Front Back
species success depends upon
-finding food -avoiding predation -reproduction -accommodate physical barriers to movement
plankton
floater, cannot swim faster than the current high surface area to volume ratio need to be small to float and stay alive
nekton
swimmers, above the bottom, faster than the current most adult fish marine mammals marine reptiles
benthos
bottom dwellers can live in buried sediments on seafloor most abundant in shallow water many live in perpetual darkness, stillness and coldness
phytoplankton
autotrophic primary producers (photosynthesis) ex: coccolithophores, diatoms, dinoflagellates (have tails)
zooplankton
heterotrophic (consume phytoplankton or other zooplankton) water is viscous because operating on molecular level
life cycle of a squid
benthic egg sacs zoolpankton larvae nektonic adults --> mating
number of marine species
more land species ocean has relatively uniform conditions less adaptation required, less speciation overwhelmingly benthic (98%), rather than pelagic
physical support adaptations
buoyancy to resist sinking (oil) different support in different temperatures (warm = more appendages) warm water is less dense high surface area to volume ratio (more appendages)
viscosity and streamlining
streamlining is important for larger organisms less resistance to fluid flow flattened body tapering back end
temperature and marine life
narrow range of temp in ocean deep ocean is nearly isothermal
reasons for ocean stability
higher heat capacity of water ocean warming reduced by evaporation solar radiation penetrates into ocean layers ocean mixing
cold v warm water species
smaller in warm water more appendages in warmer seawater tropical organisms grow faster, die sooner, reproduce more more species in warmer water
Salinity Adaptations
extracting minerals from seawater high concentration to low concentration cell membrane permeable to nutrients waste passes from cell to ocean
osmosis
water molecules move from high concentrated to less concentrated solutions
osmotic pressure
in more concentrated solutions, prevents passage of water molecules
marine fish
drink large quantities of water secrete salt through special cells small volume of high concentrated urine
freshwater fish
do not drink water cells absorb salt large volume of diluted urine
dissolved gases
animal extract dissolved oxygen from seawater through gills gills exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide directly with seawater low marine oxygen can kill fish
water's transparency
many marine organisms see well some are transparent to help elude predators and stalk prey
countershading
dark on top light on bottom
water pressure
many organisms have no inner air pockets collapsible rib cages
primary productivity
rate at which energy is stored in organic matter
primary producers
photosynthesis users solar radiation chemosynthesis uses chemical radiation
factors affecting primary productivity
nutrient availability solar productivity
light transmission
visible light of electromagnetic spectrum blue wavelengths penetrate deepest longer wavelengths (red, orange) absorbed first
nutrient supply
cooler and deeper seawater is more rich coastal upwelling = high productivity
polar ocean productivity
winter darkness, summer sunlight phytoplankton blooms zooplankton productivity follows productivity decreases from UV light
tropical ocean productivity
permanent thermocline is barrier to vertical mixing low rate of primary productivity due to lack of nutrients symbiotic algae recycle nutrients within an ecosystem
temperate ocean productivity
productivity limited by sunlight and nutrients highly seasonal pattern
temperate ocean productivity winter
low productivity many nutrients little sunlight
temperate ocean productivity spring
high productivity spring bloom
temperate ocean productivity summer
low productivity few nutrients abundant sunlight
temperate ocean productivity fall
high productivity fall bloom
producers
nourish themselves photosynthesis of chemosynthesis autotrophic
consumers
eat other organisms heterotrophic
decomposers
break down dead organisms or waste
trophic levels
chemical energy transferred from producers to consumers about 10% energy transferred to next trophic level
food chains
primary producer -> herbivore -> one or more carnivores
food web
branching network of many consumers consumers more likely to survive with alternative food sources
biomass pyramid
number of individuals and total biomass decreases at successive trophic levels organisms increase in size
marine fisheries
commercial fishing most come from continental shelves
marine fisheries
over 20% from areas of upwelling that make up 0.1% of ocean surface area
bycatch
non-commercial species are taken incidentally by commercial fisheries can make up to 8 times more than intended catch birds, dolphins, turtles, sharks purse seine nets
standing stock
mass present in ecosystem at any given time
overfishing
fish stock harvested too rapidly, juveniles not sexually mature to reproduce reduction in max sustainable yield
overfishing
80% of available fish stock fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted/recovering large predatory fish reduced increased fish production, decreased stocks
ozone depletion
scientific understanding montreal protocol global participation, technological solutions, willingness of developed countries to help underdeveloped countries
global warming
scientific understanding Kyoto protocol lack of global participation lack of willingness to help
fisheries management
regulate fishing, enforcement of regulation is difficult, governments subsidize fishing
reef
shallow water communities restricted to tropics
polyps
individual corals
zooxanthallae
gives color, photosynthetic, grow best in limited nutrient environment
zooxanthallae
shrimp farming harms these because nutrients are injected into the environment attracting phytoplankton
conditions for coral reef development
warm but not hot seawater sunlight from symbiotic algae strong waves/currents clear seawater normal salinity hard substrate
coral reef zonation (bottom up)
ancient coral reefs -> insufficient sunlight for growth active coral reef -> builds up over time as volcano sinks (50m) 20 m 20% of surface light remains reef flat/crests at surface
importance of coral reefs
largest structure created by living organisms great diversity of species important tourist locales fisheries reefs protect shorelines
humans and coral reefs
fishing, tourist collecting and sediment influx due to shore development harm coral reefs sewage discharge and agricultural fertilizers increase nutrients in reef waters
coral reef declines
30% healthy today 1/3 of corals in high risk extinction humans are greatest threat
coral bleaching
loss of zooxanthallae triggered by stress often followed by morality affects symbiotic organisms
deep ocean floor communities
expensive to explore the deep limited oxygen robotic technology for exploration
deep ocean physical environment
no primary productivity only 1-3% of euphotic food present special adaptations for detecting food
deep sea hydrothermal vent communities
discovered by Alvin in 1977 galapagos rift in Pacific Ocean water temp 8-12 C chimney vents (black smokers) chemosynthesis
hydrothermal vent species
giant tubeworms, giant clams, giant mussels, crabs, supported by chemosynthesis
hydrothermal vent communities
vents are active for decades or years animal species similar at widely separated vents larvae drift from site to site
what does not limit coral growth
high concentrations of calcium carbonate
if an ecosystem has four trophic levels and primary production of 100,000 how much energy will top producer get
100
in temperate oceans during summer:
nutrient concentrations are low, solar input is high and oxygen solubility decreases
jellyish (B, P or N)
plankton
barnacle (B, P or N)
benthic
whale (B, P or N)
nekton

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