4.1.4 Observing and drawing specimens
4.2 Key groups of marine organisms
4.2.1 Plankton
4.2.2 Phytoplankton
4.2.3 Zooplankton
4.2.4 Features of echinoderms
4.2.5 Importance of echinoderms
4.2.6 Features of crustaceans
4.2.7 Importance of crustaceans
4.2.8 Features of bony fish
4.2.9 Importance of bony fish
4.2.10 Features of cartilaginous fish
4.2.11 Importance of cartilaginous fish
4.2.12 Chordates
4.2.13 Features of macroalgae
4.2.14 Importance of macroalgae
4.2.15 Features of marine plants
4.2.16 Importance of marine plants
4.3 Biodiversity
4.3.1 Three levels of biodiversity
4.3.2 Importance of marine biodiversity
4.4 Populations and sampling techniques
4.4.1 Ecological terms with marine examples
4.4.2 Biotic and abiotic factors
4.4.3 Mark–release–recapture
4.4.4 Lincoln index
4.4.5 Random and systematic sampling
4.4.6 Investigating distribution in the littoral zone
4.4.7 Simpson's index of diversity
4.4.8 Spearman's rank correlation

5 Examples of marine ecosystems

5.1 The open ocean
5.1.1 The five oceans
5.1.2 Open ocean zones
5.1.3 Oceans and the atmosphere
5.1.4 Polar, temperate and tropical regions
5.2 The tropical coral reef
5.2.1 Conditions for coral reef formation
5.2.2 Types of tropical coral reef
5.2.3 Corals as Cnidaria
5.2.4 Hard and soft corals
5.2.5 Structure of a hard coral polyp
5.2.6 Coral nutrition
5.2.7 Importance of coral reefs
5.2.8 Reef erosion
5.2.9 Artificial reefs
5.3 The rocky shore
5.3.1 Zones of a rocky shore
5.3.2 Factors affecting rocky shore distribution
5.3.3 Adaptations to rocky shore zones
5.4 The sandy shore
5.4.1 The sandy shore ecosystem
5.4.2 Low biodiversity of sandy shores
5.4.3 Particle size and permeability
5.4.4 Adaptations to sandy shores
5.5 The mangrove forest
5.5.1 Mangrove forests
5.5.2 Conditions for mangrove formation
5.5.3 Adaptations of the red mangrove
5.5.4 Ecological importance of mangroves
5.5.5 Importance of mangroves to people
5.5.6 Threats to mangrove forests

6 Physiology of marine organisms

6.1 General cell structure
6.1.1 Cell organelles and their functions
6.1.2 Fluid mosaic model
6.1.3 Selective permeability and transport
6.1.4 Interpreting cell images
6.1.5 Magnification formula
6.1.6 Observations, drawings and magnification
6.2 Movement of substances
6.2.1 Diffusion, osmosis and active transport
6.2.2 Water potential
6.2.3 Investigating diffusion and osmosis
6.2.4 Surface area to volume ratio
6.2.5 Surface area to volume ratio and diffusion
6.2.6 Estimating water potential of tissues
6.2.7 Water movement and water potential
6.3 Gas exchange
6.3.1 Moving respiratory materials
6.3.2 Size, shape and exchange surfaces
6.3.3 Methods of gaseous exchange
6.3.4 Gas exchange, habitat and motility
6.4 Osmoregulation
6.4.1 Need for osmoregulation
6.4.2 Osmoconformers and osmoregulators
6.4.3 Euryhaline and stenohaline species
6.4.4 Osmoregulation in salmon

7 Energy

7.1 Photosynthesis
7.1.1 White light and wavelength
7.1.2 Wavelength, intensity and penetration
7.1.3 Wavelength and light penetration
7.1.4 Photosynthesis in marine producers
7.1.5 Two stages of photosynthesis
7.1.6 ATP and reduced NADP in photosynthesis
7.1.7 Structure of a chloroplast
7.1.8 Sites of photosynthesis stages
7.1.9 Chloroplast pigments
7.1.10 Accessory pigments and light penetration
7.1.11 Chromatography of chloroplast pigments
7.1.12 Absorption and action spectra
7.1.13 Light-dependent stage
7.1.14 Light-independent stage
7.1.15 Limiting factors of photosynthesis
7.1.16 Wavelength and rate of photosynthesis
7.2 Chemosynthesis
7.2.1 Chemosynthesis
7.2.2 Chemosynthetic bacteria at vents
7.2.3 Riftia and Endoriftia symbiosis
7.2.4 Carbon fixation by Endoriftia
7.3 Respiration
7.3.1 Aerobic respiration and ATP
7.3.2 Aerobic respiration equations
7.3.3 Anaerobic respiration
7.3.4 Structure of a mitochondrion
7.3.5 Sites of respiration

8 Fisheries for the future

8.1 Life cycles
8.1.1 Life cycle terms
8.1.2 Simple and complex life cycles
8.1.3 Importance of life cycle stages
8.1.4 Internal and external fertilisation
8.2 Sustainable fisheries
8.2.1 Sustainable exploitation of fisheries
8.2.2 Impact of modern fishing technology
8.2.3 Information for sustainable fisheries
8.2.4 Tools for sustainable fisheries
8.2.5 Evaluating fisheries tools
8.2.6 Impacts of fishing restrictions
8.2.7 Rehabilitating depleted stocks
8.3 Marine aquaculture
8.3.1 Intensive and extensive aquaculture
8.3.2 Process of aquaculture
8.3.3 Requirements for successful aquaculture
8.3.4 Impacts of aquaculture

9 Human impacts on marine ecosystems

9.1 Ecological impacts of human activities
9.1.1 Human impacts on marine water quality
9.1.2 Bioaccumulation and biomagnification
9.1.3 Microplastics
9.1.4 Breakdown of plastics into microplastics
9.1.5 Impacts of plastics on marine ecosystems
9.1.6 Limiting release of plastics
9.2 Global warming and its impact
9.2.1 Natural greenhouse effect
9.2.2 Enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming
9.2.3 Evidence for global warming
9.2.4 Human contribution to global warming
9.2.5 Impacts of global warming on the oceans
9.3 Ocean acidification
9.3.1 Carbon dioxide and ocean acidity
9.3.2 Carbon dioxide reacting with sea water
9.3.3 Acidification and shelled organisms
9.3.4 pH and mollusc shell mass
9.4 Conservation of marine ecosystems
9.4.1 Need for conservation
9.4.2 The IUCN Red List
9.4.3 Invasive and endangered species
9.4.4 Threats from invasive species
9.4.5 Viability of conservation projects
9.4.6 Strategies for conserving marine species
9.4.7 International cooperation in marine conservation