Biomorph Challenge #5

Marine Biology: Species Divergence, and Water pH

The Biomorphs have a new idea:

"We are going to take so much CO₂ out of your ocean that we reverse acidification. The pH will only rise to pH 8.5. That's 10^-8.5 moles/liter of H+ ions, a tiny amount. Your ocean will work much better."

What do you say?

Facts about Oceans

see Ocean Facts

The oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface and contain 97% of the Earth's water.

Less than 1% of Earth's water is fresh water, and 2-3% is contained in glaciers and ice caps.

Ninety percent of all volcanic activity occurs in the oceans. Two or three could erupt at any moment.

At the deepest point in the ocean the pressure is more than 8 tons per square inch, or the equivalent of one person trying to support 50 jumbo jets.

At 39 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of almost all of the deep ocean is only a few degrees above freezing.

If mined, all the gold suspended in the world's seawater would give each person on Earth 9 pounds.

If the ocean's total salt content were dried, it would cover the continents to a depth of 5 feet.

El Niño, a periodic shift of warm waters from the western to eastern Pacific Ocean, has dramatic effects on climate worldwide. In 1982-1983, the most severe El Niño of the century created droughts, crop failures, fires, torrential rains, floods, landslides--total damages were estimated at more than $8 billion.

The pH of the ocean was pH 8.2, before the industrial age. Now it is pH 8.1. By the year 2300, it is predicted to be pH 7.4.

Written assignment -- turn in to professor

Note: It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you paste these questions into Word and type your answers. Also, it is extremely helpful to present the questions in the order listed.

Biomorph Challenge #5

1. Align the following two sequences and calculate the % divergence and the % relatedness of the two sequences.

Sequence A = GGCCUUCCGGCCACA
Sequence B = GCCCUUCCGGGCGCA.

2. Align the following sequences and calculate the % divergence of A/B and B/C

Sequence A : GGAUCGAGAGUUCC
Sequence B : UGGAACGAAAGAUCC
Sequence C : GGAUCGAUGAGAUCU

3. The evolution of cephaglobinids of Shora is measured by a "molecular clock" gene whose sequence varies by mutation at 0.8% change per million years. The following table shows the percent relatedness of all pairs of species. Based on this table, draw a phylogenetic tree showing divergence with time (on the x axis).

Label	Creature	% Relatedness to	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
A	fleshborer		100	42	72	72	72	63	92
B	Legfish		42	100	42	42	42	42	42
C	Large brown-spotted rocket squid		72	42	100	96	87	63	72
D	Small blue-striped rocket squid		72	42	96	100	87	63	72
E	seaswallower		72	42	87	87	100	63	72
F	Shockwaith		63	42	63	63	63	100	63
G	starworm		92	42	72	72	72	63	100

4. The pH of Shora’s water is 8.07. Calculate the concentrations of H⁺ and OH^- in the water.

5. CO₂ dissolves in water to produce carbonic acid, H₂CO₃. Write the chemical equation for this reaction and for the reaction of carbonic acid with water.

6. The acid dissociation constant, K_a, for carbonic acid is 4.3 x 10^-7. Calculate the % ionization of solutions with the following concentration (moles/liter) of carbonic acid: 1.0 M, 0.10M, 0.010M and 0.0010 M. Calculate the pH at each concentration. Comment on the trend you see in your results. What does it imply for the result of increasing carbon dioxide in Earth's global atmosphere? How will this affect the oceans?

7. Explain how the Shora ocean resembles oceans on Earth, and how it is different, in terms of a habitat for organisms, and in terms of ocean interactions with geography.

8. Cite aspects of Shora ecology that demonstrate interactions between populations of different species . Cite aspects that demonstrate seasonal change in ecosystems.