Marine Biology

1
Marine Biology

• Fall 2005

2
Oceans Bays Estuaries Tidal Salt Marshes
3
Nekton Swimmers Pelagic Floaters Carried by
the currents and waves Benthic Bottom dwellers
4
(No Transcript)
5
Abiotic Factors( Marine environment)

• Salinity Marine organisms sensitive to a range
  of salinity from 1. 018 -1.024 specific graavity.
  In terms of salt it is 33-37 ppt NaCl.
• Other key elements in sea water, Mg, Ca,
  Zn, K, Cu, Fe or Fe
• Organics rain in a snow from top to bottom

6
Light

• Photic Zone Critical Photosynthetic
  cyanobacteria and algae live at the surface and
  the edges where they can utilize light
• Green algae lives near the surface because of the
  wavelength of blue and red light( particularly
  red) that are required for cholorophyll, the main
  photosynthetic pigment.

7
Light(continued)

• Red and brown algaes can live in deeper water
  because the wave lengths of light that they use
  in the purple range are more energetic and can
  penetrate in the
• depths of the ocean
• This is the case for Kelp Forests

8
Waves

• Organisms on the shore and on the surface have to
  have adaptations that permit survival under harsh
  and turbulent conditions.
• Storms carry pelagic organisms
• Organisms need a type of attachment to substrates
  bottom and shore features

9
(No Transcript)
10
Marine Biomes

• AP Biology
• 2005

11
Kelp Forests
12
Biogeography

• The larger forests extend to the Arctic and
  Antarctic circles for the kelp grows well in sub
  20C waters. Although they may reach the arctic
  circles, their dependence on photosynthesis
  restricts them to shallow, clear waters of about
  15-40m because if any deeper sunlight would not
  reach.
• Kelp Forests are found along the coasts of North
  and South America because of the nutrient-rich
  water swells from the seasonal winds. Kelp
  forests are also found along New Zealand,
  Australia , and South Africa.

13
ROLE PLAYERS
Kelp
Urchins
Sea Otters
14
The Food Cycle of The Kelp Forest
Urchins enjoy a diet of kelp. Many molluscs and
urchins live on and near the kelp. Sea lions
swim through the kelp forest and thrive on these
delightful treats.
15
(No Transcript)
16
(No Transcript)
17
Coral Reefs
18
(No Transcript)
19
Characteristics

• A coral reef is an accumulation of dead corals
  and other organisms with a limestone skeleton.
• It is an underwater biome shaped by limestone
  formations that resemble branching trees. Coral
  reefs range widely in area. They may vary from a
  few square yards to hundreds of square miles.
  Typically, they tend to grow faster in clear
  water.

20
Biogeography

• Coral reefs lie mainly in shallow tropical or
  subtropical seas. Theyre confined to such
  shallow water because the corals on which the
  reefs rely contain small algae called
  zooxanthellae. These algae help to supply food
  to the coral and require light to survive. Also,
  the number of species of corals on a reef
  declines rapidly in deeper water. Coral reefs
  are generally found within 30N and 30S
  latitudes, and most cant live in water cooler
  than 61-68ºF
• Located in the waters of
• Pacific Ocean
• Southeast Asia (coastal waters)
• Indian Ocean
• Red Sea
• Brazil (tropical eastern coast)
• Caribbean Sea
• Florida and Bermuda
• Madagascar (Southeast African Coast)
• Although coral reefs do not develop in colder
  seas, certain corals live as far north as the
  Arctic Circle.

21
Biota

• Coral reefs are the home to an incredibly high
  diversity of organisms. They provide thriving
  ecosystems
• for numerous species of plants, fish, and other
  marine life.
• Coral reefs represent the most complex ecosystem
  found on Earth, which tens of thousands of living
  species inhabit.
• the rainforest of the oceans. There are vast
  numbers of colorful fish, reptiles, and
  invertebrates. mollusks, as well as sea urchins,
  jellyfish, oysters, clams, turtles, and sea
  anemones.

22
Threats

• Storms
• Temperature increases in the ocean water -
  Bleaching
• Pollution
• Man

23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
Conservation
If coral reefs continue to be destroyed, in 20
years the living corals on many of the world's
reefs will be dead and the ecosystems that depend
on them will be severely damaged. Therefore it
is extremely important to enforce proper reef
management. Many governments and conservation
organizations are working to preserve these
important ecosystems. USGS is focusing on
detailed mapping of reefs, developing monitoring
techniques, studying reef geologic growth and
development, and determining the effects of
sedimentary and hydrologic processes and water
quality on reefs.
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
Mangrove swamps
33
Mangrove Trees

• The radiating cable roots with their tangle of
  anchor roots provide support against the ocean's
  strong waves and tides
• Little nutritive roots grow up out from the main
  cable root and feed on the rich soil just below
  the mud's surface
• The third type of root collects oxygen for the
  plant.
•   

34
More facts

• Mangrove swamps protect the land from soil
  erosion and the effects of storms. They also act
  as a form of pollution control, naturally
  filtering out industrial and human waste.
  Mangrove swamps, like other wetlands, are
  important components of the water cycle,
  absorbing excess water flow during times of
  flooding.    Mangrove swamps serve important
  functions
• They provide food, nesting and nursery areas for
  many animals which include at least 220 fish
  species, 24 reptile and amphibian species, 18
  mammal species and 181 bird species. The dead
  leaves and twigs in the water grow microorganisms
  that provide food for young marine animals

35
Biogeography of Mangroves

• Florida coast
• Central American coast
• Australia
• India

36
Biota

• Birds Nest in the branches/Boobies and the
  frigate birds
• Roots Sponges,molluscs, crutaceans
• ( crabs and shrimp)
• Nursery for the ocean baby fish
• Barracuda, rays, pipefish
• Manatees

37
Abiotic factors

• Still ocean water
• Murky filled with organics
• Shallow water
• Lessened effect of wind and waves

38
Concerns

• Mangrove forests are lost when they are torn up,
  filled in and dug under for other purposes such
  as agriculture, aquaculture and other development
  activities.
•   
• People often wrongly perceive Mangroves as
  unsightly and want them removed so as to enhance
  the environment. Mangroves then often become
  garbage dumps.    Pollution adversely affects
  Mangrove Swamps.
• Pollution degrades the quality of the plantlife
  and the water in the swamp, which in turn
  adversely affects the insects and animasls that
  also live there. The roots of the mangroves can
  become easily clogged with man-made sediments and
  petroleum as well as from other pollution

39
Grass Biomes

• Large seagrass meadows usually occur in the
  protected waters landward of coral reefs.
• Seagrasses are true flowering plants with the
  male and female flower capable of sexual
  reproduction ,although most of the reproduction
  is performed asexually via the rhizome system in
  the sediment. The two main seagrass species, the
  turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) and the
  manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme), occur
  either in mixed or in monospecific beds.

40
Seagrasses
41
(No Transcript)
42
Turtle Grass

• Thalassia testudinum
• Turtle Grass. Root-stalks are elongated and
  creeping stems are short. Leaves ribbon-like or
  strap-like. Common on soft bottoms in shallow
  waters. Often encrusted with coralline algae.

43
Manatees
44
Sea Grass Meadow
45
Biota

• Turtles
• Sea urchins
• Star fish
• Small snails
• Jelly fish
• Juveniles of many large fish( red snappers)
• Conchs

46
Abiotic

• Roots of grasses stabilize sediment
• Helps to hold sediment in this area so that the
  water is clear near the reefs which are dependent
  upon the abolute clarity of the water

47
Rocky Shore
48
Biogeography

• Pacific Coast
• N. East Coast of N. America
• Scotland
• Norway
• S. America

49
Zonation

• Splash Zone
• Intertidal
• Subtidal

50
Rocky Shores
51
Biota

• Splash-Chitons,snails, and limpets. Algaes
• Intertidal-Algaes, crabs,shrimp, snails,and small
  fish. Barnacles
• Subtidal starfish, urchins, marine worms,
  crabs,and fish

52
Sandy Shores and Beaches

• Zonation
• High Tide - Wrack line
• Intertidal
• Subtidal

53
Biogeography

• Carribean Islands
• Mexico
• Southeastern United States
• Mediterranean

54
Zonations

• The intertidal zone is the area exposed between
  high and low tides. In the intertidal zone, part
  of the day is spent in open air and the rest of
  the day is spent covered in ocean water.
• High tide brings with it nutrients and food. When
  it goes out, the tide takes with it waste
  products and disperses eggs and larvae. Because
  of the shifting sands, organisms living in the
  intertidal zone on a beach have adapted to these
  changing conditions.
• Without the cover of water, many animals simply
  shut down during low tide. Some of the animals
  spend most of their life buried under the sand.
  Others burrow into the sand when the tide is low
  or when the crashing waves hit the shore. Some of
  the animals feed on materials that washes ashore.
  Others filter food from the water. Still others
  feed on tiny algae and bacteria among the sand
  grains.

55
Abiotic

• Waves
• High and Low tides 2X a day require
  protection from heat( sun) and dessication
• Turbulence of the water

56
Biota

• Intertidal
• Sand crabs, calico crabs,hermitcrabs,coquinas
  ,small fish like silver sides,flounder, grass
  shrimp,and other molluscs
• Subtidal
• Flounder, blue crabs, starfish, sea
  cucumbers, clams,small fish

57
Biota
58
(No Transcript)
59
Sand dunes

• They represent flexible barriers, which absorb
  wave energy during storms by moving and adjusting
  their shape and position.
• They form a crucial natural resource as a unique
  habitat for rich and diverse communities of
  highly specialised plant and animal species.
• However, their proximity to the ocean has made
  them desirable sites for locating coastal real
  estate. Such alterations to the coastline, as
  well as beach mining and renourishment, dredging,
  and filling are of particular concern in coastal
  areas because they have considerable
  environmental impact.

60
Sand dunes
61
Sea weeds
62
Tidal Salt Marshes
63
Biogeography

• Salt marshes form on stable or emerging
  coastlines when sediment accumulates in sheltered
  intertidal areas in estuaries, behind spits, bars
  or islands, and in protected bays.

64
Tidal Salt Marshes

• Commercial Fisheries - 70 of commercial fish
  depend upon salt marshes for all or part of their
  lives. Nursing, Habitat, and Breeding Grounds -
  63 species of Narragansett Bay fish use salt
  marshes as nurseries, and many more fish and
  shellfish depend on them for living and breeding.
  Wading birds such as egrets and great blue herons
  feed in the productive salt marshes during the
  summer months. Migratory birds such as shorebirds
  and ducks use salt marshes as stop-over points
  while traveling between summer and winter
  habitats.

65
Tidal Salt Marshes

• Flood, Storm and Shoreline Protection - Salt
  marshes shield and protect coastal areas from
  storms, and are important shoreline stabilizers
  due to their wave dampening effect. Established
  marsh grasses are also highly effective against
  erosion.

66
Tidal Salt Marsh

• Clean and Filter Water - Salt marshes clean water
  by filtering sediments, nutrients, heavy metals,
  and other toxins from upland runoff.

67
Grasses
68
Biota

• Highly Productive Ecosystems - Salt marshes
  produce more basic food energy per acre than any
  other known ecosystem including tropical
  rainforests and freshwater wetlands.
• Commercial Fisheries - 70 of commercial fish
  depend upon salt marshes for all or part of their
  lives.

69
Salt Marsh Grass System
70
Threats

• Salt marshes are among the most productive
  ecosystems in the world
• The key plant of the salt marsh is cord grass,
  Spartina
• A river of grass swaying in the breeze where the
  land meets the water, salt marshes are among the
  most productive habitats found within the Indian
  River Lagoon. Because they exist in areas which
  man has steadily developed or altered over many
  years, they are also among the most threatened
  habitats.

71
(No Transcript)
72
Hydrothermal Vents

• In 1977 colonies of animals were identified in
  areas of the ocean with volcanic activity and
  vents
• Geologists working in such an area discovered 5
  foot long worms near the Galapagos Islands
• The basis of this biome is the bacteria that are
  able to produce energy by chemoautotrophy

73
(No Transcript)
74
Hydrothermal Vents

• In many vent areas the super heated water rises
  quickly from the ocean bottom with so many
  minerals that it appears black.
• As it rises from the seafloor some of the
  minerals precipitate out and form a 'chimney'
  around the water vent. These chimneys may grow to
  over 40 feet high while venting the black
  mineral-rich heated water.

75
The Origin of Vents

• Seawater, found in cracks in the ocean bottom, is
  heated by volcanic activity and it becomes less
  dense and rises.
• If this water has come into contact with newly
  solidified rock it will have leached many
  minerals from that new rock.

76

• Large vestimintiferan worms over six feet long
  are one of the most visible animals at the vents.
  These are tube worms, secreting a thick
  paper-like white tube along their body.
• The vestimintiferans do not have a mouth or gut
  instead they rely on mutualistic symbiotic
  bacteria living in their tissue to produce the
  'cell food' needed to keep them alive.
• The discovery of the vent communities was the
  first time anyone had seen vestimintiferan worms
  - a new phylum. It is believed these worms are
  some of the fastest growing invertebrates known.

77
Vent Biome Inhabitants
78
Profundal

• The depths of the ocean
• No light in the depths
• High Pressure
• Low dissolved oxygen
• 2000 6000 m in depth
• 39oF

79
Creatures of the Deep
80
Bioluminescence

• Many of the organisms in the depths are capable
  of producing light- this phenomenon is called
  bioluminescence
• Animals produce red, green, and blue light

81
The spectrum of light
82
Blue light

• Most bioluminescence is blue in color
• .
• Blue light of wave lengths is 470 nm. It
  transmits the furthest in the depths of the
  oceans
• Most organisms are sensitive to blue light -
  they lack the visual pigments which can absorb
  longer (yellow, red) or shorter (indigo,
  ultraviolet) wavelengths.

83
Benthopelagic

• These animals have high levels of TMAO
• TMAO enables marine organisms to retain hydration
  while living in salt water
• Live above the bottom of the ocean

Giant Grenadier Fish
84
Chilly Oceans

• Antarctica
• -2oC water in many places
• 100oC water from volcanic action
• Ice
• Violent storms
• Winter darkness
• Short summer

85
(No Transcript)
86
Orcas
87
Animals
88
Antarctic fish Antifreeze in the blood

• Antarctic fish have lived at between 2C and
  -2C for 5 million years (-2C is the freezing
  point of sea water, below zero because of the
  salt). They are therefore the best cold adapted
  animals that there are on the planet - now or
  ever.

89
Adaptations to Cold